Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures is the largest wildlife attraction in Northern Australia and continues to be a ‘must do’ for locals, Australian visitors and overseas travellers. For the first time this iconic attraction will host a stage finish of the Crocodile Trophy – what better way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of our race than making a stop-over at Hartley’s on the last night of this year’s event?!?
Our “Croc Class of 2019” will be crossing the finish line of STAGE 7 at Hartley’s and then spend the night right in the heart of the park. There will be a special Croc Show for us and all racers and staff will be able to wander around the park freely.
Says Brendon Skerke, Operations Manager and stage plan “godfather”,
“I think the Skybury to Hartleys stage is likely to be the fastest this year apart from the last day’s time trial. I specifically planned it that way so that we all can have a relaxing afternoon at the magnificent Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures park together. I estimate that our racers will take between 2.5 and 4.5 hours to complete the 84 km. With only 800 vm my treat to the riders is the final 7km bitumen descent towards the finish!”
About Hartley’s
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures is one of the longest continually operating tourist attractions in Australia. The business began in 1934 as a road house for weary motorists.
Legend has it the original owner Pop Evans entertained motorists by feeding Charlie the crocodile while scones cooked in the wood stove. Pop was the first person in Australia to perform crocodile shows for the public. Eight decades later, Hartley’s world-famous Crocodile Attack Show is as popular as ever.
In 2002 the attraction moved to a new site, redefining the wildlife park experience by offering soft adventure and quality learning activities in a truly natural environment. Now located 40min north of Cairns and 25min south of Port Douglas, it is nestled in the picturesque Wangetti Valley and surrounded by World Heritage listed National Park. The daily presentations strike a perfect balance between entertainment and education as you will find out. The wildlife collection now features photo ready Koalas, Wombats, Alligators, Komodo dragons, predatory birds, exotic snakes and reptiles. The infrastructure improvements included new car parking, expanded dining deck, enlarged photo area, upgraded kitchen, refurbished public toilets, croc farm amphitheatre, solar PV boat, historical displays and more. During your stay at Hartley’s, you will be able to participate in a wide range of activities and explore the natural habitat of the legendary Saltwater Crocodile “Charlie”.
Hartley’s is accredited by Ecotourism Australia and the Zoological Association of Australasia. In 2017, Hartley’s won Silver at the Queensland Tourism Awards, adding to the many other awards for architecture, sustainability and tourism.
We would like to thank the Hartley’s owners Angela and Peter for hosting us and are looking forward to this unique and authentic experience!
