Little minds are mesmerised by brightly coloured, tiny fluttering wings, so what better place for a little outing than the Gold Coast Butterflies Butterfly House!? At the Gold Coast Butterfly House you can spend time learning about the plants that provide natural habitats for butterflies and caterpillars, wander around the greenhouse spotting butterflies and even get up close and personal with the different life stages of the butterfly – egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Kids and adults alike will love spotting butterflies tucked away in plants and flowers, and you can learn so many butterfly facts and information on encouraging them into your own backyard. While the butterfly house is located within a greenhouse, depending on the weather outside you’ll encounter the butterflies in various states. If it’s a warm and sunny day, they’ll be flitting about the room, stopping for a snack on the fruit stand occasionally. Visiting on a cooler or rainy day is still worth it, when you’ll find the butterflies a little sleepy and quiet, resting on the flowers or leaves.
As you leave the enclosure you can also see a range of pinned butterflies, including some that are over 100 years old. It is quite an impressive collection and it is amazing to see how many different varieties and colours of butterflies that exist. The Gold Coast Butterfly House particularly works to increase awareness of the endangered Richmond Birdwing butterfly, and while they don’t have any in the enclosure, they have a Birdwing vine and explain what plants you can add to your garden to help with the conservation of this incredible butterfly.
It was a really lovely outing for our little family. You don’t need a lot of time there depending on age range of your children and the level of interest, we were there for about 45 minutes. Located within the Carrara Markets, it’s worth having a stroll around the market and don’t miss the baby farm animals too!
Need to know:
Website: http://www.goldcoastbutterflies.com.au/
Opening hours: Saturday & Sunday 9am–3pm
Location: Carrara Markets, enter via gate 2 on Market Street and it’s right there
Admission prices: Children over 2: $7, Concession $8, Adults $9, Family pass (up to 5 people) $25
