What To Pack for a Day at Australia Zoo 🐨☀️

There's nothing quite like a full day out in the sun with the family, watching the crocs, cuddling a koala, and running wild in the water park — but a day like that needs a little planning to keep everyone comfortable, protected, and blister-free. Here's everything we packed (and a couple of gorgeous eco-conscious finds I fell in love with along the way). Please note some links are Affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy via our Affiliate link, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us continue finding, making and sharing the things we love too! ❤️

Now onto todays' "What to pack for a day at Australia Zoo" post!

Sunscreen 🧴

I've used Cancer Council sunscreen for years now and I genuinely trust it — it's reliable, affordable, and every purchase supports cancer research here in Australia. For a day of reapplying on wriggly little ones and yourself, it's an easy, no-fuss pick. But in saying that.....

any sunscreen you can afford is a great option, though when I researched this piece, I fell in love with two beautiful environmentally-conscious options worth considering but I haven't seen them stocked anywhere in my regular every day Australian life so far to date:

SunButter — started by a marine biologist and a conservation ecologist who met while working with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. It's Australia's first reef-safe sunscreen, made in a solar-powered facility, and they donate 50% of profits to environmental causes. Feels like such a beautiful, purposeful choice for a zoo day.
We Are Feel Good Inc. — Australian owned and made, free from the chemicals known to harm reefs and marine life, with a lovely everyday SPF50 range for the whole family.

I'll start looking for both these options next time I'm in the chemist, grocery store, or any other place where sunscreen is sold. If I find some, I'll report back, and if you are reading this SunButter or We Are Feel Good Inc and want to let us know about your products, company, and where to find, please reach out and get in touch! And if you are looking for the SunButter website it is here:

Drink Bottle 💧

I've always recommended Frank Green Drink Bottles — I'm genuinely a bit obsessed with mine, and it's been my go-to for years, simply because with such a big family and everyone having multiple drink bottles everything (all lids, straws, bumpers, and bottles) are interchangeable - meaning I switch them around all the time when they go missing in the wash or school bags or wherever else they vanish to.

Here's what we know for sure: Frank Green was founded in Melbourne and is Australian owned and designed. Their classic reusable cup range has historically been manufactured locally in Australia through a local manufacturer.

A little clarity on the popular Chrome Collection: the "Chrome" simply refers to the outer finish — a beautiful hand-polished, reflective stainless steel shell. Inside, it's the same ceramic lining as their regular range, so you're getting that same no-metallic-taste drinking experience, just with a shinier exterior. I was like seriously crushing on the rose gold/pink forever and they sold out before I got one <waahhhhhh 😢> this time around I'm crushing on the blue ❤️

Anyway....what I don't know for certain: is whether the stainless steel/Chrome ranges are currently manufactured in Australia or overseas. When the stainless steel range first launched, the founder publicly said they were still searching for a local manufacturer capable of producing it here (stainless steel forming needs specialised tooling many local manufacturers don't have at scale). We couldn't confirm whether that ever came together, so we're not going to claim "Made in Australia" without being sure.

Either way, it's a beautifully designed, Australian-owned brand doing real work to cut down single-use plastic which goes great with our environmental post — and one I'll keep reaching for on our days out. And Frank Green, if you're reading this and want to confirm about your products, company, and where to find, please reach out and get in touch!

Hat ☀️

For proper sun coverage, you can't go past an Akubra. They've been made in Kempsey, NSW since 1874, and they're still a proud Australian family-owned company. A wide brim keeps little faces and necks shaded all day long. I don't own an Akubra, my hat collection is a little like my drink bottle collection- forever being lost or exchanged with the kids. For our day out I had two hats, and one of the kids had one, and I ended up with the other.

Again...a bit like wearing sunscreen in Australia...any hat is a good hat. And if you forget one, you can always buy one from the gift shop, or if you want to buy something from Amazon, simply to support myself and Choose A Life You Love, this white one looks pretty good for $23 AUD approx. ❤️

Shoes & Socks 👟

This one's simple but so important — good, well-fitted walking shoes or runners paired with proper socks will save everyone's feet after a full day of wandering the zoo. Blisters are the number one thing that can turn a lovely day sour, so break your shoes in beforehand if they're new, and pack a spare pair of socks just in case little feet get wet at the water park!

If you love your thongs/flip flops, I can report a full day of wearing caused some serious discomfort and splits in between the toes. Obviously everyone is different, but just sharing our experience from the day!

Swimmers for the Water Park 🩱

If you've got kids joining in on the water park fun, it's worth grabbing a pair of Aussie-made swimmers too. Jets by Jessika Allen is a great option — Jessika and her husband bought and revived the label back in 2001, and the majority of the range is still made right here in Australia. A beautiful, quality choice that'll last well beyond one zoo trip. And we all know how much I looooove a husband and wife powerhouse couple ❤️

Lastly...if you are looking for swimmers for the kids, jump on Etsy, heaps of super cute ones on there!

Anything I've missed, or anything you would like to recommend?

Feel free to drop a comment below and share the love! ❤️

With Love, Always

Nina xo

A note on our recommendations: where possible, we've fact-checked "Australian made" and "Australian owned" claims for the brands in this post, and noted where we could only confirm one or the other, but we invite comments from readers and brands at any time! Please drop us a comment below and share the love! We love supporting brands and makers both big and small 💕