Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is the largest  butterfly flight aviary and exhibit in Australia.  Home to over 1,500 magnificent tropical butterflies including the majestic green Cairns Birdwing, the sanctuary is an all-weather experience in the heart of Kuranda.

Coupon Code
Locals get 20% off Entry
Use the following coupon code when booking:
BUTTERFLYLOCAL

Who qualifies as local?
Locals rates apply for residents from Cape York to Townsville and Cairns to Karumba

Getting There
The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is located at 8 Rob Veivers Drive, in the heart of Kuranda Village only half an hour from Cairns

Opening Hours

• Open every day 10am-3pm
• Closed Christmas Day (25 December)

About the Australian Butterfly  Sanctuary
You’ll be enchanted by these elusive wonders of nature as you wander through the aviary’s boardwalks and gardens with a picturesque rainforest backdrop.

Our knowledgeable guides offer free 30-minute tours of the aviary throughout the day. Learn to identify each of the butterfly species, as our guides explain a butterfly’s life cycle and its behaviour. Be sure to wear something bright (we recommend red, white or hot pink) and let these beautiful creatures flutter all over you! 

You can also enjoy a 30-minute tour of the breeding laboratory, housing up to 4,000 caterpillars. This world-class educational experience provides an opportunity to see the caterpillars in their varying stages of development.

Learn about caterpillar food host plants and how they are used in our laboratory on our new 20-minute food plant walk.

Our butterflies are reared on the premises. Our laboratory staff collect eggs daily and “hand-raise” the caterpillars right through to the chrysalis stage, until they are released as butterflies into the Sanctuary.