This week is a special edition of Get Away with Dre. An edition inspired by the late Dr Jane Goodall. A primatologist and anthropologist, who passed away in her sleep on 1st October 2025, at the age of 91. Dr Jane Goodall was a role model for everyone, but the perfect role model for girls and women to get outdoors, connect with nature and connect with all living things.

Throughout her entire life, she’s been raising awareness about threats to wildlife, promoting conservation and inspiring people to have a more harmonious and sustainable relationship with animals and the natural world. To remember her and her work, I encorage you to take the time to connect with nature – go on a hike, watch wildlife, or just sit under a tree and feel how we are apart of the earth and shouldn’t live a part from it.

To celebrate Dr Jane Goodall, lets check out animal sanctuaries around Australia you should visit.

Devils @ Cradle, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Head to the world-heritage-listed Cradle Mountain in Tassie to check out the animal sanctuary for the Tasmanian Devil, Spotted-tail and Eastern Quoll. These 3 species are currently listed as either threatened or endangered in the Cradle Mountain area.

The sanctuary is located at the entrance of Cradle Mountain National Park, so as well as being a sanctuary to educate visitors about the Tasmanian Devil, it also conducts a number of in-situ conservation initiatives with Cradle Mountain National Park, collaborating with State and Local Governments, U-TAS, Park and Wildlife Service, local operators and the community.

It’s home to 80 – 100 animals across the 3 species, under 2 industry recognised programs: Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program.

When you visit you can see some tasmanian devils as they wonder through the sanctuary, or you can join a personalised guided tour. I reccommend the Sunset Experience and the Joey Encounters – who wouldn’t want to meet baby marsupials?

The sanctuary is open day and night, so you can learn about the Tassie Devil and the daily operations of a working conservation facility. Your ticket contributes to the conservation of the species.

The Australian Wildlife Sanctuary, Bargo, NSW

In the Macarthur region, between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands, the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary is a 90 hectare wildlife refuge.

The Australian Wildlife Sancuary does not operate like a zoo, they don’t cater to walk-ins and it’s only open for booked visits. It’s an educational experience that offers guided tours, making it the perfect place to take the kids.

You’ll see and experience Aussie icons first-hand: kangaroos, wallabies, emus, wombats, snakes and lizards, as well as Australian plants.

The sanctuary opened in 1962 by conservationist and educator Dr Thistle Harris Stead. It seems animal conservation runs in the family. Dr Thistle Harris Stead’s husband, David George Stead was a marine biologist and pioneer conservationist who was a key player in stopping the export of koala and wombat skins overseas.

In 1965 the Stead Foundation gifted the sanctuary and its buildings to the National Trust, and since 2019 it’s been managed by the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary. Today, all funds raised from booked experiences and donations go to straight to the sanctuary and its resident animals.

Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, Flinders Range, South Australia

This place gives you the opportunity to experience the outback. All tours and experiences allow you to feel connected to the outdoors and learn about the land and all that lives in it, while staying in some nice accommodation options on site.

In the Flinders Ranges, this 610 square-km multi award-winning Wilderness Sanctuary was founded by the Sprigg family in 1968 and still operates on science, education and conservation.

Arkaroola is a destination for geologists, animal lovers, birdwatches, astronomers and anyone with a sense of adventure and quest for knowledge. 

It’s home to the shy and endangered Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby and this is one of the only places you can see the rare marsupial in their natural habitat. It’s also home to one of the rarest bird species in Australia – the Short-Tailed Grass Wren. Another rare local you could spot is the Red-barred Dragon, a cool coloured reptile only known to that region. 

Arkaroola is also known as a Dark Sky Sanctuary with Stargazing Tours.

The Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary works under Dr Reg Sprigg’s vision where tourism supports conservation and scientific research. The Foundation was established in 2015 to protect Arakroola for future generations with proceeds of every person on every tour donated to the Foundation.

The Foundation provides assistance for researchers from various sciences to conduct field works at the sanctuary. Research projects in botany, geology and paleontology are conducted in Arkaroola with local and international uni groups conducting field research.

They also have the Arkaroola Education and Research Foundation that welcomes expressions of interest from Educational Organisations, Scientific Bodies and individuals.