Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre

Opened to the public in 1995, the Armadale Reptile & Wildlife Centre houses a large variety of native reptiles and other Australian wildlife with over 70 different species on display.

The owners, Klaas and Mieke Gaikhorst, have been rescuing and rehabilitating native animals for over 30 years and during that time have seen many harmless reptiles (including legless lizards and pythons) killed unnecessarily due to an inability by people to correctly identify them. Before opening the Centre, Klaas was the reptile keeper at Perth Zoo. He saw a very strong need for educating people about reptiles and left the zoo in 1993 to realise his dream of establishing an educational facility.

The main aim of the Centre is to enable people to see native wildlife in natural surroundings and to help them identify animals that they may encounter in the bush or possibly their homes or backyards.

There is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to safely observe animals in their natural habitat settings, to see what they look like, how they behave and to learn about their habits. A chance to touch or hold some of our more docile animals (snakes and lizards) will also be given throughout the day.