Start your Aussie animals collection

  • Sydney's Taronga Zoo gates
    Sydney's Taronga Zoo gates 
  • Woolworths Aussie Animals Collector's Album & cards
    Woolworths Aussie Animals Collector's Album & cards 
  • We got to meet this little fella, and learnt that those spines are just keatin - hair strands that join together to form ...
    We got to meet this little fella, and learnt that those spines are just keatin - hair strands that join together to form those spikes. 
  • Close encounter with a spotted python with one of the keepers.
    Close encounter with a spotted python with one of the keepers. 
  • Feeding the baby kid in the backyard barn area of the zoo.
    Feeding the baby kid in the backyard barn area of the zoo. 
  • Zoo keeper telling us about the blue tounge lizard, found in many aussi backyards.
    Zoo keeper telling us about the blue tounge lizard, found in many aussi backyards. 
  • Giving the blue tounge lizard a pat.
    Giving the blue tounge lizard a pat. 
  • The kids get to feed the free range chooks down in the aussie backyard area at Taronga Zoo
    The kids get to feed the free range chooks down in the aussie backyard area at Taronga Zoo 
  • The kids got to hand feed some of the roos in the Aussie outback section of the zoo.
    The kids got to hand feed some of the roos in the Aussie outback section of the zoo. 
  • The informative talk at the Woolworths Seal Theatre
    The informative talk at the Woolworths Seal Theatre 
  • We got a lovely wave from one of the seals at the Taronga Seal Theatre
    We got a lovely wave from one of the seals at the Taronga Seal Theatre 
  • The most spectacular backdrop for the eagle's display at the birds of pray talk at Taronga Zoo
    The most spectacular backdrop for the eagle's display at the birds of pray talk at Taronga Zoo 
  • Meeting the brolga and learning its dreamtime story at the bird talk.
    Meeting the brolga and learning its dreamtime story at the bird talk. 
  • The birds of prey show with the owl swooping right over our heads.
    The birds of prey show with the owl swooping right over our heads. 

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  • Sydney's Taronga Zoo gates
  • Woolworths Aussie Animals Collector's Album & cards
  • We got to meet this little fella, and learnt that those spines are just keatin - hair strands that join together to form ...
  • Close encounter with a spotted python with one of the keepers.
  • Feeding the baby kid in the backyard barn area of the zoo.
  • Zoo keeper telling us about the blue tounge lizard, found in many aussi backyards.
  • Giving the blue tounge lizard a pat.
  • The kids get to feed the free range chooks down in the aussie backyard area at Taronga Zoo
  • The kids got to hand feed some of the roos in the Aussie outback section of the zoo.
  • The informative talk at the Woolworths Seal Theatre
  • We got a lovely wave from one of the seals at the Taronga Seal Theatre
  • The most spectacular backdrop for the eagle's display at the birds of pray talk at Taronga Zoo
  • Meeting the brolga and learning its dreamtime story at the bird talk.
  • The birds of prey show with the owl swooping right over our heads.

I used to collect. I collected stamps, I collected coins, I collected shells, erasers, sharpeners and other assorted stationery. Then there were the cards - footy cards with my favourite players. What is all this stuff worth now? Should I put the 80's eraser collection on eBay? Would anyone want the slightly tatty, not quite complete set of Michael Jackson trading cards? How about the star wars erasers?

My mum still buys proof sets of coins, and she has been buying sets for my two kids, so they will have something when they are older. Will the wiggles 20 year anniversary coin box set be worth more than the coin face value in 10-20 years time?

See Also

The truth is that the fun is in the collecting, in the organising and in the trading. It’s just as true for kids today as it ever was.

Aussie Animals Collector Album and cards - an activity and info filled album to store all your collector cards.
Aussie Animals Collector Album and cards - an activity and info filled album to store all your collector cards. 

This month is the launch of the Woolworths Aussie Animals collector set, featuring 108 different Aussie Animals collector cards and a magical Activity and Collector's Album to keep them all safe in. For each twenty dollars spent at Woolies, you will receive a four pack of Aussie Animals cards to collect. The accompanying collector album ($5 each, or $8 for two) is packed with activities, facts and games and features plastic sleeves to store all your collected cards in.

As Tjeerd Jegen, Managing Director of Woolworths supermarkets, said: "The Aussie Animals cards and album have been developed with Taronga Zoo to showcase Australian animals and their native habitats. "The trading cards and album lay it all out in an engaging way to get our kids informed and interested in Aussie animals as a great project for the coming school holidays.

If your kids want to take home an aussie animal of their own, there are also six fun soft toy Aussie animals ($5 each, or $8 for two) to collect. To help kids collect the full set, encourage them to swap and share with school friends or other kids on the Woolworths Facebook page app. Woolies will hold a swap day at local stores so kids can trade and swap from others who may have duplicate cards.

Essential Kids was lucky enough to test drive the album and some card packs  with a special visit to Taronga Zoo and we were impressed with the quality of the information and how engaging the sets were. We’re not kidding when we say the album and cards kept our kids busy for hours! 

To celebrate the launch of the Aussie Animals collector set, we have a fantastic competition for Essential Kids readers. Three lucky families will each win a starter collector pack, along with a family pass to Taronga Zoo and a Taronga E-doption.

Click here to enter.

Also, to help your kids get started with a free pack of four cards, print out & colour in this page and take it in to your local Woolies during the program - but hurry. ends Tuesday 15 October 2013.