Adelaide Zoo Launches Queer Visitor Trail: “Beaking The Binary”
Image: Laysan Albatross, Beaking the Binary / Adelaide Zoo
To the fans of Sydney Aquarium’s gay penguins, boy do we have a treat for you…
Adelaide Zoo has officially launched “Beaking the Binary”, a permanent visitor trail and free online audio tour celebrating the science of sex, reproduction, and (often queer) relationships in the animal kingdom.
From same-sex pair bonds and female-led societies to asexual reproduction and animals that can change their sex, the self-guided experience invites both trailwalkers and online visitors to reconsider what nature considers “normal”.
In-person visitors to the zoo will have the audio tour accompany them across 14 trail stops as they discover over 20 species, while those who visit Adelaide Zoo virtually can enjoy a 19-episode spotify playlist featuring bite-sized introductions to some of the queerest delights the animal kingdom has to offer.
While the concept for Beaking the Binary was first introduced during National Science Week in 2025, it is now set to be offered as an ongoing experience for visitors. To mark the occasion, the tour’s permanent debut is also featuring four now-sold-out guided tours across two dates as part of Adelaide Zoo’s Feast Festival line up.
Adelaide Zoo Says Nature Is All About Diversity
“We’re so excited to be engaging with our community during Beaking the Binary, which uncovers the exciting ways animals express their own sexuality,” said Nic Bishop, Zoos SA Animal Behaviour and Creative Programs Manager and narrator of the Beaking the Binary audio tour.
“We wanted to create something that was fun and surprising, but also grounded in science and genuinely inclusive. Launching with Feast Festival gives us an exciting way to introduce the experience, while the self-guided trail means these stories can continue to be discovered well beyond the festival.”
According to Nic, the tour is all about acknowledging that “diversity” isn’t a divisive human agenda, but rather starts in nature.
“From penguin pairs of the same sex to Komodo Dragons that can reproduce themselves without a mate, the trail explores the many ways animals reproduce, form social bonds, develop sex characteristics and behave in the wild, highlighting just how diverse the natural world can be,” said Nic.
For more information or to explore Beaking the Binary online, please visit adelaidezoo.com.au/beaking-the-binary-self-guided-trail/.
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