For years there have been rumors that Walt Disney World® was adding an Australia themed section to their animal park Animal Kingdom®. Since 2007 the park has talked about adding a new element to Animal Kingdom but it isn’t until now that work on the rumored Australia section of the park has been approved.

It’s all still rumors but we hear that there has recently been some clearing work on the future site and that approval has been given in the new budget to hire some additional resources that will be tasked to the Australia project.

Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park currently lacks any aquatic/sea life exhibits so we could imagine the Australia addition might feature a Great Barrier Reef exhibit and perhaps even a Killer Whale or Dolphins Show. While Disney's Animal Kingdom® does have a few kangaroo exhibits it still lacks a larger marsupial attraction. 

As plans for the Australia portion of the park get underway, supposedly, we can’t help put foresee a few shifts in Animal Kingdom®’s setup. For example the expected location of the Australia exhibit would allow guests to walk to and from the Conservation Station which would also allow removal of the Wildlife Express railroad. Once that is removed there would be a substantial amount of land in Africa which will finally allow The Festival of the Lion King to move to its rightful place in the park. Once that happens, Camp Minnie Mickey will be open to be re-themed.

Again, we are not 100% sure if all this has been confirmed yet, we can only speculate, but we think Disney's Animal Kingdom® is pretty close to expanding its park and making a few changes.

Aside from Australia, Walt Disney World® Resort is expecting several other changes in the coming months and years including work on the Art of Animation Resort, and a new DVC property is scheduled for the old River Country location. Magic Kingdom®’s Fantasyland® Area is also up for an expansion. Downtown Disney® Area will soon have a Hyperion Wharf instead of Pleasure Island. Star Tours 2.0 is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios™. And the Wide World of Sports® Complex is even expecting to have a bowling alley added in the near future.

Until the rumored news of Australia and Animal Kingdom® are confirmed guests to Walt Disney World® Resort can always enjoy Disney's Animal Kingdom®’s popular Kilimanjaro Safaris® where they can witness the exotic animals of Africa up close as they ride through the savanna in a rugged safari vehicle. Or if you are the roller coaster type you can climb Mt. Everest with Expedition Everest® and take a trip to the “Roof of the World.” There’s plenty more to see and do in Disney's Animal Kingdom® so don’t wait until Australia arrives to book your ticket today!