We know there are a lot of wild animals in Canberra – they sit mostly in parliament house and receive salaries from us (and upgrades from Qantas).

But what you mightn’t know, is that the nation’s capital has one of the most breathtaking natural wildlife experiences in the country.

To mark our first birthday, I was lucky to be a guest of the Jamala Wildlife Lodge which is inside the National Zoo at Yarralumla at the western end of the iconic man-made Lake Burley Griftin.

Celebrating its 26th birthday as a winner of many tourism awards, the National Zoo is the only combined zoo and aquarium in Australia and is situated on a massive 50 acres which is now more than double the size than that when it first opened.

10 years ago, the owner of the private zoo came up with the idea to have guests stay inside with the animals in an experience like no other. But this is not glamping or budget accommodation – this is pure luxury in 18 rooms.

In the giraffe tree house, where I stayed, I could hand feed carrots to the giraffes directly from my verandah.

I was like a born-again child in his total element, giggling with excitement as the giant tongue kept licking my hand.

Some of the other rooms at the lodge include the ‘wild encounter room’ that sees you get up-close-and-personal with the cheetahs, while in the ‘shark grand suite’you can feed and pat a shark.

I was also given a sneak peek into the tiger suite. When you are having a private bath, the twin sister tigers are sitting outside the room looking back at you, separated only by glass.

It’s hard to imagine how breathtaking this is.

When you arrive at the lodge to check in, the giant arrival space was originally the homestead of the owner.

It’s now home to high tea and a relaxing place to read a book or have a wine with a mate.

There is also a pool and spa, which is perfect for this time of year (possibly not in Canberra winters).

There are almost 30 keepers across the zoo and key to the career path is the National Zoo’s education and junior zoo keeper program which is perfect for school holiday fun.

In fact, one of the current keepers started in the junior program as a 10-year-old.

There is also a big conservation program that the kids love (the big kids too!)

Atour of the zoo is included in your stay, however, there are many personalised experiences that you can include in your program such as feeding the cheetahs.

For me, I was able to feed a Sumatran tiger through a fence with beef on a pair of Aussie BBQ tongs. I was just centimetres from him. It is hard to put the emotions into words – I was frozen in fear yet exhilarated like I was about to bungee jump!

I will never forget when it looked like he was smiling at me and put his paw on the gate wanting more Aussie beef.

As we were wrapping up the day, we found out that a penguin chick had been born the day before. It was the 7th penguin chick this year.

If you only want to visit the zoo and not stay, there is so much to do.

You can also have a picnic or BBQ next to the two tonne rhinos – “Eco” and “Ubunto”. The rhinos create quite a dust storm when they sneeze or let out a big sigh – so the warning from the zoo keeper was clear – if they are filled with “gas” – then duck for cover!

The whole zoo is beautifully landscaped with a full-time team of horticulturalists showing the best Australian native flora.

This really is something every Australian should experience once in a lifetime. It’s not cheap, but it is worth every single cent. Even being woken up suddenly in the night by the lions roaring made me smile. I haven’t stopped smiling since.