It's easy to find yourself smiling at a baby saltwater crocodile, discovers Caris Bizzaca, from well behind the fence.
The song warns "never smile at a crocodile", but here I am, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
You see, it is one of the world's apex predators, but when it is just a little mite, these things are, well, cute.
As I move to the front of the crowd atHartley's Crocodile Adventures, I get a turn patting the baby croc and feel very much like John Hammond in Jurassic Park, when he makes coochie-coo sounds at a newborn raptor.
Not that you can forget what he's going to grow into, you know, seeing as there is a large concrete enclosure a few metres away, housing a few dozen of his older siblings who happily sunbake, pulling in those vitamin D rays and slithering over each other.
These crocs are part of Hartley's crocodile farm in Queensland's far north, which prides itself on breeding the vulnerable estuarine (aka saltwater) crocodile in an ethical, sustainable way for skins and meat, so that it has zero environmental impact.
It is a bit tough knowing these crocs will eventually be turned into food, as well as luxury handbags, snapped up by the likes of Victoria Beckham for as much as $30,000 each.
But farming crocodiles reduces or eliminates the hunting of wild populations, as well as educating people like me about the ancient creatures and why they should be conserved, according to Hartley's.
Decades ago, saltwater crocs - the largest of all living reptiles - were hunted to near extinction in Australia for their valuable skins.
Around the same time, Hartley's Creek Zoo (as it was then known) was starting to get involved in conservation efforts. But it was not until more than a decade later, in 1974, that salties and their smaller cousins, freshwater crocodiles, finally became a protected species in Australia.
Part tourist destination, part conservation park, part breeder, Hartley's walks you through its history on the farm tour, but it is just one aspect of the place. There is the lagoon cruise, where you can see the resident crocs in their terrifying beauty as they "swim" into the air, propelling themselves out of the water to snap up bits of chicken.
But at the top of your list should be the Crocodile Attack Show, an entertaining and at times nail-biting demonstration.
Armed with chicken pieces and a tonne of adrenaline, these brave zookeepers climb into the arena, Steve Irwin-style, so you can see what happens when salties go into predator mode.
Thrillseekers can pay extra for the Big Croc Experience, where you can feed one of the adult saltwater crocs yourself. Not by hand, obviously, unless you are not that partial to yours.
A cassowary at Hartley's Crocodile Farm, Queensland. Photo / Supplied
It is not just crocs at Hartley's though.
Instead of scouring the rainforest for the rare endangered cassowary, get up close and personal with the 60kg birds at the daily feeding or see a snake show, as well as meet some of Hartley's koalas, wallabies and quolls.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Qantas flies from Auckland to Cairns daily via Brisbane.
