Located about 1 hour 20 minutes (weather and traffic conditions dependent) from Melbourne CBD is a place where kangaroos, lizards, birds and many more creatures roam free.
A place where you can visit and walk among the animals and learn about each one of them.
Ballarat Wildlife Park is a one of a kind award-winning wildlife park. The park offers hand feeding of some of the animals, close up encounters and more. Wander around the park and take photos, read the provided information or listen to the keepers talk about the animal inhabitants of the park.
Sit and enjoy a meal at the fantastic onsite cafe and take in the free-range atmosphere of the park. You are also welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy on the provided table and chairs whilst the curious kangaroos keep you company. Just don't forget,
do not feed the animals your food. They do have special diets and need to be kept safe and well.
Watch and walk through the park as different species of kangaroo roam free and relax in the shade of the many large trees and rocks. Walk through the enclosures which house lizards, snakes, koalas, wombats, tree frogs and many more. Watch as the keepers feed the crocodiles and alligators and get close enough to see the emus staring right back at you. Alpaca, geese, Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian tigers are just a few more of the many animals in the park.
Watch the giant tortoise relax in the shade or if it is a really hot day, you may get to see him cool off under the sprinklers as I did. He seems to love that water.
The park is privately owned and run by the Parker family and their fantastic team. You can see straight away that the animals are very happy and well cared for. They are clean, well fed and content around visitors and staff. The enclosures around the park are large and clean and the animals appear happy.
There is an option of having your photograph professionally taken with an animal. Just ask one of the friendly staff for information on the 'animal experiences and photographs' and they will be happy to assist you.
The park staff encourages schools/teachers/groups to use the park as a hands-on 'environmental classroom'. There are resources available for this purpose, including tours and talks.
For more information on schools/environmental classroom, please see
HERE[/LINK.] You will also find information on the same page, about the school animal adoption program.
As with any good park or attraction, there is a souvenir shop, packed with products/items to remember your trip by. From toys and plush animals, to clothing, postcards, cards and much more. There is sure to be something for everybody in the gift/ souvenir shop. Many of the products in the shop are Australian made, which is a bonus.
The park is able to (with prior bookings) hold children's birthday parties (up to 12 years). For more information on these, contact the park using these details.
Ticket prices vary depending on who is purchasing them. There are adult, children, concession and family tickets available, as well as a yearly membership for those who will be visiting the park a lot. For more ticketing information, please see
HERE.
The staff are friendly and helpful, and you can tell they love their job. Every staff member we came across was happy to have a quick chat and check that we were alright.
I highly recommend the park to anybody who loves wildlife and is looking to get up close and personal with the animals. Even just those who need something different to entertain the children or visitors with.
For more information, visit the park website: [LINK=http://www.wildlifepark.com.au/]wildlifepark.com.au or contact the Ballarat Wildlife Park
Phone: (03) 5333 5933
Fax: (03) 5333 4025
International Phone: 0011 61 3 5333 5933
Email: info@wildlifepark.com.au
