Previously known as the Oakvale Flora and Fauna Park, Oakvale Wildlife Park is a charming nature park in Salt Ash, part of the stunning Port Stephens area.
It is also the type of place you can get close to the animals by hand and bottle-feeding them – the perfect activity for children and animal lovers alike!
Feed the baby animals at Oakvale.
I visited the centre on a recent trip to Port Stephens with my two children. We got there just in time for the bottle-feeding at 11am. Staff members hand out small bottles of milk for the lambs and kids and the animals will eagerly approach for a drink. It's absolute chaos as it's clearly a popular activity, but the kids loved it! There is a second feeding at 2pm.
Oakvale Wildlife Park in Salt Ash.
Once the bottle-feeding is done and dusted, you can wander the grounds of the centre freely and feed the animals. You can purchase bags of animal feed from the front entrance for $1.50 and feed the lambs, goats, ducks and kangaroos.
Say hi to a llama!
Another popular activity is the trailer-tractor rides around the park. The ride takes about 10-15 minutes and there is a staff member providing narration about the park and the animals. We were told the PA system was not working so I'm not sure if it is usually a pre-recorded blurb.
Or feed a pony!
You can meet a number of animals at Oakvale. One of the paddocks houses some adorable little Shetland ponies, plus a couple of llamas, who will all readily take the feed from your hands.
The snake handling show.
There are kangaroos and ducks roaming freely around the park. My daughter loved scattering the little bags of feed for the ducks and seeing them come running up to her.
Take a ride around the park.
The centre is also home to koalas, wombats, camels, emus and a variety of birds and reptiles. You can watch various animal handling shows during the day, including snakes, koalas and Tasmanian Devils.
The park has a lovely playground.
An impressive feature of Oakvale is the playground. There are actually two playgrounds, and the bigger of the two has a fantastic play structure, slides, cubbies, see-saws, swings and sensory play. The smaller of the playgrounds is most suitable for toddlers.
There is lots for the little ones to do.
The centre has numerous picnic areas, along with a water play area, although it was a bit too chilly for our liking when we visited!
Oakvale Wildlife Park has a café serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals. There is also a shop selling a wide range of wildlife gifts and toys.
The shop has a huge range of gifts.
Entry fees are adults $28.50, concession $24.50 and children aged between 3 and 16 years are $16.50. Children under 3 are free to enter.
Grab a coffee while you roam the park.
The park is open between 10am and 5pm daily (excluding Anzac Day and Christmas Day.) If you are planning a trip to Newcastle or Port Stephens, Oakvale is a must-do activity that the whole family will simply love.
