Healesvile Sanctuary, Melbourne

This is a really cool wildlife sanctuary just an hour out of Melbourne. A great place to see alot of Australias unique native wildlife, such as Kangaroos, Koalas & Wombats. They have an awesome Bird's of Prey exhibit and Reptile Exhibit. The Sanctuary is located in the Yarra Valley, which also has lots of great Wineries to visit . Best time to visit would be around March or April as all the vines are turning Golden at the end of summer. If you get a chance visit Hedge End maze in Healesville. This is a really fun hedge maze. A great spot to spend a couple of hours having fun getting lost in the maze.

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Healesville animal sanctuary is a local favourite place to see Australia's native animals including the furry ones such as Koala, Kangaroo & Wallaby, not furry such as Snales and birds and of course the obscure Platypus and Echidna.
The highlights are the Reptile show, where you get to handle snakes and lizards (supervised of course) and the Birds of prey show.

If you come to Melbourne, you need to make the effort to come out here. Its around an hour drive out of Melbourne but well worth it. Best time to come is spring and Autumn for your own comfort but in summar the furry animals like to sleep during the heat of the day.

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-Healesville Sanctuary is one of Australia’s most recognised attractions, showcasing more than 200 species of Australian wildlife, only one hour from Melbourne.
Get closer to Australia’s wildlife, featuring unique experiences with kangaroos, koalas and amazing birds of prey. Check on the progress of animals being cared for at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre.
- You can meet the keeper. Scheduled everyday, you can learn about iconic Australian species such as koalas and kangaroos, to our threatened species such as Tasmanian devils. Our inspirational keepers share their unique knowledge and insights into the animals they care for.

Here is where you will want to go if you wish to see a large number of Aussie animals all in the one place.

Plenty of guides on hand to answer any questions you may have!

Bring your own lunch if possible, as food at any of the States 3 Zoos is rather pricey.

If you enjoy Australian wildlife, give yourself a day to visit this place. There is so much to see and enjoy (after paying an admission fee) that you will not do justice to yourself if you rush through it. Make sure you see the wild brids display - usually every hour or so.

No visit to Australia is complete without visiting the natural inhabitant of this land ...yes the kangaroos....I prefer to go to the sanctuary in Healesville rather that the Zoo because

1) They live in a happier environment
2) I am against putting animals in small cages where they cant move around and enjoy the nature

Its just an hour drive from Melbourne city ..go there an dyou wont regret because there are many many more beautiful native animals waiting for you there . there are some local tours there too . just walk around Chinatown and look for tour operators

Wombats belong to the marsupial order of species from Australia. The other marsupials include the koala, kangaroo, wallaby, bandicoot, bilby, nabarlek, quokka, quoll, tasmanian devil, tasmanian tiger and ringtail possum. There is also one species of marsupial found in North America, the Opossum.

extract from a webpage which makes me smile ....

"Wombats are really much nicer creatures than koalas (too irritable when not drugged up on eucalyptus) and kangaroos (too stupid, and too tiring to watch). Why isn't anyone doing more to save the wombat?"

others said the following....

"Wombats do not appear clever or agile (for instance they prefer to barge
through any obstacle rather than figure out a way round it) and this has
made them an object of derision in Australia where "you wombat" is an
accusation of clumsiness or stupidity. In fact, however, although they
are extremely stubborn, wombats have proportionally the largest brain of
all the marsupials and in captivity are easily house-trained and recognise
their pet name when it is spoken.

A wombat is *not* a bat for hitting woms with.

But my fren told me that the Aussie called person who goes for a One Night Stand a wombat ...lol...hmmm...the Aussie are really fond of this animal , dont they ?

What you should know about koala bear !

A hundred years ago, millions of these marsupials (animals that carry their young in a pouch) existed in Australia, and it was a popular sport to shoot them out of the trees. They were easy targets, as the presence of people doesn’t seem to disturb them and they are placid and friendly by nature.
In the early part of this century, millions of these animals were slaughtered for their soft, durable, silver-grey fur, and were approaching the point of extinction when the Australian government passed protective legislation which may enable the koala to make a comeback.
Koalas feed exclusively on the leaves of eucalyptus trees and become so saturated with the essential oils of this plant that they smell just like cough drops.
Female koalas give birth to a single offspring every two years. A mature male koala usually has a small harem of females which he guards jealously

So , arent you gonna view those cuddly and gentle bear differently after reading this ?

The Healesville Sanctuary was opened in 1934 and it features Australian wildlife with more than 200 species of native birds, mammals and reptiles. A visit to Healesville is a must thing to do and also it is a truly Australian experience. The Sanctuary has enjoyed a long association with Platypus. The Platypus House is likely to be the only place you`ll see these amazing creatures, and certainly the only place you`ll see their underwater activities.

The staff give regular demonstrations, such as snake shows. The best is amazing birds of prey presentation, where raptors dive and swoop above your head. It`s held at 3.30 pm but get there early for good seat in a small amphitheatre.

Very near Melbourne city you can find an animal ecological kind of farm.
There I had my first contact with these amazing animals from down under.
I always thought that koalas were gonna be more friendly than kangaroos, but I was wrong. Kangaroos are very curious and lovely. But of all the animals I saw, the one that really impressed me was the wombat. It is a total different species that I had never seen before.