Healesville Sanctuary
Bushland Zoo For Australian Animals

The Animal Sanctuary at Healesville is part of the Trio of Victorian Zoos. The City Melbourne Zoo and The Werribee Free Range Zoo complete the trio and I really recommend that a visit to all three be part of your ongoing Family Getaway Experiences.

The Healesville Sanctuary is a Zoo displaying Australia's unique Native Animals in a natural lush bushland setting

Australia being an isolated Island is home to very unique and unusual animals. These animals live in bushland, deserts, forests and sand-dunes throughout this amazing country

Healesville Sanctuary has been set up for you to experience these amazing creatures as close to how they naturally live, most of us probably would never get the opportunity to see them in their normal environment.

The Park has been set out to allow visitors to enjoy getting as close as possible to the animals...feeding the wallabies and kangaroos etc is an amazing experience

There are over 200 species of Australian wildlife displayed here. Dingos, platypus, echidnas, possums, bats, owls, eagles, birds and reptiles are just some of the fauna on display.

The sanctuary is a reminder of just how precious and unique all wildlife is. An excellent selection of books on this subject can be found at Fishpond

Here I have chosen some for you to look at...

An Australian 1 2 3 of Animals...A lavishly illustrated counting book by well-known Aboriginal artist, Bronwyn Bancroft. It is noth a delightful introduction to the numbers 1-20, and an exploration of Australian wildlife - some familiar, others more unusual. Ages 3+.	On Our Watch: The Race to Save Australia's Environment"On Our Watch" provides a detailed snapshot of the condition of Australia's remarkable plants, wildlife and their living landscapes. It explains the main threats to species and what's being done to address them, provides an intriguing insight into law and politics and suggests what else must happen to slow the fast decline of our natural heritage.	Wildlife of AustraliaThere is nothing to beat the extraordinary wildlife of Australia. Its colourful parrots, its venomous snakes, its abundance of hopping marsupials and the strange, egg-laying Platypus - these are just a few of the players in a story that began hundreds of millions of year ago. Many members of Australia's wildlife live nowhere else on Earth.

At The Healesville Sanctuary there are wildlife presentations held throughout different times of the day. This is where the public can interact with the Zoo Keepers, ask questions and sometimes personally participate in the show.

Healesville Sanctuary is a Zoo with a difference.....

Platypus Features

Underwater the platypus can close its eyes, nostrils and ears and navigate using electro receptors located on its fur.

The male and female platypus are both capable of producing from around the age of two years. It is an egg laying mammal! How amazing is that! They can live between 12-16 years. Want to know more about this fascinating creature...Meet the Keeper presentations are held at different times of the day.

The Australian Wildlife Health Center. This is where all activities and procedures are on view to the public. You can, if you have the inclination, view surgery procedures, post-postmortems etc.

The Health Center is a veterinary care facility and it cares for injured wildlife that arrive from all around the countryside. You are able to actually follow through and check up on "The patient's progress" by going to The Australian Wildlife Centre Website

The Australian Wildlife Health Centre

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Make the most of your visit by sitting for a moment with your "Guide Map" (Pick this up at the entry) and work out just where you want to go, what you want to see and when and where the Meet The Keeper Presentations are on.

As you can see there is so much to see and do at The Healesville Sanctuary that you will most likely require the whole day...I sure did. Take a picnic or....

If you enjoy Australianna then take browse through this site...

Australiana Online-Quality Australian gifts for all occasions including authentic Aboriginal art and craft, books, DVDs, maps, soft toys, souvenirs and much more.

Bring the whole family, but remember to arrive early because there is so much to see and do here at the Healesville Sanctuary

Come play with Big Red...now that is truly an amazing Australian animal

You can also hire pushers and wheelchairs...a great help as the walk is fairly substantial

Make sure that you...

Wear comfortable shoes

Bring sunscreen

Wear a hat if possible

Carry lots of water

You can find out more about the Healesville Sanctuary such as conservation projects, special School holiday programs, what's new and a whole lot more on The Zoos Victoria site

While you are there check out the Melbourne and Werribee Open Range Zoos and note them down in your Family Getaways Melbourne Diary as a must fun family daytrip

For Details regarding admission and group discount prices go to

For information on The Meet The Keeper Presentations please click here

How to get there

For a more detailed route go to MyMaps and follow the prompts

Choose a day in your Family Getaways Diary and mark it in as The Healesville Sanctuary Family Daytrip. You will not be disappointed.

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