15 Best Animal Farms in Melbourne for Kids
Kids love to visit animal farms to get up close to all the animals and experience something of rural life. Most of the farms allow kids to feed, touch and interact with the animals. Some farms even have pony rides.
Melbourne has a great range of animal farms for kids and we have put together a list of the best ones for a great farm adventure. There are animal farms in most parts of Melbourne and you should be able to find a suitable animal farm near you to have a memorable family day out. Click on the links for more information including address, prices, opening times and facilities.
1. Collingwood Children's Farm (Abbotsford)
Collingwood Children's Farm, which is nestled on a bend of the Yarra River, is the closet animal farm to inner city Melbourne. It can be accessed via the Capital City Trail bike trail which runs along the Yarra River.
Visitors can milk the cow twice daily, bottle feed young lambs (seasonal), wander around, feed the animals, help with farm chores, go into the paddocks with the sheep and goats, cuddle a guinea pig, waddle with the ducks, feed the chooks or look for eggs.
There is a fabulous kid friendly Farm Cafe on site or you can bring your own food to eat on site if you prefer this option.
2. Chesterfield Farm (Scoresby)
Chesterfield Farm, in Melbourne's east, is a working farm which gives you the chance for a "hands on" experience of farm life. Activities include daily farm shows, baby animal nursery where you can bottle feed the lambs and goat kids, cow milking demonstrations, tractor ride tours of the farm which operate various times of the day, a Farmhouse cafe and picnic areas.
3. Myuna Farm (Doveton)
Myuna Farm in Doveton is a public community farm in Melbourne's south east with pony rides, farm tour train rides which wind their way past numerous farm animals and a wetlands nature walk where you can walk along the board walks beside the river gums to the islands, feeding the different varieties of ducks and birds. There are guinea pigs and rabbits to pet plus snakes, lizards and other reptiles. You can also feed animals in the paddocks. You can bring your own picnic or have a snack at the cafe where there is a playground with a farm theme.
4. Bundoora Park Children's Farm (Bundoora)
The urban farm in Melbourne's north presents an authentic farm experience with a variety of farmyard animals to meet, feed and cuddle. Activities include a tractor ride through the reserves to see kangaroos, wallabies and emus (tours run approximately each hour), baby animal area, milking demonstration and a stroll through the heritage village to experience the atmosphere of the early settlement.
The farm is next to the Bundoora Park play space which is excellent for younger kids and the Bundoora Park cafe. Outside the farm, within Bundoora park, there are many picnic facilities. Keep an eye out for school holiday programs and animal encounters.
5. The Big Goose Adventure Park and Animal Farm (Moorooduc)
The Big Goose on the Mornington Peninsula is both an animal farm and an adventure park with tractor rides, mini golf, tyre maze, giant jumping pillow, water splash park and a playground.
There is a petting barn with guinea pigs, baby chicks, goats and lambs, pony rides, reptile shows, sheep dog shows, farmyard walk-through area, aviaries, wildlife park and paddocks with native Australian animals such as kangaroos, wallabies and emus which you can see on a tractor ride. You can buy a bag of food to feed the animals.
Keep an eye out for special events such as for Easter and Halloween plus school holiday activities.
6. The Funky Farm (Hastings)
The Funky Farm, located along the Mornington Peninsula, is a family run boutique wildlife sanctuary with personalised hands-on two hour tours where you can get up close to the animals. Many of the animals have been rescued, hand raised and rehabilitated here, and there is a very personal approach to visits.
There is a mixture of farm animals such as horses, cows, and goats, native animals like kangaroos, koalas and emus and reptiles such as crocodiles and snakes at the sanctuary.
7. Rain, Hayne & Shine Farmyard (Balnarring)
The family run animal farm, located on the Mornington Peninsula, has a rustic setting with a large variety of friendly farm animals to feed and cuddle, including lots of bunnies and guinea pigs. A star of the show is a goat which is adept at jumping up onto tables, especially when there is a hint of food.
There are pony and horse rides, free tractor-drawn hay ride, paddocks to walk through with sheep, goats, alpacas, emus, calves, pigs and poultry and animals which can be patted over the fence including ponies, donkeys, big pigs and dingoes.
In a set of long train carriages you can make a free cuppa or grab a very reasonably priced drink or ice cream. Then have a play at the small playground with a sandpit.
8. Animal Land Childrens Farm (Diggers Rest)
Animal Land, in Melbourne's west, offers an authentic, first-hand experience of a working farm. It has been specifically set up to give children a tangible, practical farming experience and visitors get to hold, pat, feed and immerse themselves in farm life first-hand.
Activities include feeding and petting ponies, tractor tour, pony rides, viewing and nursing animals in the animal nursery, visiting the chook pen where you might even find some eggs, feeding the ducks on the pond, feeding sheep goats and cows, and lots more.
Wanting to extend your visit? The Animal Land homestead is a fully self-contained cottage sleeping up to six people with two bedrooms, supplied linen and a roaring fireplace. Wake up to fresh country air, collect eggs from the chicken coop and help milk the cows!
9. Caldermeade Farm (Caldermeade)
At Caldermeade Farm, off the South Gippsland Highway, you can watch over 500 Jersey cows being milked from a comfortable, glass fronted viewing room every day from 2:30pm. The farm also has a family friendly cafe providing indoor and outdoor dining, tractor tours, children's playground, shop selling farm-made produce and an animal nursery.
At the nursery you can pet and hand feed the baby calves, chooks, goats, lambs, ducks, llamas and donkeys.
10. Edendale Community Environment Farm (Eltham)
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The farm, in Melbourne's north east, has admission by gold coin donation and provides an interactive environment to support sustainable living practices for the community. Animals include goats, sheep, alpacas, cows, spiny leaf stick insects, guinea pigs, spinifex hopping mice, blue tongue lizards and various breeds of poultry. Visitors can go into the chicken enclosure on most days (chook food is available for purchase) and view the other animals from outside the enclosures.
The farm has gardens, indigenous plant nursery, interesting artworks made from recycled materials, sandpit and a cafe with plenty of outdoor seating.
Edendale Farm is a short walk from the excellent Eltham North Reserve playground.
11. Green Olive at Red Hill (Main Ridge)
Green Olive on the Mornington Peninsula is a whole farm experience which includes kids farm tours. The tours, which run periodically during the school holidays, give children the opportunity to meet farm animals, tour the farm and learn about where food comes from. Feed the chooks, guinea fowl and ducks, collect the eggs, pat a Shetland pony and chat with the friendly Maremma sheepdogs.
There is an excellent cafe on site which serves an all day tapas menu, with plenty of fresh produce from the farm and local farmers.
12. Churchill Island Heritage Farm (Phillip Island)
Meet the farm animals including Clydesdale horses, highland cattle, sheep, ducks, chickens and peacocks. Activities at the farm include a wagon ride, cow milking, sheep shearing, whip cracking and sheep dog trialling.
13. The Big Bouquet Gerbera and Alpaca Farm (Healesville)
Alpaca feeding runs all throughout the day, and their feed is available to purchase in the cafe. You are not allowed to enter the paddocks as the alpacas may get a fright, however they come very close to the fence and will eat right out of your hand. The farm also has a glasshouse with approximately 60,000 gerbera plants, a playground for little ones and an on-site cafe.
14. Living Legends (Greenvale)
Living Legends, in Melbourne's north west, provides the setting to get up close and personal with former horse racing champions. There are guided tours, photo opportunities and options to feed and pat the horses.
15. Animals 2 U, Barn Buddies Mobile Farm, Farmer Darryl's Mobile Animal Farm, Fun Farm 2 U (Various Locations)
Mobile animal farm and mobile petting zoos can come to you and help create a wonderful birthday experience or event.
Additional Animal Experiences
For more animal experiences check out our Guide to Animal and Zoo Locations in Melbourne and Victoria for Families
Web Links
→ Animal and Zoo Locations in Melbourne and Victoria for Families
