Healesville Sanctuary (Badger Creek)

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. This is Australian flora and fauna at its best!

Opening Hours:

Healesville Sanctuary is open every day including Christmas Day and Public Holidays, from 9am to 5pm. The total Sanctuary journey is approximately 3km and while an average visit takes three hours, you can easily spend the day.

When planning your visit refer to the Meet the Keeper scheduled presentations. Remember to arrive at the Birds of Prey arena 15 minutes before the scheduled show as the gates are locked at the start of the show.

Cost:

Admission Prices
For a discount check out Small Ideas

Review:

One of the classic Melbourne destinations for a day out (especially if you have overseas visitors). The staff are very friendly and passionate and always ready to share their knowledge.

The Sanctuary covers a large area and there are many attractions and little things of interest to explore. If you don't want to rush around, I would recommend starting the day acknowledging that there is too much to cover in one day, especially with kids and saving part of the Sanctuary for another visit.

There are plenty of lovely animal and bird sculptures plus artwork scattered throughout the Sanctuary, so keep an eye out for these, starting with the huge Bunjil sculpture at the entrance.

A number of attractions and activities reinforce behaviours which protect the environment and wildlife such as:

Blow bubbles and not balloons
Wipe for wildlife - use 100% recycled paper

Make sure you go to some of the special shows which are a real highlight of a visit. The shows are mainly in the morning and an early start will allow you to maximise your experience here. The "Spirit of the Skies" show at the Flight Arena is always popular and late entry is not permitted due to safety regulations. Make sure you get there at least 15 minutes before the show starts in order to get good seats. Seats in the middle section will enhance your experience and view.

Keep an eye open for water sprays during the hotter part of the year. Quite a few of the exhibits have buttons to set off water sprays such as the huge yellow and black parrots in the Koala Picnic area and the Hills Hoist near the Robert Eade pavilion.

Healesville Sanctuary

Near the pavilion there is an area of the Badger Creek where you can paddle in the shallow and refreshing water.

Healesville Sanctuary

Food prices are reasonable and there are three cafes which serve snacks, cold drinks and ice-creams. These locations also have water fountains. If you are looking for a fully licensed bistro then head to the Sanctuary Harvest Cafe. There are a number of picnic areas which provide free gas BBQ facilities. It is possible to bring your own food into the Sanctuary. Watch out for the ibis' who are always on the lookout for an opportunity to grab your lunch.

There are a number of playgrounds for the kids. The basic playground near the Pavilion Cafe has a sandpit under shade sails with a water pump and some bright yellow and black frogs. This area has some picnic tables and toilets.

There is another playground, Bunyil Playspace, opposite the Sanctuary Harvest Cafe which has a large sandpit under shade sails with some slides. There is an area of the sandpit where you can dig for dinosaur bones. Nearby is a rope traverse strung between upturned tree trunks.

Healesville Sanctuary

There are two parent's rooms - The Pouch, located at front entrance and The Nest, located next to Sanctuary Harvest Cafe,

The main track which forms a circle is about 1.2 km long and includes emus, dingoes, koalas, lyrebirds, reptiles, cockatoos, platypus, kangaroos and parrots.

There are adventure tracks which loop off the main circular track. The main one is the Woodlands Track (800m long) which includes goanna, woodland birds, barn owls, rock-wallaby, pelicans, arid birds, kookaburras, wombats, Tasmanian devils, possums an bandicoots.

The 320m long Wetlands Track showcases wetland birds and there is a 170m track going to the Australian Wildlife Health Centre.

If you are looking for an enhanced experience with the animals, there are a number of optional animal encounters such as a two hour VIP Sanctuary Tour ($99), 10 minute koala or kangaroo close-up ($30) or 10 minute dingo or echidna close-up ($50). It is recommended to book these encounters well in advance since they can book out during busier times.

On very hot days, most of the animals look for somewhere cool to rest and some shows can be cancelled due to the heat. The heat can also take a toll on visitors but there are a number of water sprays and indoor enclosures for animals such as platypus, reptiles and nocturnal animals to help escape the effects of the heat. On warmer days go as early as you can because the animals will be more active.

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