The Best Places to Find Wild Kangaroos Around Melbourne and Victoria
Even though it's not too difficult to find wild kangaroos, you will have to venture further afield than the Bourke Street Mall. In our experience there are more reliable ways of finding wild kangaroos than heading immediately to the suburb of Kangaroo Ground. Finding a mob of kangaroos in the wild is a lot more exciting than walking up to the kangaroo enclosure at an animal park.
It's not possible to absolutely guarantee sight of wild kangaroos but if you pick the right location and the best time of the day, which is usually early or late in the day, there is a good chance of success. The lack of certainty actually makes the experience more exciting.
Please remember these are wild animals. You should always maintain a safe distance and never attempt to feed them.
We have seen wild kangaroos at many places around Melbourne but here are the places where we think you have the best chance of success. Click on the links to find more information about each location.
1. Woodlands Historic Park (Greenvale)
The park is huge and totals over 700 ha in size. You may need to wander around to find the kangaroos but there are large mobs resident in the park which are reasonably comfortable with humans nearby allowing for some nice photos. The last time we were here we saw over one hundred kangaroos near the Homestead but the fenced 'Back Paddock' is the best spot to see kangaroos and other wildlife.
Woodlands Historic Park provides an insight into life for the settlers in the 1840s. There is a Homestead with memorabilia and some old out-buildings to explore. Near the Homestead some of Australia's best retired racehorses can be seen at the "Living Legends" area.
The park is open to vehicles from 8:30am until 4:30pm, extending to 6:00pm during daylight savings. Pedestrian access is available at all times.
2. Sugarloaf Reservoir Park (Christmas Hills)
Eastern grey kangaroos and black-tailed wallabies live throughout the park. Take a walk from the Ridge Picnic Area to the Saddle Dam Picnic Area and there is a reasonable chance of seeing kangaroos or wallabies in the bush beside the track. If it hasn't rained for a few days (which is unlikely in Melbourne), you can get quite large groups of them around the dam.
The park is open every day of the year. The park is open from 7am to 8pm during daylight saving and 7am to 5pm at other times of the year.
3. Cardinia Reservoir Park (Narre Warren East)
There are several groups of wild kangaroos at Cardinia Reservoir Park. There is a special Kangaroo Viewing Trail adjacent to the reservoir wall which has information along the trail in order to learn more about kangaroos. It commences at the Spillway carpark (which is accessed from the Red Hill Road entrance) and heads downhill to the Crystal Brook picnic area. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.4. Lysterfield Lake Park (Narre Warren North)
The park has Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Black Wallabies which can often be spotted from the walking and riding trails throughout the park, particularly around sunset. Pedestrians and cyclists can access the park 24 hours a day. The main car parking area is open from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. Vehicles can exit the park after hours via one-way spikes.5. Churchill National Park (Rowville)
A pretty good bet for Eastern Grey kangaroos, especially up towards the top, which has the bonus of fantastic views. The park is open from 10:30am to 4pm.
6. Plenty Gorge Park (South Morang)
The most likely place to find kangaroos is Hawkestone Picnic Area which can be accessed from Gordons Road via Plenty Road. You will find kangaroos in this area most days, particularly around dawn and dusk. Other interesting places in the park are Le Page homestead, Blue Lake and Plenty Gorge.7. Westerfolds Park (Templestowe)
Westerfolds Park is home to a resident population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The kangaroos are often seen in open grasslands at any time of the day. The park runs beside the Yarra River and there are many walking trails.8. Currawong Bush Park (Doncaster East)
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There are plenty of kangaroos in the area which congregate together early in the morning and late in the day.
9. Gresswell Forest Nature Reserve (Bundoora)
Go for a walk just before sunset. You might not see them straight away, but if you take some time and walk around the chance of spotting kangaroos is very high.10. Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park (Boneo)
Greens Bush supports the largest population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos on the Mornington Peninsula. Eastern Grey Kangaroos feed at dawn and dusk at the Kangaroo Viewing Area. The area is accessed via the short Kangaroo Track from Highfield, off Boneo Road.11. Seawinds Garden, Arthurs Seat State Park (Arthurs Seat)
The gardens are a mixture of bushland and manicured gardens with both indigenous and exotic plants. The area has a mob of kangaroos which can often be seen when walking around the area.12. Gisborne Golf Club Kangaroo Tours (Gisborne)
Gisborne golf course is an easy 45-minute drive from Melbourne and has a large wild population of around 200 Eastern Grey kangaroos, ranging from large males all the way down to baby joeys. The kangaroos roam around the golf course amongst the golfers, and you'll be able to get very close to them in the wild whilst they go about their normal day from the comfort of a 5-seater golf buggy, hosted by one of the club's volunteers.
30 minute tours operate 7 days per week between 10:00am and 5:20pm and cost $12.50 for adults, $7.00 for children (under $14), $35 for family (when booked online)
13. Anglesea Golf Club Kangaroo Tours (Anglesea)
The golf course is home to a mob of 300 Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Volunteer members of the club run 25-minute guided Kangaroo Tours using electric vehicles where you can get "up close and personal". On the tour you'll learn about their life cycles, habits and more and the drivers will take you to suitable areas to disembark for photos and visit favourite locations, where kangaroos graze and rest. If you're lucky, you might even see a joey (baby kangaroo), peeking from its mother's pouch!
Tours run daily 10am-4pm with twilight tours available from 4-6:30 pm. The tours cost $15 for adults (12+ years) and $5 for juniors.
Map of Wild Kangaroo Locations
Animal Sanctuaries with Kangaroos
If, despite all our hints on the best spots for sightings, you fail to see any wild kangaroos, then it might be time to visit an animal sanctuary where fees apply but you are guaranteed to see kangaroos which are a bit less wild and more habituated to people.Locations include:
- Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park in Pearcedale (Day and night tours. There are kangaroos everywhere and you can buy a bag of food on the way in and they'll eat right out of your hand)
- Gumbuya World in Tynong (a walkthrough enclosure where you can get close to the grey kangaroos and feed them)
- Chesterfield Farm in Scoresby (Kangaroos can be fed)
- Phillip Island Wildlife Park at Phillip Island (In a free-range environment you can hand feed and pat kangaroos)
- Maru Koala and Animal Park at Grantville on the way to Phillip Island (Can also feed and pat kangaroos)
- Melbourne Zoo in Parkville (Close-up encounters experience is offered)
- Healesville Sanctuary in Healesville (Can interact with kangaroos)
- Werribee Open Range Zoo in Werribee South (Will see kangaroos on a beautiful walk through the Australian Journey grasslands)
- Bundoora Park Children's Farm in Bundoora (An urban farm which has a tractor ride to see kangaroos, wallabies and emus)
- Panorama Wildlife Sanctuary and Secret Gardens in Boneo (Range of animals including rare albino kangaroos)
- Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours (Guaranteed to see plenty of wildlife on their tours)
Wild Kangaroo Locations in Regional Victoria
Further afield in regional Victoria, the following places provide a high chance of seeing wild kangaroos- Halls Gap - Grampians National Park (Crowds of kangaroos gather in the town at both dawn and dusk)
- Princetown Recreation Reserve on the Great Ocean Road near the 12 Apostles around dusk
- Johanna Beach car park on the Great Ocean Walk
- The paddocks next to Bells Beach carpark usually has a big mob of kangaroos
- A large population of kangaroos is often found in nearby paddocks at FedUni Gippsland Campus in Churchill
- Hidden Valley in Wallan
- Tower Hill Reserve which is 14km west of Warrnambool is a great place for spotting kangaroos, koalas and emus
Web Links
→ Family Animal and Zoo Locations in Melbourne and Victoria
→ Where can you Pat Kangaroos and other Native Wildlife?
