Ballarat Wildlife Park

About Ballarat Wildlife Park

Ranked as one of the best places to enjoy up close and personal encounters with native Australian animals, the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Melbourne is also a natural haven for those who seek respite from the busy city streets. Sprawling across an expanse of 32 acres of lush woodlands, this wildlife park was founded in 1985, and boasts of an extensive selection of animals, as well as more than 200 different reptiles, including snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs as well as crocodiles. All of these animals and reptiles have been carefully chosen by the park authorities, owing to their educational and conservation possibilities. The wildlife park Ballarat is also the only regional zoo of its kind in the country, which has been made on such a large scale. It is here where you can witness exotic Australian animals like Cassowaries, Tasmanian Devils, Dingoes, Quokkas and more. Besides these animals, you can also catch sights of species from other neighbouring countries, including an Indonesian Komodo Dragon, as well as Tree Kangaroos from Papua New Guinea. You can also enjoy several activities in the wildlife park Ballarat, from feeding kangaroos and holding koalas, to holding a wombat or even hand-feeding Satu, a beautiful Sumatran tiger.

Highlights of Ballarat Wildlife Park

  • Plan a visit to the wildlife park Ballarat and get a chance to be at one with nature, whilst also catching sights of some of the most exotic native Australian fauna.

  • Explore this family-owned wildlife park and enjoy watching kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles, wombats, dingoes and a plethora of other animals and reptiles roaming around freely in their enclosures.

  • Make sure to visit the new attractions of the wildlife park, which includes 6 new meerkats, a Little Penguin exhibit as well as several new koala joeys, among others.

  • Spend some time feeding animals like koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, and even tigers all by yourself during your visit to the park.

  • Get a chance to witness the Sumatran tigers Satu and Maneki in the Tiger Sanctuary as you explore various Ballarat Wildlife Park animals.

  • Gain deeper insights into the conservation and habitats of the animals during the live show held in the park on a daily basis.

What to Do at Ballarat Wildlife Park

When visiting the wildlife park Ballarat, you get to enjoy a lot of activities here, from meeting and learning about the extensive selection of native Australian animals and reptiles, to indulging in hand-feeding the animal programs, or even taking part in the conservation activities here.

Meet the Animals

One of the best things to do at the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Melbourne is to meet the animals here. In addition to a plethora of native Australian animals, including quokkas, kangaroos, dingoes and wombats, the wildlife park is also the abode of 6 meerkats who have recently joined the collection here. In addition to the Meerkats roaming freely in their cosy enclosures here, the park has also introduced a Little Penguin exhibit, where you can find a colony of Little Penguins, which are the smallest penguin species in the whole world, and are the only species found on the Australian mainland. Furthermore, you can also get a chance to meet two Sumatran tigers here, named Maneki and Satu, as they lie around under the sun. Some of the other wildlife species that you can meet in the park include threatened species, such as the Growling Grass Frog, the Brown Toadlet and more.

Enjoy Animal Encounters

During your visit to the Ballarat Wildlife Park, you can also enjoy a variety of Animal Encounters here. In addition to getting a chance to pet a koala and taking photographs with these furry animals, you can also witness Hugo the Giant Tortoise here, who is more than 80 years old. Additionally, you can also meet other animals, including Pablo the Boa Constrictor, Moss the Coastal Carpet Python or even the friendly wombats, whom you can hold and cuddle with. However, all of these animal encounter programs have specific timings, which you will have to keep in mind so as to enjoy them properly.

Learn about the Conversation Programs

The wildlife park Ballarat boasts of several conservation programs, which have been designed in a way such that the endangered animal and reptile species here are taken care of in a better way. So, when you visit the park, you must definitely spend some time learning about these Conservation Programs. The Ballarat Wildlife Park was the first privately owned wildlife park in the Australian mainland which bred Tasmanian Devils, and then introduced several conservation methods in order to protect these animals from the cancer that has affected a majority of this species. Some of the other conservation programs here include the Save the Koala program, Tiger Protection Conservation, and more.

Must-Visit Attractions Around Ballarat Wildlife Park

After visiting the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Melbourne, and witnessing the myriad of animals and reptiles here, you can also explore several other places of interest nearby. These places, like the Sovereign Hill, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens or even the Art Gallery of Ballarat rank as some of the best tourist places in the area as well.

Sovereign Hill

One of the top must-visit attractions near the wildlife park Ballarat is the Sovereign Hill, which dates back to 1970. This place is an open-air museum, which offers you a glimpse into the initial 10 years of Ballarat after gold was discovered here in the year 1851. During your visit to this unique museum, you can witness several displays of costumed characters, cats as well as horses and other artefacts that describe life during the Victorian Goldfields. You can also enjoy seeing a gold pour, where $160,000 worth of gold is melted and then transformed into a bullion weighing 3 kilograms.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat

After a visit to the Ballarat Wildlife Park, make sure to explore the Art Gallery of Ballarat, which is known for being the largest and oldest regional Australian gallery, and dates back to 1884. It is here where you can discover some of the best Australian art dating from the colonial era to the contemporary periods. You can also come across masterpieces by famed artists like Fred Williams, Clarice Beckett, Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd, among others, in this art gallery. Listed as a heritage site and monument, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is also known to organise and host many temporary exhibitions, as well as shows that have been influenced by the art works in the gallery.

Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Amongst the best places near the wildlife park Ballarat is the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, where you can spend some much needed quality time with your near and dear ones in the lap of nature. Spread across 40 hectares of land, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens are also home to other attractions, such as an Ex-Prisoner of War Memorial that pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of prisoners who were imprisoned during the Korean War and the two World Wars. You can also enjoy walking in the tree lined pathways here, whilst admiring the many marble statues that are set amidst vibrant flowerbeds.

Tips to visit Ballarat Wildlife Park

  • It is important to always carry a valid proof of identity, such as your passport, along with your entry tickets while on Ballarat Wildlife Park tour in Melbourne.

  • The tickets to the park are not inclusive of any animal food, which are available for purchase at the entrance to the different enclosures.

  • When clicking photographs at the Animal Encounters, you can collect the same from the staff in the Gift Shop after around an hour of having the experience.

  • It is important to note that the Animal Encounter experiences can be cancelled, postponed or rescheduled at short notice for several reasons, therefore, it is advisable to call before your arrival to the park to ensure that these activities are still in operation.

  • Koala Encounter experiences are tentative to cancellation or rescheduling if the temperatures for the day are higher than 34 degrees Celsius.

  • The Giant Tortoise and Snake Animal Encounters may also be cancelled in the winter season owing to extreme cold weather condition.

FAQs

Why is Ballarat Wildlife Park so famous?

The wildlife park Ballarat is famous for being the first privately owned wildlife park on the Australian mainland that bred the Tasmanian Devils. Established in the 1980s, the park boasts of being home to a plethora of free-roaming animals, from kangaroos, koalas and wombats, to giant tortoises, crocodiles, tigers and more. It is here where visitors can also get a chance to enjoy different animal encounters, from cuddling wombats and petting koalas, to feeding Sumatran tigers and kangaroos, among other things. The wildlife park is also home to the smallest penguin species in the whole world.

What is the best time to visit Ballarat Wildlife Park?

The best time to visit the wildlife park Ballarat is between the months of September to November, which is the spring season in the region. This is when the temperatures are quite pleasant and you can enjoy seeing almost all of the animals roam around freely. Furthermore, you must visit the park at around 11:00 a.m., which is when a lot of the interactive experiences here start.

How long do you spend at Ballarat Wildlife Park?

You must ideally spend at least 2 to 4 hours at the wildlife park Ballarat. This time period is sufficient if you wish to enjoy seeing the animals and also enjoy the different interactive experiences in the park.

What are the opening hours at Ballarat Wildlife Park?

The Ballarat Wildlife Park is open between 09:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. every day.

What type of animals can we see at Ballarat Wildlife Park?

In addition to around 200 reptiles like snakes, tortoises, and lizards, you can also see a variety of different native Australian animals at the Ballarat Wildlife Park. This includes kangaroos, koalas, wombats, quokkas, Tasmanian devils, crocodiles, tigers, meerkats, cassowaries as well as Little Penguins. The park is also home to emus, short-beaked echidnas, eagles, as well as a Komodo dragon.

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