Healesville Sanctuary

Healesville Sanctuary is the Zoos Victoria park devoted entirely to Australian wildlife, and for visitors who want to see the country's animals properly, it is the most rewarding hour's drive from Melbourne. It sits in bushland on Badger Creek Road at Healesville, at the eastern edge of the Yarra Valley, and its paths wind through tall gums and fern gullies between habitats rather than cages. The resident line-up covers the animals most visitors hope to see: koalas, kangaroos, wombats, dingoes, emus, echidnas and, the sanctuary's specialty, the platypus, an animal it has a long history of caring for and breeding. The Spirits of the Sky presentation is the essential set piece, a free-flight show in which birds of prey and parrots swoop low over the audience, set against a backdrop of mountain ash. What gives the sanctuary its character is the Australian Wildlife Health Centre, a working wildlife hospital where vets and nurses treat sick, injured and orphaned native animals, and visitors can watch through viewing windows and hear about the cases being treated. On Sundays, Wurundjeri Elder Murrundindi runs a cultural program with stories, language, didgeridoo music and boomerang throwing, a meaningful way to connect the animals with the land and its Traditional Owners. Close-up experiences with koalas, kangaroos, dingoes and echidnas can be booked as paid add-ons. Opening hours are 9am to 5pm daily, and children under 16 enter free on weekends, Victorian public holidays and school holidays. Healesville makes a perfect partner for a Yarra Valley wine day or a Puffing Billy ride, and many Melbourne bus tours combine them.

Arrive soon after opening, when the animals are most active and the paths are quiet, and pick up the day's talk and show schedule at the entrance. Plan the visit around the Spirits of the Sky presentation, then walk the platypus house, the koala area and the wombat and dingo habitats at an unhurried pace. The Wildlife Health Centre is best visited when vets are actively working, usually earlier in the day. Allow three to four hours to see everything without rushing, and use the cafe or bring a picnic.

The sanctuary is about an hour's drive from central Melbourne, past the vineyards of the Yarra Valley. Without a car, the simplest option is a guided tour that combines Healesville with Puffing Billy, a Yarra Valley winery lunch or Phillip Island; there is also public transport via train to Lilydale and a bus to Healesville, but it takes considerably longer. The town of Healesville itself has good cafes and a well-known gin distillery, and the wineries around Coldstream and Yarra Glen are within a short drive.

Is it better than Melbourne Zoo for Australian animals? For most visitors, yes: the bush setting, the platypus, the bird show and the wildlife hospital give a far more complete picture of Australian fauna. Melbourne Zoo is easier to reach and covers animals from around the world. If you are also going to Phillip Island, the combination of Healesville in the morning and the Penguin Parade at dusk is a classic wildlife day, though a long one.