Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria

June 2011

We are a little fortunate to have a zoo right on our doorstep here on the West Side of Melbourne, the Werribee Open Zoo one of three that Zoos Victoria operates.  It didn’t take long for us to snap up their annual Friends of the Zoo Pass which gives us year round access to all three. Originally a breeding ground for the city centre and space starved Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Zoo is now firmly a standalone attraction in its own right, less than twenty five kilometres from its better known sister, and still a well kept secret that the masses haven’t latched onto.

The jewel in the crown is without doubt the bus safari through African and Desert plains, but it also has two further themed areas to stroll around; the Pula Reserve Trail and the Volcanic Plains Trail, which are wonderfully well crafted and fun adventures. In these two areas you can close up to some of the well known favourites like Hippos, Lions, Cheetahs, and Meerkats and soon to arrive Gorillas. The zoo then focuses on some rarer species and breeding programmes including African Prairie Dogs, Vervet Monkeys, Servals and Bandicoots in the main area, Oryx and Przewalski’s Horses in the safari grounds.

The theming is stylishly executed, with hidden paths and look outs for the kids, including sunken steam ships in lakes to view the hippos, safari jeeps to sit in to watch the Lions (the front of the jeep cleverly cuts through the glass panel into their enclosure.)   Trees and tall grasses surround the pathways, so you really feel part of an outdoor adventure. It doesn't try to cram too much in, and is the richer for it. The designers have a really sharp sense of humour: staff only zones have signs saying "Crocodile Breeding Grounds - Keep Out."

The safari is the crowning glory – a 45 minute bus drive through the 200 hectare park, where the animals roam free. The bus itself is something else - with hydraulic stairs along one side, and open windows on the other. Then there is Chris, the tour guide. I have never met Chris before, but this guy is a star in the making. He had me in fits of giggles throughout. It started when we came alongside the Volcanic Plains walk. 'Kids, don't approach any of the Kangaroos, not like that silly little girl is.' This was going to be fun.

We passed two amorous courting Oryx, "is that Oryx standing up?" a small child asked innocently. "Yes he's standing up" chuckling at the randy little Arabs. ”We have four Oryx here at the park, call that four with one in the making.” Someone asked if animals that had died were fed to the Lions to eat. “No they’re not, not sure why not, that camel there would keep a Lion happy for a few days. And I’ve heard Camel Curry is pretty good.”  An ideal way to ease the over-population problem the camels are causing in the Australian outback in his humble opinion.

On to the African zone. We came across a family of zebras ambling over the road. The joke was bursting to come out of me. "Don't say it" he announced on the PA system holding back the laughs and reading my mind. I burst out into my loudest chuckle. The rest got there in the end. We got up nice and close, and then a bison amused us chasing after the 'Meals on Wheels' ute.

Then we came onto the Rhino’s - the 2000kg lawnmowers.  “'They are soft as anything really, bit like a 2 tonne Labrador; yeah they like a scratch behind the ears, but they not very good at fetch. But we've also had them charge the bus, smash windows, put their horn through the door, puncture tires, rip off windscreen wipers. You name it. There's a great tour here where you can get up close with our largest male rhino. It's amazing. He's the one who put his horn through my door.” Nice sales pitch, I'll be booking us onto it as soon as.

We next came up to the Giraffes and a last few snippets from Chris. “Kids, a kick from a Giraffe could smash through your skull. That 5m beauty stood up to give birth: talk about being born with a thud, ouch.”

It's surreal to drive across African plains watching Giraffes, Rhino, and Zebras wandering around, ten minutes from your house. It’s also an amazing project in many other ways: there are some really vital conservation programmes being supported as well as the local environment. Every single tree planted here was by hand, which is creating a wildlife haven for non imported species too. Kites, falcons, platypus, and numerous other species are all now reappearing around the Werribee river basin, alongside the Park. A wonderful alternative to a traditional city zoo, highly recommended.