Safari in Victoria: Werribee Open Range Zoo
I’m an avid animal lover, so I was thrilled to get the chance to visit Werribee Open Range Zoo. It’s the perfect way to see beautiful animals up close in a natural setting without the price tag of travelling to Africa. It’s also a lot easier to get to – just 30 minutes from Melbourne by car or shuttle bus.
I can’t wait!
I arrive at the zoo early in the morning, which leaves me with some extra time before my Off Road Safari Tour. It’s a perfect time to wander around – I have the zoo almost to myself, which makes viewing these magnificent creatures even more enjoyable.
The first animal I encounter is a gorilla, and I’m super excited to see it. He poses for our cameras as he munches on grass, then turns his back on us once he’s had enough. Following the African trail we see cheetahs, lions, rhinos, African wild dogs, hippos, monkeys, and – one of my favourite animals – the meerkat.
Gorilla!
We feel so close
The vehicle is open, which means no glass reflection to spoil our photos. We’ve got blankets to help keep us warm, and the custom-built truck allows us to get up nice and close to the animals without disturbing them. Seeing each new animal, I get just as excited as I did with the previous – we stop to watch them and snap away with our cameras as our driver tells us more about them.
Our custom-built safari vehicle
The tour lasts for about 90 minutes, but I would have been happy to stay for hours. When it ends we’re dropped back where we started from.
With the safari finished it’s time to warm up by grabbing a quick bite in the café. I spend the rest of the day exploring the zoo on my own until I hop on my return shuttle bus back to Melbourne.
I have been to other zoos before, but none quite compare to this one. I loved that the animals were free to roam rather than being cooped up in a small enclosure with us viewing them from behind glass. I’m sure the animals like it too :).
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