Visiting The Melbourne Zoo

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Yesterday we took the children to the Melbourne Zoo for a glorious family outing. We’ve been to the Zoo a couple of times before, but we always have a great time and there’s always something new to see and experience. As far as activities that’ll appeal to every age and every member of the family, I really cannot fault a trip to the Melbourne Zoo.

It’s a good idea to come prepared, it’s very easy to spend a whole day walking around the exhibits so I’ve put together the following guide to help you plan and organise your day to get the most out of it!

What to know

Parking

There are two main entrances, so it’s wise to try to park as close to them as possible as it can be quite a hike just walking around the Zoo to get in, before you even get to see the animals. In my experience it’s easier to park close to the Rail Gate Entrance rather than near to the Main Entrance.

Public Transport

There is also a train line stops practically at the Entrance to the zoo, so it’s pretty convenient – especially using the PTV Journey Planner to work out how to get there!

Tickets
  • Children – FREE for under 16s on Weekends, Public and School holidays
  • Adults $31.60
  • Concession $24.20
  • Seniors $28.40

If possible buy your tickets online before you go to skip the queue and head straight to the front of the line – especially during peak times, like school holidays.

Also worth noting that annual passes are $90 per adult and allows you access to Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healsville Sanctuary, as well as Taronga Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Perth Zoo, Western Plains Zoo . (Which I have done, so look out for my upcoming posts about the other two Zoos in Victoria!)

Meet The Keeper – Animal Shows

Throughout the day at different times there are presentations with the Animals. My son was most enthusiastic about seeing the Seal Show, but we arrived too late. So if you – or your children – are especially interested in seeing any particular animals, here is where you can see what times each session is on.

What to see

To try to get the most out of your day it’s well worth looking at the map before you go and work out what animal exhibits are a priority to see, as it might not be possible to see each and every one in a single day.

This in no way an exhaustive list of enjoyable exhibits, but these were just the animals that my children were most excited about seeing – and enjoyed the most on the day.

Meerkats

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Seals 

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The Butterfly House

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Elephants

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Hippos

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Lemurs and Monkeys

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Other than Animals

There were a lot of activities for the children around the zoo; which the children really enjoyed. These little activities scattered around between the animal exhibits provided us the opportunity to stop and make plans for where to head to next, or just rest our legs for a moment.

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As well as a large playground and sandpit area and a Carousel (that costs $3.50 per ride.)

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Conservation and Environment

Aside from being a wonderful day out, a visit to the Melbourne Zoo is a great way to teach your children about the importance of conservation and taking care of the environment. The Zoo itself is fighting to save wildlife from extinction and there any many ways that people can get involved to help them out!

Overall it was a spectacular day and we all can’t wait to go back many times with our annual pass!!! If you’re local, or visiting Melbourne, I absolutely recommend you take a trip to Melbourne Zoo.

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Rachel Stewart

Rachel is the founder of Parenting Central. She is raising two children, boy and girl, with her partner. Rachel is obsessed prams, car seats, carriers and all things baby. She has worked in the baby industry for several years, for both suppliers and also in a retail setting and has developed a passion for connecting parents with the right products to make their lives easier. When Rachel isn't playing with prams she's enjoys crocheting, drinking coffee (sometimes wine) and spending a little too much time on Facebook.

6 Comments

  1. Yep – love the zoo. Hands down one of my favourite outings with the kids. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that I get more excited about it than they do.

  2. Yep – love the zoo. Hands down one of my favourite outings with the kids. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that I get more excited about it than they do.

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