Werribee Open Range Zoo

Great place to go with the family. Lots of fun things to do with little ones and let them go close to the nature and the animals. Educational zoo talk etc. I am a member of zoo Victoria so we can go anytime we want to and not need to wait in line to purchase tickets. Just line up at the VIP/​member line. Quick anf easy. Getting newsletters to inform us whats happening soon at the zoo. Also able to visit other zoos like Melbourne zoo, Healesville sanctuary, toronga zoo in nsw. Highly recommend family join the zoo membership to help fight the animal extinctions and great for kids.

The bus ride is the best part of visiting this zoo as you get to see the animals in their element. You also get to get up close with these animals as some approached the bus. They also have a baby hippo and lion cubs that you should definitely check out.

Fantastic outdoor zoo.
Well set up with heaps of room and easy to walk around.
Animals look happy and healthy.
My daughter loved… The magpies!!! :-/

We visited the Werribee Open Range Sanctuary on a Friday during term time, a good day to go as it was void of crowds.
We arrived just on opening time, and the woman selling tickets was very friendly and helpful.
It was nice seeing the animals roaming around, an Emu just wandered past us. We took the kids (3 and 5) on the toddler safari bus tour which was just long enough to keep their attention. They loved seeing both the familiar animals and some never seen before.
Recommended for anyone who has kids and transport to get out there, however if you don’t have transport and cannot do public transport, Melbourne Zoo is a fantastic alternative.

Like all the Victorian zoos Werribee is a world class example. It’s a great day trip for old and young alike.
The main pull at Werribee is the safari tour. It’s interesting, informative, extensive and also provides different views and delights (whether you’re visiting on a different day or just opting to try several tours during your visit).
If given the choice between the three Victorian zoos I would, however, opt for Melbourne over Werribee. Though the safari tour is fascinating there’s not a lot to do here besides and the entire zoo can easily be seen and thoroughly enjoyed within a few hours. Melbourne Zoo is a considerably more expansive and inhabited strolling zoo and has more to offer.
For any local (or tourists on an extended holiday) the zoo’s VIP membership is the only way to go. It only takes two visits for the membership to pay for itself (keep in mind that it entitles you to free entry at all three of the Victorian zoos: Melbourne, Werribee and Healesville). What many people don’t seem to realise is that it also entitles you to free entry to a variety of other zoos around Australia. So if you’re travelling around or plan on touring interstate it can swiftly become a very wise buy. The VIP pass also grants you discounts on merchandise and animal experiences (some of which are very reasonably priced).
You won’t regret a visit to Werribee.

Looking for an activity to around Melbourne?
Do you have kids?
Are you a child at heart?
Check this place out! With general admission, you can ride the free bus that comes around every 20 minutes and get a guided tour. Remember to put the seat-​belt on as there may be bumpy patches and bring a jacket as when you get to high ground it can get windy.
Only water is allowed on the bus to keep that in mind and don’t sneak too much out of Meerkat Café (YES you can really see Meerkats through the glass).
For those who are not fond of buses, there are plenty of trails and tours you can go through to catch a glimpse of all the animals.
I am glad I finally went to Werribee zoo!

Very Awesome. I had a great time here. It’s not something I would have normally done, but my sone really wanted to go. We had a really great time. We got there early for the 1^st open range tour, all of the animals were out and about. Not sleeping in the shade. Really cool experience. Bring your camera.

We have two small children aged 4 and 6 and they really enjoyed the morning at werribee open range zoo. It was certainly not equal to dubbo open plains zoo but the safari adventure was great and the kids enjoyed some of the keeper talks. Definitely worth a visit.

This Open Range Zoo has become my favourite of the Zoos Victoria location just after the first visit.
The views of the herbivore bus tour is amazing. You really get to come up close and personal with giraffes, rhinos, zebras, ostriches, and many other animals. They even may walk across in front of the bus and stop the tour. The tour guides are quite knowledgeable and know the names of some of the animals as well as super interesting facts like a Rhinos horn is made out of hair! I didn’t know there were different types of stripes on Zebras but now I do!
Once you move on to view all the other animals, you get to see all the other animals. We were lucky to see an animal show on the Serval that showed exactly what they can do and we got to see the three lions really up close! Such an amazing view of such majestic creatures.
Zoos don’t normally bring the kid out in me but this one did! On top of the wonderful animal viewing there’s heaps of other activities and play areas throughout the zoo, including a Meerkat enclosure next to the café so you can watch the Meerkats do their stuff while enjoying a lovely meal!
Needless to say, I’ve become a zoo member and will be going back there again soon!

I am an animal lover and Ive been to numerous zoos around the world and Werribee Zoo is as good as it gets! I consider it the equal best open range zoo Ive been to (alongside Monarto Zoo, Murray Bridge South Australia).
Werribee Zoo is based around an African savanna theme with most of the bus tour consisting of African savannah animals including white rhinos, giraffes, zebras, antelope etc. However animals from other parts of the world are also included on the bus tour. The bus tour is part of the ticket into the zoo (one bus tour per customer) and lasts for approximately an hour.
The African savannah theme continues after the bus tour finishes however! After going on the bus, there is a circular path around the zoo where you can see other African savannah animals including ververt monkeys, lions, cheetahs, hippos and Africa wild dogs (Cape hunting dogs for those of us aged over 30!) Unfortunately the servals are not on regular display but you do get to see them performing as part of the serval show! There are also gorillas, but I dont find them that interesting for some reason…
As well as a focus on Africa, the zoo also makes a point of specialising in Australiana and displays kangaroos, wallabies, emus and cape barren geese (amongst other species). The Cape Barren Geese are a lot more interesting than the average goose. The zoo is also making the effort to protect the native Eastern Barred Bandicoot.
As well as being a good place to see animals, Werribee Zoo is simply a nice day out! It is a pretty place and perfect for a picnic lunch — I wouldnt be surprised if more than a few marriage proposals have happened on the zoo grounds!
The zoo is also excellent for kids in that it is simply so interactive! Dotted around the zoo are various vehicles which are no longer in use — such as jeeps, busses, safari vehicles etc. My 2 young boys’ two great loves are vehicles and animals — so they get to experience both at this zoo and can play on all of the stationary vehicles til their hearts are content. Of course going around on a big bus looking at rhinos is also a big hit for them!
But by far the best activity at the zoo for the kids is the «swimming fountain» next to the hippo enclosure: this is a playground with a soft floor with statues of approx 5 life sized hippos — however these are no ordinary hippos! These hippos have water spraying out of their mouths and bums and bubbling out of their nostrils! The kids play in this water playground and love it! Its a perfect time for parents to have a rest too! Make sure if you take your kids to also take their bathers.
Oh — one more thing: I often judge a zoo by how many baby animals are being born there — the more animals reproducing, the happier they are and thus the better the zoo. Werribee zoo always seems to have a few baby animals — regardless what time of year you go! At the moment (Dec 2012) there is a baby zebra.
Enjoy!!!

Werribee Zoo is fast becoming the better zoo in Melbourne. The environment is open and spacious. The animals don’t appear to be penned in but have room to move and roam.
A visit to the zoo is fun for all ages. The safari bus lets you get in among the animal herds, and up close to some that you would otherwise not be able to see.
Give yourself time to explore the zoo, take a picnic and enjoy the grounds. There’s plenty to see, do and learn. The kids are sure to love it and there’s lots of room for them to run around and tire themselves out. :)
If you’re up for something different, consider an overnight visit with an early morning photographic tour or canoe adventure. The ‘tents’ are comfortable and the sounds of the animals at night make you feel like you’re out on the plains of Africa rather than 30 minutes from the city.

I took my nephew here last school holidays, and honestly I wasn’t expecting too much. I’m happy to say I was suprised. They actually hae a decent range of animals, including lions, zebras, and hippo’s.
We did the bus ride around the zoo, which is probably as close to an African safari as I’m likely to get.
It was a great day, both myself and my nephew had a blast. If you like animals, then this place is worth seeing.

I hadn’t been to the Werribee Zoo since I was about six years old but I went there a couple of weekends ago with my partner. My housemates had bought me an animal encounter experience for my birthday and I got the chance to o and meet the servals at the zoo and get to pat them.
We arrived at 9am expecting the drive to take longer. Unfortunately there wasn’t much going on at all and the cafes and exhibits had yet to open.
We walked around for an hour and a half trying to see some animals but we were only rewarded with the African Hunting Dogs and the meerkats. Towards the end we were able to see the Hippos and Lions as they were eventually released.
The serval experience was amazing; the keeper was really friendly and full of information about the cats. They are beautiful animals and in the serval encounter we were able to see them climb and jump, as well as get to pat them.
The staff at this zoo are amazing: they are friendly, hospitable and outgoing. I don’t think there was one keeper who didn’t wish us a good morning.
Werribee will also be putting three male gorillas out on display in the coming weeks, so if you haven’t been or it’s been a while since you’ve had the chance — I highly recommend it.

We decided to take the trip out to the open range zoo with friends for a different way to spend the arvo.
Although it’s quite pricey to get in, once in it’s easy to spend a couple of hours checking out the animals in their ‘natural’ habitats.
Due to its location, the animals have heaps of room to live, and at different times of the day you can watch the trainers feeding them up close.
Its best to avoid school holidays, as lines to get on the bus tour can get long. We took the trip, and it was fun to ride around the expanse and see the rhinos, giraffes and other animals wandering around.
I recommend a trip here if you’re looking after kids or just up for a different way to spend the day.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
Ok, fine, no bears. Whatever. But still awesome! Out on that long road down to G-​town is the Werribee Open Range zoo, home to many species of animals. The beauty of this zoo of course, lies in the open plain safari style viewing of those animals. Here you will find giraffes, zebra, lions hippos and rhinos, as if you were in the middle of the serengeti, not five minutes down the road from the new estates of point cook.
The animals are obviously the main draw here, but the zoo also holds traditional music celelbrations and cultural shows for visitors.
If you are really keen, over night safari sleep overs are available, but they will cost you an arm and a leg — which is why I took one star off. Us mere mortals want to see the lions at night too!

Der Werribee Open Range Zoo ist ungefähr eine halbe Stunde von Melbourne entfernt gelegen. Hier bietet sich dem Besucher die Möglichkeit im Safaristil die Tiere aus Afrika, Asien, Nordamerika und natürlich Australien in der freien Wildbahn und in ihrem natürlichen Lebensraum zu sehen. Ein Teil der Zoos kann man sich zu Fuß ansehen und durch den anderen Teil wird man mit einem Busgefahren! Es ist ein sehr schöner Zoo ähnlich wie der Serengetipark.

A good open range zoo. Often very busy in school holidays and a little crowded. But the areas are well thought out and the animals presented sympathetically in well designed settings. The bus rides as part of the ticket are a real scrum when it is busy and the frustration of a busy bus (with a quiet guide) can often spoil what should be a really good experience getting up close to the giraffes, rhinos and zebras.
Don’t pay the extortionate prices for ‘special’ tours. You could fly to Africa for the same price as a family ticket for one of these.
A good day but I’d advice taking your own food to save queuing and paying high prices for average fare.
But this is certainly a place on the up. The guides are very helpful, friendly and seem to be everywhere you need them and the new wild dog area is excellent.

The Open Range Zoo is the only place in Melbourne where you can go and have a real African experience. Everyone jumps on big army coloured buses, with special lifts for prams and wheelchairs, and you get driven around the park.
You go through big open spaces, where the animals are divided between gates so they stay friendly, and see rhinos, giraffes, hippos, antelope and the mighty lions.
You can walk to the monkeys and cheetahs, and enjoy a nice picnic in the grounds. Situated right next door is also the Werribee Mansion, with its vast grounds, grottos, and the adjoining Victoria State Rose Garden.