If you’re looking for a zoo experience that’s fun for the whole tribe and unlike any other zoo you’ve seen before – head to Werribee Open Range Zoo. We took the tribe in the school holidays and absolutely loved every minute of our visit. Here’s why a trip to Werribee Open Range Zoo is a must for your tribe.
Take the tribe on a safari
The first thing we did when we arrived at the zoo was take our tickets and line up for a ride on the Safari tour bus. The bus is decorated like a giraffe and is an open air bus which meant we could get up close to the animals from a safe place but without the barrier of a window between us and the animals. The tribe absolutely loved the safari tour. We saw hippos up close, rhinos, zebras, giraffes and lots more animals that you’d expect to see on an African safari.
Come face to face with a lion
The lion enclosure was an amazing sight – we narrowly missed their feeding time where they climb right up onto the bonnet of the safari jeep to eat their food, but that didn’t mean the kids didn’t want to take turns pretending to drive the jeep and go on a lion hunt. There are lots of zoo keeper talks throughout the day where the tribe can learn all about the animals at Werribee, and the lion feeding and talk is one you’ll want to schedule on your visit to the zoo.
Breakout play areas galore
Getting kids to walk around a zoo can sometimes be tiresome because they start to complain that they can’t possibly walk much further. This didn’t happen at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Every major point at the zoo had breakout activities and play areas to keep the tribe moving and excited. In the monkey area there was a little ropes course. Outside the Australian animal enclosure, there was a huge playground. In the cheetah area, there was a chalk board area and a face painter as well as an area where you could see how fast you could run compared to a cheetah. These little interactive play areas were a dream! Just as the kids started to fall behind we’d spot another one and they’d start running again. Pure genius!
Meerkat cafe
At lunch we headed to the Meerkat cafe. We thought it was just a cute name but we sat at our table and the kids started jumping out of their chairs when they realised the cafe doubled as a meerkat exhibit. We were sitting right next to a window and on the other side were half a dozen meerkats looking at us curiously. Lunch became very exciting when the meerkats stood up to see what we had ordered. A very sweet touch indeed!
Kids are (most of the time) free
The best part about Werribee Open Range Zoo? The price! Adults are $36 each, but if you visit during the school holidays, on a weekend or a public holiday – the kids are free! That makes the zoo so much more accessible to families and was one of the main reasons we wanted to check it out and we hope that you do too!
Want to see what else our tribe got up to in Melbourne? Here’s the full story packed with fun ideas for your tribe.
What part of Werribee Open Range Zoo appeals the most to you and why? Answer this question by clicking on the Blogiversary photo below.
