Wildlife & Sanctuary Visits
Healesville Sanctuary, Moonlit Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo, and Melbourne Zoo. Hand-feeding kangaroos, watching platypus dive, and spending unhurried time with Australian wildlife.
What this looks like
Melbourne has some of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Australia. Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley focuses on native animals. It has platypus, wombats, echidnas, wedge-tailed eagles and koalas in natural bush settings. Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula runs evening tours where you see quolls and sugar gliders by torchlight. Werribee Open Range Zoo has African savanna tours with giraffes, rhinos, and hippos.
Melbourne Zoo in Parkville is close to the city with everything from gorillas to butterflies. There are also smaller places like the Collingwood Children's Farm where you can hand-feed goats and collect eggs, or the Fairy Penguin colony at St Kilda Pier at dusk.
Your support worker plans the visit around what you want to see. They manage tickets, keeper talks, feeding times, and navigation around the grounds. They keep track of the schedule so you don't miss the experiences that matter to you.
Experience info
- 3 to 6 hour sanctuary visits
- 3:1 support throughout the visit
- Support and transport funded; you pay entry
- NDIS Core Supports funded
What we include
Transport and your support worker are covered. You pay for entry and lunch.
Visit planning
Your support worker checks keeper talk schedules, feeding times, and special encounters before the day. They plan a route through the sanctuary so you see your favourite animals at the best times.
Close encounters
Many sanctuaries offer hand-feeding, patting, and behind-the-scenes experiences. Your support worker books these in advance and makes sure you're positioned well to get the most from each one.
Pace and comfort
Sanctuaries cover large grounds. Your support worker paces the visit, finds shady rest spots, and adjusts the plan if you want to spend more time at one enclosure or skip ahead to the next.
Transport and tickets
Pickup from your home with tickets pre-booked online. Your support worker handles parking, entry, and knows the layout so you don't waste time finding your way around.
Photography help
Animals don't pose on command. Your support worker helps you get good photos, holds your bag while you use both hands on your camera, and spots wildlife you might have walked past.
Wildlife knowledge
Your support worker reads the information boards with you, asks keepers questions on your behalf if that helps, and shares in the excitement of seeing something special up close.
On the day
Your support worker picks you up at 8:30am because Healesville Sanctuary opens at 9 and the platypus is most active first thing. You drive through the Yarra Valley with the windows down. At the sanctuary, your support worker has the map out and knows the platypus house is to the left past the entry. You walk straight there. The platypus is swimming laps in the dark viewing pool, diving and surfacing, and you stand at the glass for ten minutes watching it turn. After that, you walk through the Australian bush trail. A wombat is out in its enclosure, eating grass in the corner. You photograph it through the fence. The keeper talk for the birds of prey starts at 11 and your support worker has timed your walk to arrive five minutes early. You sit in the front row and watch a wedge-tailed eagle fly over your head on command. After the show, you hand-feed kangaroos in the open paddock. One eats pellets straight from your palm while your support worker films it on your phone. Lunch is a pie from the cafe, eaten at a picnic table under the gum trees. By 2pm you've seen everything you wanted and you're tired in the good way. You buy a stuffed wombat from the gift shop on the way out.
Who this is for
- Animal lovers who want supported visits to sanctuaries and zoos
- People fascinated by Australian wildlife like platypus and wombats
- Anyone who enjoys close encounters and hand-feeding experiences
- Wildlife photographers wanting company and help getting good shots
- Families looking for supported day trips to kid-friendly sanctuaries
- Anyone who finds time around animals calming
Ready to Visit?
Tell us which animals you love and we'll plan a sanctuary day.
Get StartedCost, eligibility & getting started
What it costs
Pricing for a supported sanctuary or zoo visit follows the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. The amount depends on the type of support and whether the visit falls on a weekday, evening, weekend or overnight. If you don't have a relevant plan category, you can also pay fee-for-service. Either way, cost is always confirmed with you in writing before the visit starts.
Am i eligible?
Supported wildlife and sanctuary visits are usually funded under Assistance with Social & Community Participation, a Core Supports category. If your plan includes this category, a visit can be built around the animals you want to see and the pace you need. A support coordinator can help check what's available in your plan, and fee-for-service is an option if you don't have a current plan.
Where we work
We're based in Thomastown and reach sanctuaries and zoos across Greater Melbourne, including Healesville Sanctuary, Moonlit Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Melbourne Zoo, plus smaller spots like Collingwood Children's Farm. We also plan visits further into regional Victoria, and overnight wildlife experiences can travel further afield.
How to start
Tell us your favourite animals and we'll plan a sanctuary visit around the encounters you want.
Pick the animals you want to see. We'll plan the visit.
Tell us your favourite animals and we'll plan a sanctuary visit around the encounters you want.
Call (03) 9968 7766