Werribee Open Range Zoo

Get up close and personal with incredible African animals only 30 minutes outside of Melbourne. Next door to the Werribee Park Mansion and bounded by the Werribee River is Werribee Open Range Zoo. Animals from the grasslands of Australia, Africa and Asia live in conditions as close as possible to those of their natural habitats. Here you'll get the chance to be right among them all on a 50-minute Wildlife Safari which is included in your entrance ticket.

Informative guides will point out many of the animals and their interesting habits. The safari includes a trip through 'African Savannah' where rhinos, giraffe, zebra and eland share the sweeping floodplain the river. It also takes you through Australia's only drive-through hippo exhibit! With all the sights and smells of Africa, you may even forget you're in Australia - at least until you encounter the kangaroos, wallabies and emus.

The Zoo is also hosting a Vervet Monkey Keeper Talk at 10:45 am daily. Head along to meet their keepers and learn new facts and stories about the family of monkeys. Compare your personality traits with those of the Vervet Monkeys at their exhibit or pick up a new simplified Chinese visitor map.

You can even take your own cheeky little monkeys to play on the special ropes course to swing like a monkey.

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