Healesville Sanctuary

Healesville Sanctuary is a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. The zoo is located at Healesville on the outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals; it is one of two places to have successfully bred a platypus.

Opened in 1934, Healesville Sanctuary features Australian wildlife with more than 200 species of native birds, mammals and reptiles, displayed in a beautiful bushland setting.

A path weaves through the Sanctuary taking you through large habitat areas where wildlife can be seen in their natural environment. Encounter colourful birds, stroll amongst the kangaroos, meet an Emu on the path, hear dingoes howl and watch the flight and hunting skills of magnificent birds of prey.

A visit to Healesville Sanctuary is a truly Australian experience and a great way to immerse yourself in the sights, scents and sounds of the Australian bush. The Sanctuary has enjoyed a long association with Platypus. In the 1930s, Healesville Sanctuary was the first organisation to successfully keep and display the species and in the 1940s hatched the first Platypus ever bred in captivity (an event that made front page news in New York and London). It has taken 55 years to repeat that success with the birth of twin platypus in April 1999.

"The Sidney Myer World of the Platypus", which opened in December 1994, is the most comprehensive Platypus exhibit ever constructed. Enjoy an intimate encounter with the mysterious Platypus in its captivating nocturnal creek habitat. Living ferns, mosses and lichens grow above waterfalls and rapids, and tangled tree roots shelter little-known animals such as water-rats, native fish and eels.

Healesville Sanctuary is open every day including Christmas Day and Public Holidays, from 9.00am to 5.00pm. The total Sanctuary journey is approximately 3km and while an average visit takes three hours, you can easily spend the day.

Web Link: Healesville Sanctuary