When one thinks of Australia, one can’t help but think about nature and wildlife. While we managed to hit the road (Great Ocean Road to be specific) last year, it was logistically impossible with our eight-month-old baby.
Hence, we opted for the next best possible choice: the Melbourne Zoo!
I was quite surprised that it wasn’t too far from the CBD where we were staying, just a 30 min-ish tram ride. The zoo entrance was rather underwhelming though, and it made me question whether the pricey tickets would be worth it.
Safe to say that my doubts were unnecessary!
Our Melbourne Zoo experience
We visited on a Friday but it was still very crowded, mostly with mothers and their young kids, as well as school excursion groups.
Even though the entrance looked very unassuming, the compound inside was actually much bigger than I expected. If you check the zoo map, there are quite a lot of different animals and habitats to explore:
One of the biggest draws at the zoo was none other than the giraffes. We also found out that there was a fresh new baby giraffe (who was hiding in a corner) – so cute!
I was also looking forward to seeing the kangaroos but strangely enough there was only one…
… and it was so far away that we ended up not able to see it at all. Sad.
I’m also not sure if it’s the time of the year (winter) or day (afternoon) that we visited, but most of the animals were either napping or absolutely lethargic. It was a bit sad because we ended up not seeing most of them as they hid away to catch some zzzs. I was really looking forward to seeing some Australian wildlife like quokkas and dingos, but they weren’t around for some reason.
To be fair, there were also a handful of other animals that were wide awake.
Is it worth visiting Melbourne Zoo?
We spent a lot of time at the zoo, probably more than I expected! I think we stayed from about 11am till it closed at 5pm, which was about 6 hours.
For a zoo that is located in the city, it was quite comprehensive and didn’t feel too cramped or restrictive. This was despite it being rather crowded from all the visitors.
One aspect of the zoo that I was quite happy about was none other than the parent facilities available. While the first toilet we went to was not great for changing diapers, we eventually did find a parents’ room that was very clean, very well furnished, and generally very thoughtful of parents’ needs. If you are planning to come here with little kids, rest assured that you will be able to find good and clean spaces to meet their needs.
I do think our zoo experience would have been a lot better if the animals weren’t busy napping or hibernating, but understandable that it’s not something the zoo had much control over. It’d also be a lot more fun once our baby gets a lot more mobile and interested in animals!
I definitely want to come back again once our baby grows older – will update when we do!
DIRECTIONS
Address: Elliott Ave, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
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