We left Melbourne CBD area and drove the short 30 minute ride (35km) to Werribee to visit its Open Range Zoo. It is part of 'Zoos Victoria' where you can visit the three zoos (Werribee, Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sancutury) unlimited times within 12 months for €96, which is a good price if you live nearby considering we paid €32.50 each for our one off visit.
Werribee Open Range Zoo become one of my favourite zoos I have ever visited due to the sheer size the animas had to roam around in, they weren't behind cages and the park is set on approximately 225 hectares. There is both African themed animals and local.
Visitors to the zoo can take a bus tour, which normally lasts 35–40 minutes, multiple times a day, and takes up to 140 people per bus.
The tour includes passing animals such as the hippo, zebra, waterbuck, giraffe, ostrich and rhinos, camel and the oryx. There are also long walking trails where you see lions, vervet monkeys, cheetahs and meerkats. Then the Australian Journey Walk where you can spot koalas, kangaroos and see emu in their natural habitat.
There is an African village, with educational and entertaining features, including a mock scenario of an African ranger and his adventures tracking lions, and an interactive soundscape walk with simulated lion sounds surrounding the walker, we don't know what happened when we were watching the show but it appeared the rangers couldn't control the lion and extra rangers appeared and led the lion away! We were a bit fearful we were going to be watching a live mauling!
We loved the whole experience, it was more like a safari than a normal zoo, my favourites were the koalas and the kissing giraffes.