6 of the Best Places to Pat Animals In Melbourne

There’s nothing like it: the cool smoothness of a reptile, the weird-but-nice carpet-y fur of a koala, the soft fluff that is a ball of baby chicken – getting up close with animals is a great part of growing up, and patting them (when allowed!) is even better.

Here are the best places to get real interactive with critters in Melbourne.

Animal Land Children’s Farm

This children’s farm really is just that: a true working farm. Your price of admission includes a pony ride, tractor ride, admission into the animal nursery, hand milking a cow, collecting eggs, feeding the ducks on the pond and the chance to explore the whole farm. Let the kids get practical farming experience while holding, patting, feeding, and riding the animals, and seeing what life is like away from the big city. 

Animal Land is open 7 days a week, as a tour (bookings preferred, but not essential). Tours are 2 hours and are run on weekdays at 10.30 am and noon, and weekends at 10.30 am, noon, and 1.30 pm. Find out more here.

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park

10 acres of this award-winning park is bushland, meaning there’s plenty of wildlife to be explored. You can feed a kangaroo, pat a koala, or see bird, reptiles, dingoes and endangered species in their natural habitat.

At night the whole park gets lit up with the famous lantern tour, where the sleepy-during-the-day animals come out to play. Spot night birds, feathertails, yellow-bellied gliders above you, or watch the quolls, pademelons, and bettongs dig around for some grub.

The park is open 10 am – 5 pm every day except Christmas Day, and you can call for evening tour session times (bookings essential). Find out more here.

Collingwood Children’s Farm

For more real farm animal fun, head on down to Collingwood Children’s Farm and jump right in. Milk the cows, cuddle the guinea pigs, go on a pony ride, run away from the goats, watch the rare-breed pigs rolling in mud, watch the English sheep being shorn (in season, in November), or pat a duck. There’s no shortage of things to do – and wear gumboots!

Open 9.15 am – 4.30 pm rain, hail or shine. Find out more here.

Rain Hayne & Shine Farmyard

“A Farmtastic day out” is the promise at Rain Hayne & Shine Farmyard, and they always deliver! The baby animals here need a bottle regularly and when your little one is not helping out with that, they can have a $2 pony ride, or jump up with all of you for a family hayride. There are plenty of undercover areas for a picnic or BBQ, FREE COFFEE AND TEA (sorry for yelling, this gets me excited!) and a small but cute playground.

For more native options, you can see wallabies, emus and the resident dingo, and there is even a mobile farmyard if you prefer the animals come to you.

Open daily 10 am – 4 pm. Find out more here.

Myuna Farm

A farm with a full playground? Yes, please! And if that’s not enough, this public community farm in Melbourne’s South East has plenty of lambs, rabbits, guinea pigs, bird aviaries, deer, alpacas, buffalo, emus, and a red-tailed black cockatoo. Take a picnic or goodies for the onsite BBQs, go on a pony or train ride, or stroll around the wetlands on the farm for something completely different.

Open every day of the year 10 am – 4pm. Closed on Code Red fire danger days. Find out more here.

Bundoora Park Farm

The only time I’ve ever been fortunate enough to milk a goat was at Bundoora Park Farm, and I have to say, it was quite the experience! The farm is simple and quiet, and the coffee and playground excellent. You can stroll by sheep, goats, and horses, hug a rabbit or a guinea pig, hitch a ride to see emus and kangaroos or hang out with lambs and other baby animals. You can even poke through the heritage on-site village and get a real feel for what early settlement must have been like.

Open daily 10 am – 4.30 pm. Find out more here.

Other Animal Adventures

Where To See Dinosaurs In Melbourne
Family Farm Stays Near Melbourne
Collingwood Children's Farm

 

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