Meerkats greet you at the entrance to this 225-hectare partly free-range zoo, 34km southwest of Melbourne. Admission includes a guided tour in a safari bus through the habitats of Asia, North America and Africa, spotting bison, rhinos, zebras and giraffes grazing on the savannah. Children under 15 years enter for free on weekends and public holidays.
Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
Werribee Open Range Zoo
Melbourne
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Royal Botanic Gardens
18.25 MILES
Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens draw over two million visitors a year…
Hosier Lane
18.05 MILES
Melbourne's most-celebrated laneway for street art, Hosier Lane's cobbled length draws camera-wielding crowds to its colorful canvas of graffiti, stencils…
Shrine of Remembrance
17.89 MILES
One of Melbourne's icons, the Shrine of Remembrance is a commanding memorial to Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping, especially those…
Melbourne Cricket Ground
18.67 MILES
With a capacity of 100,000 people, the "G" is one of the world’s great sporting venues, hosting cricket in summer and AFL (Australian Football League,…
Queen Victoria Market
17.73 MILES
With more than 600 traders, 'Vic Market' is a large open-air market brimming with food, shopping and cultural experiences. Early mornings are best for…
St Kilda Foreshore
17.08 MILES
With a palm-fringed promenade, sandy beach and eclectic architecture, St Kilda’s seaside appeal lands somewhere between Brighton in England and Venice…
NGV International
17.87 MILES
Housed in a vast, brutally beautiful, bunker-like building, the international branch of the NGV has an expansive collection, from ancient artefacts to the…
Melbourne Zoo
18.25 MILES
Established in 1862, this compact zoo remains one of the city’s most popular attractions and continues to innovate, having become the world's first carbon…
Nearby Melbourne attractions
1. Werribee Mansion
0.58 MILES
Werribee Mansion is a Italianate-style 1870s edifice brimming with colonial arriviste ambition.
2. RAAF Museum
4.49 MILES
Tells the story of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second-oldest air force in the world, at the site of its inception.
3. Williamstown Beach
12.82 MILES
Forget St Kilda – the pleasant lopsided grin of coarse golden sand at Williamstown is a much more appealing place for a dip. It has its own surf…
4. ARHS Railway Museum
12.82 MILES
A fine collection of old steam locomotives, and mini-steam-train rides for kids.
5. HMAS Castlemaine
13.69 MILES
Take a look around the last of 60 Australian-built Bathurst Class corvettes still afloat. This one did time as an escort ship and minesweeper along the…
6. Maritime Discovery Centre
13.7 MILES
A modest museum showcasing maritime artefacts, model ships and the like.
7. Seaworks
13.7 MILES
This marine precinct comprises historic boat sheds, a maritime museum, a pirate-themed tavern and Victoria's oldest morgue (1859; visit on a ghost tour)…
8. Sea Shepherd Australia
13.75 MILES
Seaworks is the headquarters for this anti-whaling crusader. It's often possible to drop by and look at displays about its direct-action campaigns and to…