TRAVEL // Maru Koala and Animal Park, Victoria, Australia

Hello there!

Here is my second to last post from my trip to Australia. Considering it was only 3 or so weeks long, I'm impressed I managed to get it to this many posts. Anyway, after my three day drive from Adelaide to Melbourne, I spent New Years will family. Drinking champagne, BBQ food and spending time on the beach was all that happened but that's all you need right? 

On this trip, I decided the one thing I wanted to do was meet a koala. I held one when I went to Brisbane about 14 years ago but it had been a while and who can resist their little faces? Considering that it is not legal to hold koalas in Victoria (it stresses them out) I had to go on one hell of a search to find somewhere who would even let me get a photo with one. However, the Maru Koala and Animal Park was just 2 or so hours away and fit the bill entirely. 

Entry to the park wasn't extortionate, but the park is also not that large. They have quite a large area full of kangaroos roaming around which you can feed. There are plenty of staff around to ask questions and a restaurant with lots and lots of food that looked good. They have several experiences that allow you to get photos with the animals including Koalas, snakes and dingoes which are $20 each including a photo and as many as you can take yourself. I felt with my photo, which was the last in the group, wasn't rushed at all. I must have had a good 5 or so minutes with the koala (who was super adorable!)

Like I said, the park isn't big but you do have the opportunity to see a few shows ands see some traditional Australian animals. We got there early in the morning (perhaps 10-11am) and were gone by about 2. If you did want to go, I'd go as early as possible. A big part of the park is being able to feed the kangaroos and they were lovely first thing but by the afternoon they just weren't hungry anymore. They were all pretty tame, and some were seriously friendly! I made friends with the little albino kangaroo who didn't leave me alone and just followed me around for a bit - super adorable! As a warning, not all of the kangaroos are too friendly and you still have to treat them with respect. If it's obvious that they don't want you in their face, you've just got to leave them. The one that followed me about was actually born at the park and raised by the staff because it's mother abandoned it (and so it was seriously tame and friendly towards humans). Some of the others are really not like that and could cause you some serious damage - just look at how big some of them are!

They did have plenty of roos and if you go at certain times of the day there are keepers around to ask questions. It's crazy how big baby kangaroos get but how they still fit in it's Mum's pouch. I'll tell you now, if I was that mama kangaroo I would not still be putting up with that!

Overall, I had a really lovely day! It was nice getting up close and personal to the animals and having the opportunity to get some lovely photos. The staff were all really helpful and full of knowledge. I was really glad I went!

Have you been to Maru Koala and Animal Park? Is this something you'd be up for? Let me know!