Safari Sunday

After a great Saturday we decided that we would continue to explore places unknown and so we drove out to Werribee Open Range Zoo. We had passed it a few times but decided today was the day to drop in and see what it had to offer. I still had memories of the old Bacchus Marsh Lion Park which thankfully this is not at all like that. Still it was over 30 years ago.

Being another cooler day it was very busy but we joined the masses and had a great time. The Hippopotamus is the newest acquisition and there are 3 of them. 3 large pools give them plenty of room to wallow and hide from eager tourists but we did manage to spot them all at different times. The kids loved the Hippo water sculptures (pictured) as well.

The Zoo is divided into 2 sections. The African section takes you on a walk through villages and areas where all the creatures are visible but contained. Free but safely separated from you by moats and glass viewing areas. You can watch the Lions, Cheetahs, Verveet Monkeys, Meerkats, Zebra, Waterbuck, Ostriches & the Hippos all living a reasonable life (and all separated from each other of course) as you wander round the Pula walking trail.

Take a wander through the Volcanic Plains walk and you are in with the Australian animals, the emus, kangaroos, wallabies. There are other species there too but as many are nocturnal or tiny you may not see them as you wander. The bird hide at the lake gives you the opportunity to see some of the bird-life that frequents the water-hole. We did see the brolga and the pelicans as well as the ducks that seem to feature on every pond we visit.

No trip to the zoo is complete without heading out on the Safari tour through the zoos grassy plains to see an amazing array of animals including rhino, giraffe, zebra and antelope living together in harmony on the open savannah. (not the ones that might eat you - they have fences between them and the other animals). It is a great opportunity to get up close & fairly personal with all of those animals you can see from a distance.

After saying good-bye to the animals we drove down the road and took a look at the Zoo's neighbour - Werribee Park. It is here that you can step back in time and have a look at Chirnside Mansion. The mansion was built from 1874 to 1877 by two Scottish brothers who were a driving force behind early settlement in the area. In the 1920's the mansion was bought by the Roman Catholic Bishops of Australia for development as a seminary. (We knew two guys who were there for 4 years each and then left the church and had 5 kids each - what were they teaching?) Additions were built on to the original mansion at this point. In 1973 the Victorian Govt took ownership of the mansion and have progressively restored it to it's former glory. The gardens have been recreated as well and are lovely.

Werribee Park is also home to a Sculpture Walk where you can wander along through 30 contemporary sculptures. This sculpture is called Happy Endings, so cute eh! As we had spent most of our day at the Zoo we were not there long enough to do justice to the whole park so we will definitely be going back for another visit. The site is also shared by the Sate Rose Gardens so perhaps our next visit will be timed to see them at their best.

So there ended a busy weekend but one we enjoyed immensely visiting new places, all very different. Back to work on Monday and we'll see what we can get up to next week.

until next time....................