1. Werribee Open Range Zoo
I love this zoo. It's the best I've been to so far. Read on and you will find out why.
Taken just outside the entrance, the kids had a great time clambering and climbing onto these animals.
It was a weekend so the kids were free! The admission ticket includes the 30 min safari ride. The zoo was simply huge! The safari bus took us closer to the animals.
The best part was seeing the giraffes walk right past us. There were at least 5 of them. Beautiful creatures.
My boys love the jeep at the lions enclosure.
Look at all the monkeys here! You've probably guessed it. We were at the monkeys enclosure. There was even an audio with the sound of monkeys.
There was a mini obstacle course near the hippos enclosure. The kids were thrilled.
The Australian outback enclosure was amazing.
A glimpse into how the aborigines used to live in the outback.
Logs were found all over the place, adding to the rustic beauty of the Australian outback. These logs naturally became part of play for the kids.
A hut for the kids to explore.
I can't remember exactly where this was. But who would thought placing a couple of car tires would be play for the kids? Indeed the simple pleasure of life.
There's also a water play area and a playground that perfectly blends into the safari and rustic theme of the zoo.
One of the highlights of the zoo was the gorillas. The layout of the zoo allows us to view these big hairy creatures at different angles. Just watching them move intrigued us.
At centrestage was the helicopter. This was enough for my boys. They could stay inside for hours.
The kids could dress up as rangers, vets and even animals. We didn't do the place justice as we had to leave. But during the short time we were there, the kids had great fun playing pretend. There were other play areas but the kids were only keen in this. Small live reptiles were also kept in tanks in the playroom and there was a mini tortoise enclosure.
Thanks to technology, the zoo has added a smart device that looks like an iPhone to all the animal enclosures. Nathanael, who's always so fascinated with gadgets, saw the gorillas on the device and thought it was an iphone. He pressed the button and said, 'Hello gorillas." Haha! A very clever move that our zoo here should adopt soon. The kids in the future gen will be more interested to learn more about a particular animal through the smart devices.
2. Kyral Castle
An adventure park away from the city, I can't imagine anyone driving all the way up to this lone castle on a hill. But the park sees a reasonable number of visitors each time it opens. It's only open on weekends and pubic holidays. For the month of June this year, kids are free! Yay!
Kyral Castle presents a novel experience of life in the castle. Initially, I thought it was just walking around the castle grounds. But there were lots to do.
The different torture methods were difficult for the kids to comprehend. But they had fun nonetheless.
Off with your head!
We watched a pantomime at the theatre about how a princess was saved. Then we moved to the grandstand to watch the training of the knights.
In the afternoon, there was another performance which showcased the knights' challenge.
If you are keen, the kids can also queue up to be trained as knights for free!
Exploring the castle grounds...
There's also a maze, cemetery, a museum to tell the horror stories in the torture chamber and of course, the dungeon with the dragon chained up.
Other activities that come with a small fee include painting a handcrafted wooden shield, face painting and pony carriage rides.
Posing for pictures with the knights.
3. Tinakori Farm
We stayed overnight in an old and very cosy farmhouse. It's not a big farm but there were lots to do and feed. Our kids were overwhelmed by the toys in the living room when we arrived.
The adults were contented with the fireplace and the animal-themed bedrooms. I love the comfy bed with the electric blanket I shared with my boys.
Evening feed for the emus and pig.
The host was very kind to accede to our request for a bonfire that night. The kids were overjoyed!
Early the next morning, the kids were up and jumping on the trampoline while waiting for our host to start the animal feeding.
The first animal to be fed was a baby. The kids had fun taking turns to feed the lamb with milk.
Then off to feed the fowl.
There's something about this place that uplifts the spirit. Wild cockatoos were flying all over. Awesome!
Feeding more birds and collecting eggs. The host even showed the kids the difference between a plastic egg and a real one.
Our host cum farmer cum teacher got the kids to sit on the crates while she gave each one a guinea pig.
My little one loves it so much you could almost see the sparkle in his eyes. The kids had fun feeding it with vegetables.
A bonus for the kids to see and touch an emu's egg!
Our host gave the kids an emu's feather, which came in a pair like twins!
There are other animals on the farm like kangaroos, which were fed last evening and deer. I realized every farm experience can be so different. We should go visit one every year!
Finally, I must make special mention of a very unique and kids-friendly café we had lunch on the way to Mansfield. Quite near to Yarra Valley.
We had lunch in one of these carriages.
While waiting for lunch, which took quite a while, the boys helped themselves to the toys.
Yummy bites from the kids menu. :) Prices are reasonable.
My boys were thrilled with the café, as they are big fans of trains.
Having been to Melbourne a few times before, I didn't expect much. But my boys and I enjoyed ourselves tremendously at the above places. I thought these few places have shown me a different perspective of Melbourne. And the most wonderful thing is the warmth and friendliness of the people. Probably not city people, I find these Australians so much more sincere. We will be back again I'm sure. :)
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