Day at Melbourne Zoo

We finally made it to Melbourne Zoo.. yippeee

If you are planning on going to the zoo anytime soon, allow at least 4.5 hrs. Carparking is cheap, I think we paid $2 for a 5hr park. hehee And great to bring your own fluids and some food for snacks. Most people just sit around around the lawns having a picnic lunch. There's a few eateries, from the usual fast food kiosk, to the little cafe for sandwiches and coffee (word of advice, go grab a splendid coffee from a good local barista before heading to the zoo, well that's what we did). Located in the Elephant Village is Mek Kapah Cafe (pictured below) which sells Asian food, like kuay teow and noodles.

Cost of an adult tix is $24.40, whilst kids (aged 4-15) are around $12. Kids 3 or under are freebies. Family prices are worth it especially when you have at least 2 kids. Then there's the Friends of the Zoo special, for ongoing visits during the year for families, definitely a worthy buy.

The zoo isn't the most spectacular, and you won't be able to touch any of the animals. I was in Bali Safari Wildlife park years ago and.. you get to carry the baby orangutang, pat the baby tiger, even have a parrot on your arm... just plenty of great photo shots.

Here, we got to see the polarbear and the giant tortoise up close. You can touch the tortoise, but that's just about the only creature you're able to pat.



The elephant area is very much Thai influenced, with a Thai Hut built for educational purposes. There's 2 session times for viewing, around 11.15am-12.15pm, and 2.15-3.15pm. So best to queue up about 15min prior to opening and be prepared to spend 1hr for the whole process, majority is the wait in queue. You're allowed 5mins for viewing baby elephant Mali, her mum Dokkoon, and her best friend (unsure of name) before being rushed out and another 150 people will come through. Viewing times may differ for weekdays.


But the photo tells all, Mali is just adorable.

I first blogged Dokkoon being close to giving birth on 6th Jan, see it if you haven't. And visit the zoo if you haven't recently, since ermm Mali grows at 1kg per day. So delay no longer and go! :)


(All photos are mine)