Melbourne has dozens of beautiful free parks and gardens you can visit - here are some of the best to enjoy across the city.
Travel
Victoria’s best petting zoos and children’s farms
Let your kids get a taste of the country life. Grab a hat, throw on some comfy shoes, and enjoy a day on the farm with the family.
When you live an urban life, kids can miss out on the unique experiences their countryside counterparts get on a daily basis. One of those experiences being time in nature with cute farm animals.
This is where animal farms come in handy. Just a short drive from home, your kids can get up-close-and-personal with many animals you’d only find on a rural farm, including horses, sheep, chickens, and cows – they’re all there!
We’ve rounded up the best of the best, and there’s bound to be one near you.
Best animal and children's farms
Collingwood Children’s Farm, Abbotsford
This is hands-down the best animal farm if you live-in inner-city Melbourne (and you can even walk along the Yarra River to get there).
The kids can milk the cows, bottle feed lambs, cuddle a guinea pig, pitch in with farm chores, feed the chooks and even look for eggs – they’ll have a ball!
And when you’re done, chill out at the on-site café where you can even bring your own food.
Ballarat Wildlife Park
Not too far from RACV Goldfields Resort is Ballarat Wildlife Park, a park where free roaming Kangaroos, Koalas, Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Eagles, Giant Tortoises, Crocodiles and Alligators call home.
There's even a new Tiger Sanctuary, home to our Sumatran Tiger Satu, as well as Patrick the wombat, who is the olded Bare Nosed wombat known in captivity - he was even named No.3 by CNN Travel as the best city mascot in the world!
The kids might even love the one to one animal encounters, which allow guests to get up-close-and-personal with a Meerkat, Koala, Wombat, Snake, or Giant Tortoise.
The on-site cafe at Collingwood Children's Farm.
Bundoora Park Farm, Bundoora
Possibly the best thing about Bundoora Park Farm, is it’s next to the free Bundoora play space – double the fun in one!
At 11.30 and 3.30 daily, the kids can feed and handle the animals, including the baby ones. You can even take a tractor ride and visit the kangaroos and emus.
Take the opportunity to use on of the barbeques while the kids run off their extra energy in the park. Come school holidays, the park puts on extra activities.
Animal Land, Diggers Rest
If you want to feel like you’re actually at a rural farm, Animal Land is for you.
An authentic experience of farm chores, feeding rounds, milking cows, and everything else in between awaits you.
With an onsite homestead, you and your family can stay overnight in a self-contained cottage fit for six people and equip with linen and towels. It’s the perfect school holiday or birthday party adventure for any city kid!
Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary is a bushland haven for Australian wildlife. With iconic Australian animals such as koalas, kangaroos, platypus, dingoes, wombats, and emus, the kids will have a ball.
You can also enjoy the Spirits of The Sky bird show, where you'll see majestic birds of prey and magnificent parrots.
If you feel like making a weekend of it, stay at the RACV Healesville Country Club and Resort where you'll be surrounded by even more wildlife.
The kids can feed the animals daily at Bundoora Park Farm. Image: Bundoora Park Farm.
Funky Farm, Hastings
About an hour from the Melbourne CBD, you’ll find a private zoo, which until now, has never been accessible to the public.
Previously a homestead, the huge acreage has been turned into a hobby farm fit for any animal lover.
The lovely thing about Funky Farm is most of its animal residents have been rescued, hand-fed back to health and nursed through illness – so the kids will get a big education in animal care.
Chesterfield Farm, Scoresby
This one is still a working farm, so the notion of ‘hands-on experience’ rings true at Chesterfield Farm.
The kids will have a blast with tractor rides, milking demonstrations and feeding the animals as the owners of the property give a glimpse into their everyday life.
See the rescue animals at Funky Farm, Hastings. Image: Funky Farm, Hastings.
Edendale Farm, Eltham
The types of animals at Edendale Farm are endless: goats, sheep, stick insects, mice, alpacas, lizards, chooks, and so many more.
For just $1, the kids can buy some chicken feed and go into the yards to feed them, as well as getting nice and close to the other animals.
With a park right near the animal farm, the kids will have no trouble burning off their energy, leaving you with a nice quiet car ride home.
The Big Goose, Tyabb
Located on the Mornington Peninsula, this is no ordinary animal farm. There’s also playgrounds, water activities, mini golf, tractor rides and mazes. It’s like a giant fun park for kids!
Have fun all year round – but to make it an extra special day out, The Big Goose holds special events for birthdays and school holidays, so make sure you check out the calendar.
Green Olive at Red Hill, Main Ridge
This animal farm is amazing for kids’ tours. Pack your kids’ gumboots and let them get their hands dirty feeding the chooks, ducks and ponies. They’ll also be able to collect fresh chook eggs for mum and dad.
Make it a day out and book a table at the farmhouse for lunch after the 10am tour. Lunch is a mix of local and homemade produce, plus a local wine or two – yum!
Go on, get out of the urban lifestyle for a day, or a weekend, and give the kids a taste of what fresh and fun country life really is.
