Healesville Sanctuary was one place that we were visiting in Melbourne, Australia. It was the fourth day of our first visit to Melbourne. We were visiting a nature sanctuary that was specializing in native Australian animals. Most of the animals in the sanctuary can only be found in Australia.

It was an early start since the drive was one hour long. We got lucky that we had a wonderful local resident driving us to the sanctuary. It saved us from the uncertainty of taking public transportation and figuring out which direction to go.

A Little About The Sanctuary (Just A Little)

The creation and founding of the sanctuary started in 1920. The sanctuary first started as an Institute of Anatomical Research. It was in 1934 that the Healesville council began renaming it to Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary in honor of its founder. Eventually, it became the Healesville Sanctuary. The sanctuary is specializing in breeding native animals. It has been successful in breeding a platypus and other endangered animals.

The Animals Of The Sanctuary

The cuddly Koala was the first animal that we saw. It was perching up on a branch and out of reach by its enclosure. Probably not a good idea to be cuddling the Koala anyway. It looked so peaceful in its sleeping position.

The Emu was kind of scary. It looked intimidating with its size and height. The mean look on its face and the size of its feet were enough to keep us away.

We had difficulty finding the Echidna (spiny anteater). It took a while of walking around its enclosure before finally finding it. It looked shy and probably did not want to be in people’s presence as it scurried away.

I am declaring that the Kangaroo was the king of the sanctuary. It was dominating its area of enclosure. It was also probably the most recognizable of the animals in the sanctuary.

We had a few animated moments with the playful birds. A tight enclosure was not confining them. We were free in engaging with the birds depending on how close they allow us to approach. It was delightful!

Our experience in this sanctuary was beyond expectation. We had fun! It was really delightful to see native Australian animals in a sanctuary.

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The link to viewing the photographs is here. The link to viewing other photographs is here.