Healesville Sanctuary

Last updated

Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary Logo.jpg
Healesville Sanctuary
37°40′56″S145°31′54″E / 37.6822°S 145.5316°E / -37.6822; 145.5316
Date opened1934;90 years ago (1934)
Location Healesville, Victoria, Australia
Land area28 acres (11 ha)
No. of species140+
Website zoo.org.au/Healesville

Healesville Sanctuary, formally known as the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary, is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one of only two places to have successfully bred a platypus, the other being Sydney's Taronga Zoo. It also assists with a breeding population of the endangered helmeted honeyeater. [1]

Contents

The zoo is set in a natural bushland environment where paths wind through different habitat areas showcasing wallabies, wombats, dingoes, kangaroos, and over 200 native bird varieties.

Guided tours, bird shows and information areas are available to visitors.

History

Dr Colin MacKenzie (knighted in 1929) set up the Institute of Anatomical Research in 1920 on 78 acres (32 ha) of land formerly part of the Aboriginal reserve known as Coranderrk. The Reserve passed to the Healesville Council in 1927 and became the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary in 1934.

The first platypus bred in captivity was born in the Sanctuary in 1943 when David Fleay managed it.

The park was placed under the management of the Victorian Zoological Parks and Gardens Board on 27 June 1978. [2]

In 2009, the sanctuary was threatened by the Black Saturday bushfires, and the sanctuary evacuated their threatened species to Melbourne Zoo. [3]

Animals and exhibits

Koalas Area
Birds of the bush
Kangaroos
Gang-gang Aviary
World of the Platypus/Platypusary
Woodland Aviary
Rock-wallabies area
Arid Birds
Wetlands Aviary
Wallabies
Wombat Closeup
Animals of the Night
Land of Parrots Aviary
Reptile Encounter
Lyrebird Forest
Larger Wetlands Aviary
Flying Foxes Area

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Plains National Park</span> Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

Kings Plains is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 48 km from Inverell, 50 km from Glen Innes and 478 km north of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taronga Zoo</span> Zoo in Sydney, Australia

Taronga Zoo is a government-run public zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning "beautiful view".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Zoo</span> Zoo in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne Zoo is a zoo in Melbourne, Australia. It is located within Royal Park in Parkville, approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of the centre of Melbourne. It is the primary zoo serving Melbourne. As of 2021 the zoo contains 3742 animals comprising 243 species, from Australia and around the world. The zoo is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram routes 58 and 19, as well as by bicycle on the Capital City Trail. Bicycles are not allowed inside the zoo itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Zoo</span> Zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland

Australia Zoo is a 700-acre (280 ha) zoo in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter and his family's new show Crikey! It's the Irwins made the zoo a popular tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Zoo</span> Zoo in Australia

Adelaide Zoo is Australia's second oldest zoo, and it is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the parklands just north of the city centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It is administered by the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia Incorporated, which is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and which also administers the Monarto Safari Park near Murray Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary</span> Zoo in Queensland, Australia

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is an 18-hectare (44-acre) koala sanctuary in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket in Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoalhaven Zoo</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

Shoalhaven Zoo, formerly the Nowra Animal Park, is an animal park on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Life Sydney</span> Wildlife park in the heart of the city of Sydney

Wild Life Sydney Zoo is a wildlife park in the Darling Harbour precinct, on the western edge of the Sydney central business district, Australia. Opened in September 2006, the zoo is located adjacent to a leisure and retail precinct that includes the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park</span> Zoo in Victoria, Australia

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is a 25-acre (10 ha) biopark within the Pearcedale Conservation Park located at Pearcedale on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia. It aims to display the fauna that was found in the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve prior to European settlement as well as working towards the recovery of threatened Australian fauna. The park is open all year except on Christmas Day. The sanctuary, as part of Pearcedale Conservation Park, is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). It is ECO Certified at the Ecotourism level by Ecotourism Australia.

Halls Gap Zoo is a country 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Halls Gap, Victoria, Australia. From the zoo you can see Grampians National Park. It is Victoria's largest regional zoo, holding over 160 native and exotic species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmania Zoo</span> Zoo in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania Zoo is a zoo located in Launceston, in the Australian state of Tasmania. Situated on 900 acres (360 ha) of old growth native bushland, it is home to the state's largest collection of native and exotic animals. Tasmania Zoo is a fully accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association, working closely with all Australasian zoos, and are involved in various species management programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Featherdale Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in Doonside, New South Wales, Australia

Featherdale Wildlife Park is a zoo located in Doonside, Sydney, Australia. The park is located in Sydney's west, approximately 40 km (25 mi) from Sydney's CBD. The park contains various species native to Australia, and is known to be one of the world's largest collections of Australian fauna. The facility provides displays, events and interactive experiences. The site covers 3.29 hectares, ranging from animal enclosures and display areas to visitor facilities, including picnic spaces, shops and basic amenities. It specialises in Australian native wildlife and birds, as well as reptiles and marsupials. The premises is accredited by the Zoo Aquarium Association Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife HQ Zoo</span> Zoo in Queensland, Australia

Wildlife HQ Zoo, is located at the Big Pineapple, Woombye, Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and opened in November 2013. In March 2014 many animals were relocated from the now closed Alma Park Zoo.

Caversham Wildlife Park is a wildlife park currently located in Whiteman Park in Western Australia. It is home to several Australian animals including kangaroos, koalas, possums, wallabies, wombats and Tasmanian devils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorge Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in Australia

Gorge Wildlife Park is a privately-owned sanctuary in the Australian state of South Australia. It is at Cudlee Creek in the Adelaide Hills and continues to be operated by the same family that established it in 1965. It is 30 km northeast of Adelaide. Situated on 14 acres of land, under shaded trees, paths meander among the largest privately owned collection of Australian animals. The park provides contact with a range of Australian native animals as well as exhibits of Australian and exotic animals and birds. A feature is the opportunity for visitors to hold a koala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Valley Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

Hunter Valley Wildlife Park, formerly Hunter Valley Zoo, is a zoo in Nulkaba, New South Wales, Australia. It features a wide variety of Australian and exotic mammals, birds and reptiles.

Ranger Red's Zoo & Conservation Park, formerly Peel Zoo, is a zoo and wildlife sanctuary located on the banks of the Murray River in Pinjarra, Western Australia. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park is a wildlife sanctuary located in Calga, New South Wales, Australia. The wildlife park is home to Australian native birds, mammals and reptiles as well as farm animals. It offers research and education programs, with visitors able to undertake day and night tours. The park is home to a wide range of Australian animals and in 2021 became home to a group of meerkats, the park's first exotic animals.

Birdland Animal Park is a wildlife park located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakvale Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

Oakvale Wildlife Park is a wildlife park established by the Sansom family in Salt Ash, in the Port Stephens region of New South Wales, Australia. Home to a variety of animals which, while primarily native species of eastern Australia, also includes some exotic species. It also has several children's play facilities, including a water-play area and tractor rides.

References

  1. Menkhorst P, Smales I, Quin B (2003). "Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Plan 1999–2003". Australian Government, Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  2. "Governance and policies". www.zoo.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019.
  3. Kent, Melissa (6 September 2009). "Fire and flight no turn-off for horny devils". The Age. Melbourne.