| Bedtime becomes a lot more exciting when you’re
bunking with the residents of your favourite zoo, as
Louise Wedgwood discovers. | | |
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VICTORIA
Werribee Open Range
Zoo, Melbourne
Just half an hour from Melbourne’s CBD, our
family fell asleep listening to the distant roar of
lions on a Slumber Safari, one of the wild
experiences offered by Werribee Open Range
Zoo. Overlooking the savannah from our luxury
tent’s verandah, our three-year-old son
excitedly pointed out emus and kangaroos
grazing on our doorstep... but the most exciting
wildlife encounters were still to come. We
joined our fellow glampers for an afternoon bus
tour of the African animals roaming the huge
plains: gangly giraffes, cumbersome rhinos,
hairy bison, graceful antelope and striking
zebras. We were lucky enough to meet one of
the white rhinos, Kapamba, and were
enchanted by the feel of his thick, coarse skin.
A glass of bubbly and nibbles before an
African-inspired buffet dinner followed the meet
and greet. For the kids, toasting marshmallows
on the campfire was the perfect finale to a busy
day. Unsurprisingly, we slept soundly in our
beds that night, ready to commence the
backstage tour of enclosures the next morning.
Two days of zoo entry is included in your
slumber experience so we took the Family
Offroad Safari after watching hippopotamuses
eat their breakfast. There’s a free safari for all
visitors, but the beauty of the off-road tour is
you can leave the tracks and get close
enough to touch the animals (almost). We
left with stunning photos, vibrant
memories and a lingering sense of awe. | |
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Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne
After the daytime visitors leave, discover the
peace of this inner-city zoo at night. From
September to May you can drift off to sleep
with the sounds of the animals surrounding
your tent in the former Elephant House (tents,
mattresses and meals included). On the
after-dark tour, you and the kids (ages five
years and over) can all find something to
marvel at. Guides carry infrared lights that let
you catch a glimpse of the elusive animals who
only come out to party at night without
disturbing them. When day breaks, another
guided walk includes up-close encounters like
hand-feeding the giraffes, before you are free
to explore the zoo at your own pace.
Mansfield Zoo, Mansfield
Mansfield Zoo is the home of a wild sleepover
experience with the tamest of prices, and kids
of all ages are welcome to join the party. Your
sleepover includes two days’ entry and access
to 12 hectares of this picturesque sanctuary,
housing a large collection of exotic and native
animals. You can feed many of them yourself
as you wander the grounds at your leisure, but
some meal times are best left to the staff.
Watch the zoo’s unusual white lions (as well as
their familiar tawny-coloured pals) enjoying a
meal on weekends and school holidays. Bring
your own tent, barbecue dinner and brekky to
combine the simplicity of camping with the
excitement of sleeping among wildlife. |
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NEW SOUTH WALES
Taronga Western
Plains Zoo, Dubbo
From the deck of your own safari-style lodge
behind the African Savannah, admire the
giraffe, zebra and antelope nibbling on your
front lawn. Rates include two days of zoo
admission, although it’s always a challenge to
squeeze everything in, with tigers, hippos and
meerkats, as well as a black rhino and her son
born in April 2015, demanding the kids’
attention. Your ‘Zoofari’ also takes you on two
privileged tours to appreciate the wildlife from
behind the scenes. In the evening recharge
your batteries at the Guest House, where you
can relax in the bar, library or lounge area
before the African-inspired dinner, while little
cubs take a dip in the saltwater pool. Children
of any age can join in the excitement and
babies under 12 months stay free.
Taronga Zoo, Sydney
When the sun sets and darkness settles over
Taronga Zoo, journey into its heart where giants
of the animal world are stirring in their sleep.
Your lavish campsite overlooks Sydney
Harbour, ensuring you feel very much like the
King of the Jungle during your stay. After a
buffet dinner, the panoramic views continue as
you are taken on a night-time safari before
settling in for the night. Throughout the
experience (that continues with two private
encounters in the morning) you’ll become
friends with families and creatures alike, with memorable moments ranging from handfeeding
a family of giraffes to being entertained
by Mitchy, a boisterous Californian seal. You
can treat your family to this unusual sleepover
on Wednesday through to Sunday evenings
throughout the year, or any night during NSW
school holidays. Kids need to be at least five. |
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SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide
Imagine a setting that’s wild and unique, where
lions roar and the calls of cheeky gibbons
punctuate the atmosphere. This is what dinner
under the stars in the spectacular surrounds of
Adelaide Zoo sounds like. You’ll take a night
safari, feed the meerkats their breakfast, and
enjoy a behind-the-scenes panda experience
during your stay, with a three-course barbecue
dinner and breakfast provided. When you bunk
down, there’s no need to worry about the zoo’s
cheeky monkeys or cuddly joeys hopping into
bed with you (BYO sleeping bag and pillow)
with the two-person tents set high up on the
rooftop garden overlooking the zoo. Kids need
to be at least six years old before you can treat
them to this experience.
QUEENSLAND
Underwater World SEA LIFE Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast
Why not make like the Little Mermaid and
explore the depths at Underwater World SEA
LIFE Mooloolaba? Some animals live in places
that we can usually only dream of, but on the
Sunshine Coast you can find out what it’s like
to sleep under the sea when you spend a night
in the aquarium. Before bed, you and the family
are taken on a special twilight tour. Equipped
with headlamps, you get to see what
mysterious marine life gets up to at night when
everyone else has gone home. In the ocean
walkthrough you can admire bright corals,
graceful rays and majestic sharks and, as part
of the sleepover, the resident seals will put on a
show just for you. Sleeping mats are provided,
just bring your own sleeping bag, pillow and
sense of underwater adventure!
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra
Where else can you bathe in view of a bear,
feed a giraffe from your balcony, or watch the
sharks from your lounge chair? Here you’ll find
three types of unique accommodation. In the
uShaka Lodge (kids six years and over, except
for monthly family nights for ages four and up),
a shark tank extends from one side of the
shared living area to the other. In the Giraffe
Treehouses, it’s as if you’re wandering freely
among the friendly herd while in the Jungle
Bungalows, a lion, tiger, bear or cheetah may
be your companion for the night. A threecourse
dinner party is included with the ‘animal
in residence’ as one of your companions and
there are two special tours for guests, where
you could meet rhinos, dingoes, monkeys,
otters, zebras, bears and more. |
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