Melbourne Zoo

The Melbourne Zoo or the Royal Melbourne Zoological Garden is situated in Melbourne, Victoria. It has been operating since 1862, thus it is considered as the oldest zoo in Australia. Apparently, the zoo was patterned after the London Zoo, and is under the administration of the Zoological Board of Victoria together with Werribee Open Range and Healesville Sanctuary. It is home to around 5,120 of 460 species of animals on exhibits which features elephants, tigers, orangutans and lions, which are kept in a 55-acre sprawl along Elliot Avenue at Parkville. To get to the exact location, visitors can proceed to the Royal Park station using the Upfield railway line or with tram routes 19 and 55.

Activities at the Zoo

Although a zoo is really meant for just viewing animals, the Melbourne Zoo has made a lot of innovations to give its visitors the most fun and exciting adventure experience. Aside from food, the bistro, souvenir and gift shops, the animal tours have just been made into a real commune with wildlife where people can opt to join free presentations or have the event personally booked for a much more private affair. The tours have been dubbed as the Behind the Scenes Encounters where they can choose between elephants, big cats, reptiles, bears, tree-kangaroos and koalas. However, these tours are subject to booking procedures, terms and conditions and some may not be available during school breaks. Visitors may also access rentals of wheelchairs, carts and pushers for the elderly.

Tours

If the 60-minute tours are not enough, visitors may undergo the Roar n' Snore sleepovers program where they get to drink, eat and sleep at cozy Safari tents in the Historic Elephant Exhibit or walk around the zoo at night to observe the animals' nocturnal activities. This accommodation is open to both adults and children but those who are under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult guardian. Like the above-mentioned programs, it is still bound by certain conditions and procedures.

For people who want to add a new twist to important functions and events, the Melbourne Zoo has its own in-house caterer, the Delaware North Companies Australia that provides breakfast and conference packages as well as cocktail parties and themed dinners. For a unique wedding ceremony and reception, they may choose from fairy tale-inspired themed rooms. There are three ceremony rooms, namely The Japanese Garden, Platypus Lawn and Moreton Bay Fig Tree. With regard to reception area, there are four. These are the Rainforest, Lakeside, Carousel Park, and the Trail of Elephants rooms. Each room is designed to fit a certain number of guests only.

There are a number of events lined up throughout the year whether they are related to a particular animal, example welcoming elephants to the zoo, or nightly Jazz concerts held each summer.