Halls Gap Zoo, the Grampians: What animals can I see?
Halls Gap Zoo in the Grampians, Victoria, concentrates on overseas species such as giraffes, red pandas, cheetahs, meerkats and lemurs.
Halls Gap Zoo proudly proclaims itself to be Victoria’s largest regional zoo. Just outside the Grampians National Park in the town of Halls Gap, this Australian zoo covers 52 acres and hosts a fairly impressive array of species.
Unlike other wildlife parks in Victoria, such as the Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula or Ballarat Wildlife Park in Ballarat, the emphasis at Halls Gap Zoo isn’t on domestic species.
Australian wildlife at Halls Gap Zoo
That’s not to say you can’t see some native Australian wildlife at Halls Gap Zoo. There are southern cassowaries, tammar wallabies, common wombats, Tasmanian devils and wedge-tailed eagles on display. You’ll also find a northern blue-tongued skink, tawny frogmouth and saltwater crocodile. But there is fantastic wildlife in the Grampians, and you can easily see wild kangaroos in Halls Gap. So coming to a zoo to see native wildlife in this part of regional Victoria seems somewhat pointless.
Pick the right Grampians tour from Melbourne
- Small group eco-tour – including Silverband Falls and Mackenzie Falls.
- Great Ocean Road AND the Grampians – two day tour.
- Private Grampians tour – pick which sights you want to include.
- Small group hiking tour – with three hiking trails.
Go, therefore, to see the visitors from overseas. This Grampians zoo plays host to lemurs, macaws, red pandas and Gila monsters. For something a little bigger, you can go to see the rhinoceros, cheetah and giraffe.
Halls Gap Zoo entry prices
Entry to Halls Gap Zoo costs $38 for adults and $19 for children. You can also book a series of close encounter experiences where you get taken to the enclosure with a keeper to pose for photos and learn more about the animals. These encounters can be done with cheetah, dingo, giraffe, red panda, rhinoceros and meerkats. They cost from $25 to $100, and can be booked via the zoo website.
Halls Gap Zoo is on the Ararat-Halls Gap Road, just to the east of Halls Gap and just to the west of Lake Fyans. The drive from Melbourne to Halls Gap is 253km long and takes around two hours and 54 minutes.
Other highlights of the Grampians include the Boroka Lookout and Mackenzie Falls. There’s also a seriously impressive Grampians food and wine scene.
More destinations in regional Victoria
Leongatha in South Gippsland.
The Round The Twist lighthouse on the Great Ocean Road.
Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.
Coal Creek in Korumburra, South Gippsland.
Teddy’s Lookout in Lorne on the Great Ocean Road.