Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale, Victoria: Animal encounters & entry prices
The Moonlit Sanctuary night tours are the best thing to do in Pearcedale, Victoria. But this Mornington Peninsula wildlife park offers plenty of animal encounters in the day, too.
The Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale, Victoria, is one of the many wildlife parks in Australia. But the night tours at the Moonlit Sanctuary help this Mornington Peninsula tourist attraction stand out from the crowd.
Book your Moonlit Sanctuary tickets here.
Moonlit Sanctuary animal encounters
The Moonlit Sanctuary offers several classic Australian animal encounters. You can feed the wallabies, take part in the keeper for a day programme and get up close to several native creatures. You can go on a walk with the dingoes, have your photo taken with koalas and hold a carpet python.
It’s also possible to enter the wombat enclosure with the keeper and get close to the barn owls.
Other lesser-known creatures on show at the Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula include the red-bellied pademelon, long-nosed potoroo and spot-tailed quoll.
Birds to see at this Pearcedale Sanctuary include the gang gang cockatoo, laughing kookaburra, tawny frogmouth and eclectus parrot.
In the reptiles and amphibians section, you’ll find water dragons, lace monitors and eastern long-neck turtles.
13 fabulous Mornington Peninsula experiences to book
There are dozens of Mornington Peninsula tours available from Melbourne. The experiences listed below are aimed at those staying on the Peninsula, or with their own transport.
- Half day dolphin and seal swim from Sorrento.
- Peninsula Hot Springs fire, ice and bathe experience.
- Moonlit Sanctuary wildlife park entry ticket.
- Guided e-bike tour in Arthurs Seat State Park and beyond.
- Wildlife kayaking tour from Portsea.
- Waterbike tour from Mornington.
- Point Nepean National Park bike hire.
- French cooking class in Fingal.
- Dolphin and seal watching cruise from Sorrento.
- Mornington Peninsula wineries hop-on, hop-off bus.
- Montalto Vineyard discovery wine-tasting with lunch.
- Enchanted Garden entry ticket.
- Snorkelling with sea dragons in Portsea.
Moonlit Sanctuary night tours
But it’s the Moonlit Sanctuary night tours that make this Mornington Peninsula wildlife park a bit different from the likes of the Ballarat Wildlife Park elsewhere in Victoria. These night tours start after dark, and guides lead guests up close to nocturnal animals. These include the quolls, pademelons and pythons.
The Moonlit Sanctuary night tours cost $55 and can be booked online at the Sanctuary’s website. Ordinary admission costs $26 – book online to reserve a place.
Where is Pearcedale, Victoria?
Pearcedale is where Melbourne suburbia and the Mornington Peninsula blur into one. It is just to the south of Cranbourne and slightly south-east of Frankston. Pearcedale’s south-eastern corner backs onto the North Western Port Nature Conservation Reserve. But there aren’t many things to do in Pearcedale beyond its one big attraction.
Other attractions relatively nearby include the Cranbourne Gardens and Carrum Beach.
More things to do on the Mornington Peninsula
Other key Mornington Peninsula attractions include the Cape Schanck Lighthouse, the Polperro Winery in Red Hill and Cheviot Beach in the Point Nepean National Park. Also worth a look are Mount Martha Beach, St Andrews Beach Brewery and Peninsula Hot Springs spa centre. The region is an easy day trip from Melbourne.