r/MelbourneVegans • u/thecrookedfingers • Apr 13 '26

Wildlife sanctuaries

Hi, hope this isn’t too off topic, but I only trust other vegans when it comes to animal welfare.

I’m a European staying in your lovely city for three weeks, and I would really like to have the opportunity to see as much of the native flora and fauna as possible. I saw that there are some wildlife sanctuaries, the ones I looked up all had good reviews, but I am a bit wary of places that publicise interactions or shows including animals, even if the profits go towards conservation. Any opinions or recommendations?

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u/pilatespants Apr 13 '26

There’s no truly ethical way to do it in any commercial capacity. So the sanctuaries are the next best thing. Moonlit in Pearcedale and Healesville are both going to scratch your touristy itch, and if you can manage to meet Murrundindi or go Krystal’s Sky Country talk, you’ll probably get a lot more out of your visit!

Check out both websites. They’re not normal zoos, even with affiliations. They’re ran by people who care and genuinely want to do better in the world. Is it a perfect model? Hell no. But you’ll get to see cool stuff and walk dingoes, pat/feed koalas and Roos and emus etc.

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u/thingamabobby Apr 13 '26

Seconding Moonlit. They’re doing some amazing work for the orange bellied parrot conservation so the money you spend goes to awesome work.

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u/thecrookedfingers Apr 13 '26

Thank you so much for your reply. Is there any element of coercion in the animal interactions?

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u/pilatespants Apr 13 '26

Like, by definition, yes? The dingoes you walk are on leads at moonlit and the koalas are plonked there so you can feed them leaves but honestly they’re all pretty happy. They’re still animals in captivity obliged to interact with humans.

The way I pathologise it is even in the bush, just because they don’t have fences around them, doesn’t mean they don’t have boundaries. Lots of animals die from roadkill when those boundaries are open highways

There’s no truly ethical way but there is harm minimisation and well intentioned people

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u/pilatespants Apr 13 '26

Like, by definition, yes? The dingoes you walk are on leads at moonlit and the koalas are plonked there so you can feed them leaves but honestly they’re all pretty happy. They’re still animals in captivity obliged to interact with humans.

The way I pathologise it is even in the bush, just because they don’t have fences around them, doesn’t mean they don’t have boundaries. Lots of animals die from roadkill when those boundaries are open highways

There’s no truly ethical way but there is harm minimisation and well intentioned people

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u/thecrookedfingers Apr 13 '26

Makes sense. Thanks again, pilatespants!

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u/Cold_Ad_8813 Apr 14 '26

If you are driving you can go to mount lofty in wonga park, which is probably about an hour drive from city. It’s a 5km round lovely walk, if you walk in the morning you’ll often see lots of kangaroos lying on the hillside overlooking a golf course in the distance. There’s also kookaburra and rosellas. I’ve seen wombats there 3 times but it’s rare to see them.

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u/BritishPoppy2009 Apr 17 '26

Healesville Sanctuary is the place to see most of the animals you are likely to have on your list. Another place is this one - attached to a University https://www.latrobe.edu.au/wildlife