Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo

Simon Hampel

Simon Hampel

Administrator
Staff member
20+ year member
We visited Werribee Open Range Zoo on our way from Hastings to Torquay via Sorento today (I know, it's not exactly on the way, but we really wanted to see the zoo, so we drove up from Geelong to Werribee especially).

We followed the signs to the zoo, but somehow missed our turnoff (there was no sign !) and ended back on the freeway heading towards Melbourne, and had to get off at Hoppers Crossing so we could turn around and head back to Werribee. We managed to work out where the zoo was (no thanks to their signs), and got there soon after 1pm.

It had been raining steadily since we left Geelong, and the rain seemed to actually be getting heavier. However, we are not the kind of people to let a bit of rain get in our way (rain keeps other people away thus giving you more time and space to enjoy a zoo !!).

We got to the zoo in time for the 1:30pm safari bus tour - in a rather impressive looking bus specially designed for these types of tours. Fortunately there was only us and 5 giggling Japanese girls on the bus, so we had tonnes of space and were able to chat to our bus driver/tour guide. The first half of the tour was ruined by the torrential rain we seemed to have brought with us from down south. It got so wet that we had to close up all the windows and there were rivers of water running down our seats making our shorts wet. We didn't get to see terribly much, and I was worried that I would not be able to take any photos at all since the water running down the windows would have spoilt any shots.

Fortunately, by the time we got to their African savannah, the rain had mostly stopped so we could open the windows up again, and we proceeded to spend the next half an hour slowly driving around their giraffes, zebras, various types of antellope, and especially their White Rhinos - including a young one !

The Rhinos seemed rather playful, enjoying a bit of mud, and running around chasing each other. At one stage we got a bit worried that the mother seemed to take offense at us getting to close to her baby, and was going to charge the bus, but she calmed down and went back to playing. I think I got some great photos with the 35mm camera (with 300mm zoom lens !!), so I'll be keen to get them developed and see how they turn out.

Werribee Zoo are putting the finishing touches on their new Lion exhibit before they take delivery of their four new lions (from Auckland and Melbourne Zoos) early in the new year. We will have to make a point of going back to see what they have done with it all.

After the safari bus tour, we did the two walking trails to see some of the other animals they had around - which took another hour and a bit.

All up, we had a really good time once the rain stopped, and enjoyed our time there. Naturally we would have preferred a bit more time, but given the nature of these types of zoos, where you do not get to set your own pace with the animals (most can only be seen while on the bus tour), the amount of time we would like to have spent was a lot more than we were given.

Apparently you can arrange photographic bus tours, where they seat you on the back of a small (and quiet !) truck with plenty of visibility and a lot of opportunity for photography - which is something I wouldn't mind doing next time we visit.

An hour bus tour, an hour (or less) lunch break, and 90 minutes or so to do the two walking trails, and you are done with the zoo. There's simply not much more to see - 3 to 3.5 hours should be enough to visit Werribee, unless you want to look at some of their special offers, like the overnight stays or the photographic tours.

Anyway, I would highly recommend Werribee - it has to be one of the prettiest zoos I've seen, and it is effective the way they have taken advantage of the natural terrain - some of the exhibits are built on a river flat along the banks of the Werribee river, which makes it a very attractive setting and a very pleasant place to visit.
 
yes tht is only bout a week old, its this months addition on zoolex.

look at the map, it has the mastreplan, with wild dogs and black rhino!!!!!!!

very kool
 
doesn't actually say "black" rhino Zoo_Boy, just rhino. but i would be supprised if werribee doesn't become the second zoo to hold this species since they seem to be doing a reasonable job at breeding the whites at the moment.

it looks at though the wild dogs will be a drive-though only exhibit.

and the relocation of the african arid section (the current one is being converted into the hippo lagoon) is a good idea. the zoo houses breeding herds of addax and oryx here as well as some camels and ostriches. i would love it if the added a walking trail to this area, with exhibits for fennec foxes, dwarf mongooses and a rocky hill with hamadryas baboons.
a concealed dry moat could make it appear as if the baboons share the rocky area with barbary sheep, who are actually in the same paddock as the other ungulates.

all these animals inhabit the same areas on the outskirts of the sahara desert in northern africa.
 
Last edited:
This exhibit looks first class from what i have seen on tv and from pictures on the net, zoolex seem to really know there stuff lets hope they are involed in the design of some of the other exhibits, great stuff.
 
werribee zoo visit 28/05/06

well today i visited werribee open range zoo for the first time in a few years.

we only had about half an hour before our bus tour departed so rather than rush the african walking trail, we looked for something else to do. unfortunately there wasn't anything. the australian themed volcanic plains walk was closed for "animal management" and the savannah discovery center closed for renovations. we had already looked at the meerkats for over ten minutes and still had 20 to kill. in the end we just settled on the zoo shop!!!

not that it would have made much difference. from memory the savannah discovery center was pretty much this large new building housing nothing but a few signs and small aquarium for african cichlids. the volcanic plains walk has a magnificent dramatic entrance with giant aboriginal spears and sculpture - all to entice you into a wonderful adventure where you will discover....... a fenced off moth habitat and a few kangaroos and emus!

we saw them as the bus drove past the walking trail anyway.

so then we did the safari. we saw all the usual african guys and even got a good look at all three of the hippos who were out of the lake for a change.

after that was over we headed off down the african trail, now called "pula reserve". we saw the new lions home. we saw that the new hippo exhibit was close to completion.

we left. all up - two hours, tops.

and this is one of the biggest problems with werribee. there just isn't much there to see or do. i suppose had it been a nice day we could have had a picnic in the sun, lounged around on the grass and watched the zebras grazing on the other side of the stream. but it wasn't a very nice day so our only entertainment was viewing the animals and there just isn't that many to see at your own pace. the safari bus takes 50 minutes - the lions, meerkats, serval, cheetah, vervets and zebras are done in maybe half an hour or 40 minutes. add half an hour messing around and your ready to go home. you spend almost just as much time in the car getting to/from werribee as you do at the zoo!

as for the exhibits, for all the ohhhing and ahhing - "lions on the edge" is pretty standard. there was a much better attempt at african immersion than the older trail exhibits and i'll go into this later, but generally it lacked something. i think what it was is this;
when the exhibit was being planned it was touted as featuring two lion prides in an african kopje where the lions could sit high above the savanah and lick their lips at the passing herds. a kopje are those big piles of rounded boulders that lions like to lounge apon in the wild and are such a distinct feature of the african savannh landscape. it sounded great.

however the actual lion enclosure of lions on the edge isn't that grand an experience. for starters there is only one place to view the lions from and the exhibit for the second pride exhibit can only be viewed from a far distance, beyond the first. since the zoo has no second pride, it currently houses the males and females seperately in each exhibit. thus, you don't get very close to the male lions at all. secondly, there is no kopje. think of how cool the lions would have looked lounging on carefully re-created, heated boulders with the odd thorny acacia. it would look distincly african and reminicent of the lion king or one of many documentaries we have all seen. instead they have a grassy lanscaped hill with a few dead eucalypus trees scattered around. the enclosure didn't make the most of the site in my opinion. nor did it really offer distant views of herds of zebra or antelope. more so, just some gum trees as the nearest ungulate paddock was more to the side of us, not directly behind.

the african herders hut and kraal (for livestock) wasn't exactly burting with life. there where a few chickens but the zoos spectacular watusi cattle where strangely not in their home. instead they where wandering around in the asian grassland paddock. maybe this was due to development of the hippo exhibit - i'm not sure. but nubian goats and free-ranging flocks of guinea fowl would have been a very welcome addition.

the rest of pula reseve at least makes attempts to landcape the zoo like africa - something they have until recently, largely ignored at werribee. there are faux termite mounds and cattle carcasses. clumps of elephant grass, and other african plants scattered amongst the australian accacias and gum trees.

one very clever section encourages you to wander though a tall elephant grass "maze" whilst you walk though, hidden speakers burst to life with the snarls and roars of lions. they even half frightened me! very clever.

easily the best section is a supprisingly large australian boab tree, a simulator species for the african boab, that they have transplanted on a large hill near the lions and meerkats. there are lots of other smaller boabs around the place but this big one just looks magnificent!! it really looks like africa. and shows how effective certain species can be in capturing the image a landscape. sure, much of australias vegetation is similar to that of africa, but like a eucalyptus trees epitomises australia, a boab (even though in this case it was an australian species) screams africa.

many of the other plants used extensively in the "africanisation" of the zoos walking trails are either australian or american simulator species. unfortunately for me i found it somewhat difficult to get an african "feel" from the landscaping when i recognised so many species as natives or other non-africans. in some cases such as the extensive use of washington palms (from mexico and arizona) i wondered why senegal or another african palm available in australia wasn't used instead. gum trees as i said earlier are so distinct to us australians you wonder why they where amongst the new plantings.

the new hippo exhibit was not quite what i had expected. it consists of a series of boardwalks and paths trailing through swamps. the hippo pools are going to be fed with water passed through a series of papyrus filtration ponds that aim to keep the water clear. there where many large "african" huts and buildings but i'm not sure if it will feature underwater viweing. it didn't look as though it would. unfortunately 3 rediculous lifesize cartoon hippos sculptures have been bult in the middle of the exhibit destroying any hope of the exhibit looking natural and wild. yuk!

other changes included a new african-style giraffe feeding hut built on the lower savannah. the zoo plans on offering giraffe feeding safaris this coming summer (i say let anyone do it - i'm not paying extra when there is so little on offer already!).

werribee is finally starting to make attemps at landscaping the zoo like africa - and although i haven't been to dubbo or monarto, judging from photographs, i would say it has quite a head start on them in this respect. that said - they really need to do more. so far, though i wasn't always that impressed by their "simulator" african landscape on the walking trails - at least it has been attempted and the lower savannah could do with a similar horticultural makeover. it has much potential as the ochre coloured soil and eroded cliffs that surround the floodplain instantly lend themselves to the african theme, but plantings of elephant grass, palms and the removal of a few of the young gum tress would make it so much better. the odd faux termite mound wuldn't go astray either.

in conclusion - the hortcultural development of the zoo is really starting to improve the feel of werribee zoo, and although the very new facilities (main entrance, restaurant, safari buses and exhibits) are probably the best of any open range zoo in australia, it still has a long way to go if it wants to be world-class. lets hope they keep it up. the masterplan features walking/bike paths down to the lower savannah, something i think the zoo desperately needs. however the masterplan features no asian or south american walking trails or exhibits and no additional species to the "pula reserve". without development of these areas the zoo will always be a little bit of a disapointment, since the it really does need to provide visitors with more animals to be worth the $20 entrance fee.
 
Last edited:
few things

dubbo has a major head over both monarto and werribee, and actually monarto is less than impressive when comapred to werribee, all u do at monarto is the 1 hour bus tour.

the hippos exhibit is actually mixed species, with the kudu and another antelope, and there is an underwater vewing station, the 3 cartoon hippos would be removed once the real ones are in i say, same as melbourne did with its new ele enclousure, it had sculptures init before the move,

did ya get any pics pat if so, us at zoobeat have adopted a website called webshots, and we all ahve put pics there, me mark ben and zukipah, so if u want jst send me a private message and i will give ya more info, for every1 else i will add links to each of our peronal spaces, there are graet pics of dubbo now ,anddubbo 25 years ago, and ben has monarto and adelaide down packed, as well as myself having 100 shots of tarongas wild asia exhibit.
 
hi.

dubbo certainly leads the way with a much larger and more diverse collection of animals than werribee or monarto has. though admittedly all i know of the other two zoos is what people have posted, the collection of animals found there and from photographs people have posted. werribee desperately needs to expand its animal collection and exhibits to be on par with dubbo but it has one aspect that i am guessing is a major advantage over dubbo and many other zoos for that matter.

werribee zoo started out with no visitor facilities at all but in the 90's millions where spent on a new entry plaza with shops, restaurant, savannah discovery center, naturalistic animal exhibits on walking trails, specialised safari-buses and african village and landscaping.

it all looks really very stylish and modern and will serve the zoo very well for decades to come.

it just lacks the wonderful range of animals dubbo can provide.

unfortunately the cartoon hippos are there to stay. they are not in the actual enclosures, rather in a open plaza area of sorts and a made from concrete and set into the ground. from a distance when i saw them i thought they where life-like models but when i saw them up close on the walking trail i cringed at their rediculous smiling faces and distorted proportions. aweful!

the hippo enclosure was being constructed within the kudu/batchelor zebra paddock. so i think you'd be right about it being a mixed species exhibit. waterbuck would be a more authentic choice for a wetland/marsh - no doubt they will end up in there as well.

i didn't take any photos. sorry. next time.
 
From the zoolex photos, lions on the edge looks pretty good. Sure you aren't being too critical patrick?

The planting looks 'African' enough to fool the average visitor. Maybe the only improvement would be to raise the visitors' viewing area to a higher level and allow for a more expansive view of the savannah exhibit behind. I've always liked the 'borrowed landscape' technique - its great to be able to create the illusion that predator and prey share the same habitat.
 
yes i said it was "standard" didn't i? okay i agree, in hindsight it was "pretty good" - but could have been so much better had just a few things been done differently.

yes the landscape would fool most visitors. a friend who joined me has travelled though much of africa and even he thought that some of the australian species he saw where african natives.

for me personally, viewing the animals is only a half the fun. i get a huge kick out of admiring the boatnical collection and the clever solutions presented to solve problems encountered in exhibit design.

the animals and the exotic vegetaion complement eachother - and as an artist i suppose its that re-creation of a foreign environment, and the attention to detail that is required to pull it off, that i love about zoos. i really dont get much pleasure out of viewing exhibits with no attention to the animals native habitat.

so on that regard i was a little dissapointed with elements of lions on the edge. though i think i gave it plenty of praise where credit was due.

i believe the DEH had got on the zoos back about the extensive use of african thorny acacias and the zoo had to remove them all and use australian acacias instead (though i swear there are still a couple hidden around the place!)
 
i got an email from werribee about its hippo exhibit a while ago here it is,

Hi,
Good to hear from you again - I am sure I have emailed you in the past when you enquired about our Lion exhibit!!
We don't have anything on-line yet about the hippos or anything to distribute.
The hippo experience consists of four large-interconnected water bodies.
Four hippos will live there for the next while. The experience has been designed for the hippos- but it is designed in such a way that the kudu and waterbuck will be able to enter the hippo experience to drink at the waterhole.
The Tourist Centre forms part of the Visitor Experience - other animals will be found in the Tourist Centre, including freshwater invertebrates in the marsh tank and snakes in separate enclosures. The visitor experience will also include an adventure walk and a hippo water play area for children.
The story behind the experience is a community that is working out how to coexist with the animals that share the surroundings.
It is going to be fantastic - we look forward to seeing you when it is finished.
Warm regards
Erin Landells
Visitor Experience Manager
Werribee Open Range Zoo

so it sounds great from here.

its a shame pat about the sculptures, they spoil most exhibits.

i hope weribee expands as well soon, tht would be fantastic,

couild u provide me with any more info on werribees trail
i no it houses vertvets, servals, and 3 chettah brothers, as well as an island exhibit with waterbuck, zebra and ostrich
 
thanks for that Zoo_Boy.

i would say the sculptures form part of the hippo water play area for kids.

there where a few very large buildings designed with a rural african theme that obviously hold the snakes etc.. one structure appeared to be a boat!!
the area was extensively planted with tall transplanted palms and papyrus.

the african walking trail has a new entrance so that it is now called "pula reserve" when you enter the lion and hippo sections a sign warns "you are now leaving pula reserve - beware lions and hippos".

there are behind the scenes enclosures at werribee that hold cheetah and wild dogs however on display they only had two cheetah the other day. there are two meerkat enclosures - one very large one at the restaurant and another smaller one near the new lion exhibit. the large vervet colony live on a cleverly designed island with a glass viewing window. zebra and ostrich can be seen in the center of the trail and as soon as visitors enter the zoo plaza. there is a lone serval on an small island you can get quite close as the moat isn't very wide - but he is almost always hiding. the other day was the first time i have seen him.....ever!

looking forward to baboons, fennec fox, savannah birds, wild dogs, hyeana flamingoes and others joining the zoos list of residents.
 
Pat, do they still have the Sable antelope out there?, whats the time frame on the Flamingoes being imported, I had heard with this bird flu scare going around that no birds were being imported at this time, any info on that, Thanks.
 
no i think theres a hold on the big exotic bird importation (can't wait for those touraco's though!).

since i know you love sable antelope mark, i did remember to keep an extra eye out for any, just for you. but there where none to be seen. apparently they still have a female - but she could have been anywhere as there are lots of "conservation breeding" paddocks that are not on the tour. ARAZPA placed breeding of the sable as an important issue, but currently only orana house a small group.

something of interest - can anyone tell me what sort of fencing dubbo and monarto use for their white rhino? i know that taronga/dubbo house their indian and blacks in enclosures built like fortresses but what of the whites?
werribee house all their whites in enclosures with simple electrified fencing that you would expect for most livestock!!

werribee seem totally disinterested in non-african animals at the moment. their herds of blackbuck and chital that used to be housed at melbourne have shrunk to just a male and few females of each species. even the bison herd appeared substantially smaller than the last time i had seen it. gone where the water buffalo that used to lounge in the small ponds in the asian paddock and the sambar that lazed under the trees. they have never bothered to aquire any banteng, wapiti or guanaco, two species that can be legally kept by private individuals. likewise the rhea from melbourne have never been placed on display and the tapirs where sent to mogo rather than werribee. they do at least, actively breed their mongolian wild horses.
 
THE BOAT HOUS EU TALK ABOUT THTAT IS THE UNDERWATER VEIWING

I HAVE SOEM MORE INFO ON THIS GIVE ME A DAY OR SO TO FIND IT
 
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

DATE: Friday, January 14, 2005


HAPPY HAPPY HIPPOS

Plans for a new $6.45 million Hippo Experience at Werribee Open Range Zoo were unveiled today by Acting Premier and Minister for the Environment John Thwaites.

“The new Hippo Experience will provide visitors with the opportunity to get up close to these fascinating animals, to see them being fed and in some cases even touch them,” Mr Thwaites said.

“As part of the project, a whole new precinct will be created at the Zoo - a representation of a African style community-owned reserve where ecotourism is a key feature.

“A partly-submerged barge in the ‘river’ will provide water-level ‘nose-to-nose’ hippo viewing and listening through hydrophones – allowing people to hear what’s going on under water. There will also be canoes and viewing platforms on the water’s edge.

“Periscopes and glass-bottomed buckets will provide underwater views of hippos and other pond life. Visitors will be able to see and hear first-hand how keepers work with the animals, with views into a special conditioning area.”

The Bracks Government’s contribution to the project comes from its $32 million capital funding commitment to Victoria’s zoos.

Mr Thwaites said the hippo exhibit would employ a completely natural filtration system to make the water clearer and cleaner - the first to be used for this type of exhibit across the world.

“The new Hippo Experience at Werribee Open Range Zoo is an expression of our vision for zoos in the 21st century where the bars are removed and humans can learn about, interact and engage with animals on numerous different levels.”

Internationally-respected Zoo designers Studio Hanson Roberts and interpretation group, Work as Play, were commissioned to work with Zoos Victoria staff to produce a world-class design.

Local architects and engineers have been involved in the design and development phase and local contractors will carry out the construction, which is due to start early this year with the project due to be completed in the first half of 2006.

“It’s a year since I opened Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Lions on the Edge exhibit made possible through the generosity of Holden Australia which drove record visitor numbers last financial year.

“I look forward to seeing the new Hippo Experience receive equally strong support from the local community and from visitors from around Australia and the world.”
 
reply from WORZ....

i sent WORZ an email asking them about long-term development and species collection, heres the reply....(too bad about the congo buffalo)

Hi Patrick,
Thank you for writing to us about your experience at Werribee Open Range Zoo and taking the time to provide your valuable feedback.

The need to introduce more self-guided experiences is something that has been recognised at this zoo for quite a period of time and our long range plan has been working to address this. The introduction of 'Lions on the Edge' is one step we have taken to increase the amount of self-guided experiences for our visitors. The next step is 'Kubu River Hippos', which will open later this year. Towards the end of the year, we are planning to open up walking access to the Werribee River and the boardwalk alongside the river. We then have other exciting plans to allow our visitors to self-explore the wider zoo - perhaps by the introduction of a bicycle path!

In regards to the diversity of species at our zoo, tight restrictions placed on the import of bovids into Australia have prompted us to re-examine our Species Collection Plan. We had been focusing mainly on African and Australian grasslands animals, but we will be having discussions to review this throughout this year.

You are correct that we did have congo buffalo relocated from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee Open Range Zoo. This occurs from time to time, and the species cannot always be easily accommodated in our exisiting enclosures. There is often a period of time where the species are 'off display' while we consider the most appropriate enclosure for them. Caring for ungulates within an open range setting is perhaps not as easy as it would appear - there are unique challenges when displaying animals in an open-range, mixed species setting. We don't have plans to breed the congo buffalo as the individuals we have are not an appropriate breeding group, and congo buffalo are not a priority species in the Australasian region.

I hope that answers all of your questions, and thank you again for taking the time to write in to us and share your thoughts.

Kind regards

Erin Landells
Visitor Experience Manager
Werribee Open Range Zoo
 
thts a shame if u go to zoolex.org, then to the lions werribee presentaion u will see a map with the bicycle trail, its kool right around all the savannah, inluding the lower
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top