Maru Koala And Animal Park Tickets

Maru Koala and Animal Park in Grantville on the Mornington Peninsula houses koalas, wombats, echidnas, and kangaroos in natural enclosures, with daily koala handling and keeper talk sessions. Find standard entry tickets, koala photo experience options, and keeper interaction formats here.

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Tasmanian devil on a log at Maru Koala and Animal Park, Australia.

Pirate-themed playground with ship and figures at Maru Koala and Animal Park.

Pirate ship exhibit at Maru Koala and Animal Park, featuring cannons and a ship's wheel.

Pirate ship replica at Maru Koala and Animal Park, Australia.

Maru Koala and Animal Park Tickets

Explore at your pace

Get a chance to see some of Australia’s most exotic wildlife, such as dingoes, emus, Tasmanian devils, wallabies, koalas, and wombats!
Enjoy a game of golf, on the 18-hole mini-golf course at the park.
For families with young children and animal lovers, this is the perfect way to spend a day!
Savor some fine Australian cuisine at the Homestead Bistro.
Catch numerous insightful talks on some of Australia’s unique animal species!

More details

Get a chance to see some of Australia’s most exotic wildlife, such as dingoes, emus, Tasmanian devils, wallabies, koalas, and wombats!
Enjoy a game of golf, on the 18-hole mini-golf course at the park.
For families with young children and animal lovers, this is the perfect way to spend a day!
Savor some fine Australian cuisine at the Homestead Bistro.
Catch numerous insightful talks on some of Australia’s unique animal species!

from

AU$30

Pro tips to help you make a pick

General Admission covers the park grounds, general exhibits, walk-through kangaroo and wallaby areas, and daily keeper talks. Koala or dingo encounters, Pirate Pete’s Mini-Golf, and transport are separate costs, so compare entry-only against bundled tours before booking.

Pre-purchase online if you can. Maru does not advertise a formal skip-the-line system, but buying ahead can reduce time at the reception desk, especially on weekends and school holidays.

If a koala encounter matters to you, reserve it as early as possible. Reviews note that popular encounter slots can fill on busy weekends and school holidays, and each session runs at a fixed time.

Choose a combined Melbourne–Phillip Island day tour if you do not want to drive. These tours usually include transport and a Maru stop, but check the itinerary carefully because some only allow about 40–90 minutes at the park.

Self-driving visitors should plan about 2–3 hours onsite for standard entry, then add extra time for any encounter. Maru works best as a half-day stop or part of a Phillip Island day, not as a full-day zoo visit.

No audio guides are mentioned in the research. If you want more interpretation than a self-guided visit, prioritize standard entry times that line up with keeper talks or pay extra for a keeper-led animal encounter.

If you are pairing Maru with Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade, book Maru earlier in the day. That leaves time for paddock feeding, one talk or encounter, and the drive onward without rushing.

If you only want the core wildlife experience, skip Mini-Golf and focus your budget on one encounter instead. Reviews suggest the best value comes from standard entry plus a single standout animal session.

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About Maru Koala and Animal Park

Maru Koala and Animal Park is built around close contact, not long exhibit circuits. This compact family-run park lets visitors feed kangaroos and wallabies in walk-through paddocks, join keeper talks, and book short koala or dingo encounters. Its Bass Highway location also makes it easy to combine with Phillip Island on the same day.

Did you know?

Maru’s animal encounters are add-ons, not part of standard entry. These keeper-led sessions are generally brief, about 5–15 minutes, depending on the species and group size.

Pirate Pete’s Mini-Golf is adjacent to the wildlife park and can be visited separately, so not every stop at Maru has to include park admission.

Many Melbourne–Phillip Island day tours use Maru as a scheduled wildlife stop before the evening Penguin Parade, making it part of a wider one-day itinerary rather than a standalone visit.

The entrance from the car park to reception appears step-free, but some internal paths are unsealed and can become muddy after rain, which matters for prams and wheelchairs.

Self-drive visitors often spend about 2–3 hours at Maru, but some guided Phillip Island itineraries only allow about 40–90 minutes at the park.

Why visit Maru Koala and Animal Park?

Hand-Feed Kangaroos in Walk-Through Paddocks

Maru’s open paddocks let visitors walk among kangaroos and wallabies and hand-feed them with approved feed bought onsite. Reviews repeatedly mention these interactions as a highlight because you are at ground level rather than viewing the animals from a distant barrier.

Timed Koala Encounters With Keeper Supervision

Koala encounters are short, timed sessions led by a keeper. Visitors usually stand or sit beside the koala for supervised patting and photos rather than holding it, in line with Victoria’s wildlife handling rules.

Daily Keeper Talks on Native Animals

Standard entry includes scheduled daily keeper talks and presentations, with species and times varying by day and season. These sessions are a good time to see animals such as dingoes, wombats or Tasmanian devils when keepers explain behaviour, feeding or conservation.

See Key Australian Species in 2–3 Hours

Self-drive visitors can usually see the main exhibits and attend at least one talk in about 2–3 hours. In that time you can cover koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingoes and Tasmanian devils without committing to a full-day zoo visit.

Pirate Pete’s Mini-Golf Beside the Park

Pirate Pete’s Mini-Golf sits next to the wildlife park and can be added if you want to turn a short animal stop into a longer family outing. It is separate from park admission and can also be visited on its own, according to the official site.

Plan your visit

Main Front Entrance (Reception building)

Located at the main reception building facing the onsite car park, next to the café and Pirate Pete’s Mini-Golf, this is the primary and likely only public entrance for all visitors, including tour groups. Tickets are purchased or scanned at the reception desk inside the building, and online vouchers are typically validated here before entry. The route from the car park appears step-free, and the doors are wide enough for prams and wheelchairs. Queues are usually short most of the year, but weekends and school holidays can make check-in busier. If you are arriving by car, head straight to the building beside the parking area.