Welcome to Moonlit Sanctuary
Moonlit Sanctuary is only 50 minutes south-east of central Melbourne, at the top of the Mornington Peninsula, and on the way to the Penguins on Phillip Island.
Melbourne's award winning wildlife park invites you to explore 10 hectares of bush-land, feeding kangaroos and wallabies, petting koalas and enjoying encounters with colourful birds, reptiles, dingoes and many other animals including endangered species.
At night, Moonlit Sanctuary comes alive with world-famous lantern-lit tours. Night birds are active, tiny feathertail, gliders and giant yellow-bellied gliders swoop around, and endangered quolls, pademelons and bettongs forage for food.
Our Sanctuary is an ark for endangered creatures, and a showcase of their unique beauty. It is a living classroom which encourages children and adults alike to unlock the mystery of Australian mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, insects and amphibians in a natural bush setting.
  
You can experience a range of magical activities at Moonlit Sanctuary
Wander around our beautiful wetlands, a haven for water birds that change with the seasons. Meet koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, emus, Cape Barren geese and curlews, and stop past the wombats.
BY DAY...enjoy hand-feeding our gentle and curious wallabies and kangaroos, or cuddle up to one of our resident koalas. You can meet our feisty Tassie devils, and learn the latest in the fight to save this threatened species.
Catch one of our daily dingo talks, and get to know the characters in our dingo pack. Book in for an exclusive adventure with dingos Blaze and Scorch. Enjoy a python presentation or get up close and personal for a python cuddle.
Then pop over to the parrots and see orange bellied parrots, a critically endangered species; then visit the stunning red-tailed black cockatoos, gang gang, superb parrots, and the unique violet eyes of our bower birds.
BY NIGHT...embark on a guided lantern-lit evening tour which winds its way through the home of many of the sanctuary's memorable nocturnal animals. See feather-tail gliders, a nightjar, quolls, Tasmanian devils, owls and possums. Meet squirrel gliders, bettongs, potoroos, to name but a few of the creatures you will encounter at surprisingly close quarters.
'Conservation in Action'
DAILY SHOW |
WHAT HAPPENS ON A NIGHT TOUR? |
KEEPER CLUB
SUMMER 2019
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
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Latest News
NEW! - GIFT VOUCHERS - Just in time for Christmas! 06 Dec 2018 Gift vouchers are now available from our website. Click on the Gift Voucher link on our top navigation banner.
HOLIDAY PROGRAM KEEPERS CLUB- Summer 2019 21 Nov 2018 Kids enjoy environmental activities, animal encounters and native animal care.
Day includes: interactions with dingo, python, off-limits animals, feeding animals & food prep, animal enrichment activities.
Learn about our animals, their conservation and the environment.
For ages 7-14 years.
Summer 2019 school holiday dates:- Week 1: Mon 7th Tue 8th Wed 9th Thu 10th January
- Week 2: Mon 14th Tue 15th Wed 16th Thu 17th January
- Week 3: Mon 21st Tue 22nd Wed 23rd Thu 24th January
- Cost: $80.00 per day, or $220 for 3 days (pro rata for additional days).
- Maximum 16 children per day.
Bookings essential as spaces are limited. Dress for the weather and wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and remember your hat or raincoat.
BYO lunch or purchase at the cafe. To book, please click on the photo below or call 5978 7935.Winners of Environmental Protection category at the Premiers Sustainability Awards 2017) 28 Oct 2017 Moonlit Sanctuary won the award for their work in the Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP) National Recovery Plan calls for a sustainable captive breeding program of 400 birds to insure against extinction and enable their successful release.
Moonlit Sanctuary seized the opportunity to become a cornerstone of the Plan.Based on learnings from a trial block of five aviaries, they designed a 20-aviary complex for up to 40 breeding birds and 100 offspring. In 2016, with support from Zoos Victoria, they opened a new OBP breeding facility.
Results for the first season from 12 pairs was 25 offspring, including their first double-clutch or individual layings, and supplied birds for Tasmanian breeding grounds and at the Werribee Open Range Zoo.Observers at Werribee commented that the birds went straight to wild food sources rather than supplementary food.
The birds successfully flocked with wild birds arriving from Tasmania and, so far, have had a high survival rate.
Scientists say the release has exceeded all expectations.Moonlit Sanctuary has committed to run the program until there is a viable wild population again and the species has been saved from extinction.
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