The West might have the lions and tigers at the Werribee Open Range Zoo - The City might have the bears at the Melbourne Zoo! But - Oh My! - The East might just have the best - our own native stars. Healesville Sanctuary is home to our favourite home grown heroes and a wonderful place to spend a day with the family.

The sanctuary is a great way to get up close to our beautiful native wildlife often too elusive to see in our backyards as well as a magnificent way to teach our children about our native wildlife. You can even book an Animal Encounter for a REAL close up meeting with a spiky echidna or a slithering snake or many others.

Alongside the exhibits sit a number of activities to capture the imagination for the youngsters including the Nature Play playground, the Future Vets program at the Wildlife Health Centre, the famous Spirits of the Sky presentation .

Great facilities also for all of the family with a superb parent's room and of course, a stunning cafe right in the middle of the Sanctuary.

UPDATE! Healesville have opened a brand new play space, and it’s a beauty. Banksia Grove is a thoughtfully designed, nature-inspired play area where the kids can climb, splash, dig and explore for aaages (mamma saw far more busy sandy feet than animals this time around!). There are cubbies to hide in, ropes to scale, and a sandpit with a tap so little hands can build their very own water trenches. The real pièce de résistance is the stunning man-made rocky creek bed, complete with pumps to keep the water play flowing.

Mamma recommends packing a towel and a change of clothes for the kiddos (trust us on this one!). There’s plenty of space for grown ups to sit and watch the action unfold, and you can either bring your own lunch or grab something tasty from the nearby Banksia Café - a top notch spot for a mid-zoo pit stop.

And hey, why not keep the splash-fest going and check out one of the sanctuary’s other creek play zones? Let’s be real, they’re already wet anyway!

Mamma's special mentions: Check online here for the times of the shows and plan your visit a little ahead of time to get the most out of your visit.