Maru Koala & Animal Park in Bass Coast Shire (Gippsland)
- Andi Dela Torre Griffiths | Memento Vivere Blog
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
One of the places we visited on our trip to Bass Coast was Maru Koala & Animal Park, a local attraction where you can see some animals or grab a drink. You can find it in Grantville, a small town about two hours away from the city. Today, I’ll share our experience at the park, as well as some information that may be useful to you.
Maru Koala & Animal Park in Grantville, Bass Coast Shire
Address | Where to find Maru Koala & Animal Park
1650 Bass Highway, Grantville, Victoria. They are open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
Where to get tickets | Walk-in and online booking
We went as walk-in guests on a weekday, and there was no queue. The entrance fee for adults is $35
Attractions
Here's what you can expect at Maru Koala & Animal Park. These are all included in the entrance fee, except for the feeding experience.
Homestead Bistro
If you’re going as a group and don’t want to go inside the park, you can wait at the bistro, where there are snacks and drinks available.
Pirate Pete’s Mini Golf
It was very hot during our visit (we went around lunchtime), so we weren’t able to try this out, but it looks fun. I’d suggest going at a later time if you want to try and enjoy this.
Animal Park
The actual park, where you can look at the animals. We saw plenty of kangaroos, but unfortunately, many of the sections were closed off when we went.
Feeding Experiences
Other experiences (such as feeding) do not come with the ticket. They charge extra if you want to feed and see the animals up close.
Sheep Shearing Presentation
The sheep shearing presentation was the highlight of our visit. The host shared some background about sheep shearing, and then the shearer proceeded with the demo.
They also have a souvenir shop where you can buy some items to take home.
Our Experience
Overall, it was okay. It’s a nice park, and it’s well-maintained, but there were not really a lot of animals and koalas during our visit. Many areas were being cleaned, under construction, or closed off. I think that for the $35 rate, it would be better if there were more to see.
The good thing, though, is that we learned a lot from one of the keeper presentations. Did you know that kangaroos can go as far as 8 meters in one leap? And that still depends on how tall they are or how far they stretch their legs. I did not know that. But what fascinated me more was learning that kangaroos can pause their pregnancy for up to eleven months. They call it embryonic diapause. Amazing.
Aside from the talks, we enjoyed the Sheep Shearing Show, which featured a sheep getting sheared inside an auditorium. I would say this was my favorite part because it was my first time seeing a sheep get sheared live. There was so much fresh wool from that one sheep. We were able to touch it too!
Book a Phillip Island Tour
Maru Koala & Animal Park is only one of the many places you can visit in Southeastern Victoria. If you’re traveling as a tourist, you can book a Phillip Island Day tour to see other attractions. Maru is already included in their stops (entering the park is optional and at your expense).
That would be all. Feel free to browse the website for more write-ups. Thank you for reading.
