Most people planning a Great Ocean Road trip know they want to meet some Australian wildlife along the way. The harder question is which experience to actually book. At Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park, our sanctuary about 15 minutes from the Twelve Apostles, there are five guided encounters to choose from, plus a sanctuary walk and petting area woven through the visit. Each one suits a slightly different kind of visitor, so here is an honest rundown of what each involves and who tends to love it most.
What animal encounters can you do on the Great Ocean Road?
At our park, you can book a koala encounter with Popeye, our resident koala, a kangaroo feeding experience, a wallaby experience in a bushland-style setting, dingo encounters in either an express or deep-dive format with a bonded dingo pair, and a nocturnal encounter with squirrel gliders and potoroos. Around those guided sessions, the sanctuary walk and interactive petting area fill out the rest of the day.
That is the short answer. The longer answer is that the right choice depends on who is coming with you, so let us go through them one by one.
The koala encounter: meet Popeye
Popeye is our three year old male koala, and meeting him is the encounter most visitors ask about first. It is a keeper-led session that is hands-on but hugs-free. Holding koalas is not permitted in Victoria, so instead you pat his fur and help feed him while he stays settled in his tree, which keeps him calm and gives you a genuine look at natural koala behaviour. Great for photographers, couples and anyone whose trip will not feel complete without a koala moment.
The kangaroo experience: feeding time with the mob
The classic. Get up close with our kangaroos during an unforgettable kangaroo feeding experience, where you can feed them by hand and learn about their habitat from the team. Kangaroos here live across open sanctuary fields alongside our emus, so the experience feels more like visiting them at home than viewing them in an exhibit. If you have never experienced kangaroo feeding before, the gentle tug of a roo taking food from your hand is one of those small moments people talk about for years.
The wallaby experience: the quiet achiever
Wallabies are the kangaroo’s smaller, shyer cousins, and our wallaby area is designed with shrub-like, bushland-style surroundings to match how they naturally live. The park is home to several species, including red-necked, swamp and tammar wallabies, rare albino wallabies and pademelons. It is a calmer, closer experience than the kangaroo fields, and often the sleeper favourite for visitors who did not expect to fall for a wallaby.
Dingo encounters: express or deep-dive
Dingo education sits at the heart of what we do, and our dingo encounters come in two formats. The express session is a shorter introduction to our bonded dingo pair, while the deep-dive goes further into dingo behaviour, history and the conservation questions around Australia’s native canine. Both are keeper-led. If you are the kind of traveller who wants to leave knowing more than when you arrived, the deep-dive is the pick of the whole park.
The nocturnal one: squirrel gliders and potoroos
This is the encounter almost nobody knows to ask for, which is exactly why it is worth mentioning. Squirrel gliders and potoroos are small nocturnal marsupials that most Australians have never seen, let alone visitors. Gliders sail between trees on a membrane stretched from wrist to ankle, while potoroos, compact little members of the kangaroo family, snuffle through the leaf litter for fungi. Some potoroo species, including the long-nosed potoroo, are listed as vulnerable under Australia’s national environment law, so meeting them up close is also a quiet lesson in why these lesser-known animals matter.
Between encounters: the sanctuary walk and petting area
Whatever you book, leave time for the rest of the park. The full sanctuary walk takes about 45 minutes across roughly 40 acres of gently rolling hills, home to our kangaroo and emu mob and plenty of natural birdlife. The interactive petting area lets kids hand-feed kangaroos, wallabies and emus at their own pace, and it is usually where the youngest visitors do their best grinning.
So which encounter should you choose?
Travelling with young children? Start with the petting area and the kangaroo experience, then add the koala encounter if the timing works. Animal lovers and curious minds should book the deep-dive dingo encounter, no contest. Photographers will get the most from Popeye, who is far more photogenic when he is relaxed in his tree than any held koala ever looks. And if you have already done the classic Australian animal experiences elsewhere, the gliders and potoroos encounter will show you a side of our wildlife most people never see.
There is no wrong answer here. Every encounter is keeper-led, built around the animals’ comfort, and designed to send you away knowing more about the species than when you arrived.
Plan your wildlife day
You will find details and bookings for every option on our experiences page. We are on the Great Ocean Road between Lavers Hill and Princetown, an easy 15 minute stop before the Twelve Apostles, and we would love to help you pick the encounter that fits your crew.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animal encounters can you do on the Great Ocean Road?
At Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park you can book a koala encounter with resident koala Popeye, a kangaroo feeding experience, a wallaby experience, dingo encounters in express or deep-dive formats, and a nocturnal squirrel gliders and potoroos encounter. A sanctuary walk and interactive petting area round out the visit.
Which animal encounter is best for young children?
The petting area and kangaroo feeding are the easiest starting points for young children, since kids can hand-feed kangaroos, wallabies and emus at their own pace. Keeper-led encounters such as the koala experience are also designed for families, with no experience needed.
What is the difference between the express and deep-dive dingo encounters?
Both formats are keeper-led sessions with a bonded dingo pair. The express option is a shorter introduction, while the deep-dive goes further into dingo behaviour, history and conservation. Details for each are on the park’s dingo encounters page.
Can you do more than one animal encounter in one visit?
Yes. Many visitors combine a guided encounter with the sanctuary walk and petting area, and encounters can be paired depending on session times. Checking availability when booking online is the easiest way to plan.
Do you need to book animal encounters in advance?
Encounters can be booked online through the park’s website, which is the simplest way to secure a guided session before you arrive, especially during school holidays and busy travel periods.