Werribee Open Range Zoo, Safari zoo in Wyndham, Australia.
Werribee Open Range Zoo is a safari zoo in Wyndham, Victoria, located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Melbourne. The facility spreads across wide grassland areas where visitors observe rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and other African species in large open enclosures.
The site opened in 1983 as an expansion of Melbourne's animal housing capacity and aimed to offer an alternative to traditional zoos. Over the following decades, the enclosures were redesigned several times to provide animals with more space and closer approximations of natural conditions.
The name Werribee comes from the local Aboriginal language and means 'backbone' or 'spine', referring to a prominent rock formation in the river. Today visitors walk through landscaped paths where they see how keepers work with herds in open paddocks.
Visitors traveling by public transport take the train from Melbourne to Werribee station and then board Bus 439, which stops at the entrance. Paths throughout the park are mostly flat and easy to walk, and on warm days bringing sun protection and water is advisable.
During the bus tour, visitors drive through sections where animals move freely and often graze right beside the vehicle. On some days giraffes come so close that you can hear their breathing through the open windows.
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