ShareThis

Monday 10 October 2011

Wallaby joeys out for sanctuary's 10th birthday

Moonlit Sanctuary celebrates 10th birthday with dozens of cute wallaby joeys ... and free bag of wallaby food offer 'til Nov 17

Dozens of cute wallaby joeys have emerged on the newly opened Wallaby Walk at Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula, just as this award-winning wildlife conservation park celebrates its 10th birthday.

The 250 metre-long Wallaby Walk is home to around 80 wallabies and kangaroos which live in a natural bush environment, but are tame enough to hand-feed.

To celebrate Moonlit's birthday – and those of the new joeys – visitors until November 17 will be given a free bag of special wallaby food so they can feed the wallabies and watch the joeys poking their heads out of their mothers' pouches.

"It's quite a sight," says Chief Ranger Michael Johnson. "The joeys perform some great antics as they wriggle around inside the pouches then suddenly pop their heads up or stick their legs out at very amusing angles."

Inspired by the work of famous British conservationist Gerald Durrell, Moonlit Sanctuary is now home to 50 Australian species, some rare and endangered, which live in 10 hectares of bushland.

Day entry to Moonlit Sanctuary costs $15 per adult and $7.50 per child. Coupons for the free wallaby food (valued at $2 per bag) can be downloaded at www.moonlitsanctuary.com

Visitors who plan to experience more of the Peninsula get the best value through the Mornington Peninsula Attractions Pass, which saves up to 45% on admission and bonuses at four attractions and includes discount offers at three more. The pass costs only $55 for adults (more than $100 full retail value), $40 for children, and can be purchased at www.emmp.net.au or at any participating attraction.

The Attractions Pass provides entry to Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park with a koala cuddle, Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, Cape Schanck Lighthouse, and Peninsula Hot Springs.

Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, Box Stallion Winery and Rye Hotel all have a special 10% discount offer for pass holders.

Pass holders can also upgrade to the lantern-lit evening tour at Moonlit Sanctuary, when the park comes alive in a remarkable way.

Owls and other night birds are active, tiny feathertail gliders and giant yellow-bellied gliders swoop around, and rare and endangered species such as quolls, pademelons and bettongs forage for food.

Moonlit Sanctuary won the 2010 Victorian Tourism Award for Ecotourism. It was also voted Victoria's best wildlife park experience in the 2009 RACV survey to find Victoria's 101 best tourism experiences.

Contacts: www.moonlitsanctuary.com for free food voucher; www.emmp.net.au for Attractions Pass.



Book Your Travel with Wego