Healesville Sanctuary was opened to the public as the
Sir Colin McKenzie Sanctuary in 1934, but long before that it had been in use as a research
centre for the study of
marsupials.
Healesville Sanctuary homes more than 200 species of Australian
birds,
mammals (including
marsupials and
monotremes), and
reptiles.
A winding pathway trails its way through the bushland sanctuary. The primary pathway is 1.5
kilometres in a circuit around the sanctuary, and will take one past the
Birds of the
Bush,
Tasmanian Devil,
Kangaroo,
Platypus,
Stick Insect,
Blue Tongued
Lizard,
Goanna,
Rock Wallaby,
Helmeted Honeyeater,
Animals of the Night,
Birds of Prey,
Flying Fox,
Dingo,
Lorikeet and
Koala exhibits.
If one takes all the smaller paths as well as the main path the walk will be 3.5
kilometres and will take one past the
Billabong,
Cockatoo,
Frog Bog,
Fern
Gully,
Owl,
Orange Bellied Parrot,
Flooded Forest,
Yabby,
Wallaby,
Echidna,
Wombat Gully,
Emu,
Lyrebird Forest exhibits and the
Rehabilitation Aviary, as well as the gift shop, take away
cafe and restaurant.
There are six
drinking fountains situated around the main paths of the sanctuary, and three
toilet blocks, all with
disabled access. There are three
BBQ areas, and numerous
picnic tables all along the pathways.
Healesville Sanctuary has a long history and in fact the first platypus to be hatched in
captivity was hatched at the sanctuary in the 1940s, continuing a tradition of close study of the platypus going back to the 1930s, and making front-page news even in
New York and
London.
It took 55 years for the hatching to be repeated - Twin platypuses were hatched
at the sanctuary in April 1999.