We had a good day out here wasting a bit of time on the school holidays. It was fairly easy getting around with the pram. The cafe staff struggled quite a lot getting the right food to the right tables but they were great when I asked them to warm up the baby's bottle.
There isn't a huge range of animals and 'koala park' is misleading and they would be better to call it a kangaroo park but it was still worth going.

Approximate cost: $46per family

We were at first hesitant about the Maru Park when there were so many parks around in Phillip Island to choose from, especially the tempting offer of special three-park passes when combined with the penguin parade. Since we loved the idea of having real close encounters with animals like kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums & even snakes, we were glad that we made the right choice.

Maru Koala & Animal Park was easy to find, with enough signs along the highway and traffic lights right out front - for easy entry and exit. Animals were lovely and well kept, pretty docile. We even found an albino kangaroo and wallaby, who were friendly enough to eat the feed straight off our hands. The best part, patting a koala, possum and snake was really the highlight of the visit. The park was thoughtful enough to have a professional photographer taking pictures for a small additional fee, that was really amazing. The young man who arranged the close encounter with the various animals was especially friendly. Children are also well catered for, with mini golf or the Caribbean Pirate Ship right next door to keep them entertained for the whole afternoon.

All in all, we enjoyed our visit to this park tremendously and would highly recommend this park to anyone interested in getting closer to the wildlife that makes Australia so unique. No wonder this park was a finalist in 2012 Victorian Tourism Awards.

Approximate cost: $17 per person

We have 2 small kids & decided to take them here....the price is good value for what you get....it's a small park, which we found good for the kids as you dont have to spend all day walking around. You can get up close with the animals & to get a photo/personal encounter is a very reasonable price also unlike other places we have visited...
The keeper talks are also short & to the point which again is great for the kids who have a short attention span!
The food & coffee is the cafe was delicious & not overpriced. The staff were all lovely.
The kids loved the mini golf with the pirates. The only thing I can say that was in need of attention was a few holes of the mini golf that just need a bit of maintenance...
We had a great time & will be back again. Excellent value for money!

When my wife and I visited Australia before moving permanently we took a trip to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade. On the way there we stopped at this wildlife sanctuary which was a quick and easy way to see the main animals in Australia including koala, kangaroos, wombats, emus, etc. In 2009 we took overseas visitors here, again on the way to the penguins. We had just learned they had had a huge fire, but thankfully the animals were ok. It's a great place to see native animals outside Healesville. They also have a mini-golf course but we haven't been there.