Wildlife Wonders

Wildlife Wonders is a 30-acre wildlife sanctuary in the coastal Otways, about five minutes west of Apollo Bay. Free-roaming native animals live among its grassland, forest and tree-fern gullies, and the walk opens to views over the Southern Ocean. The sanctuary is accessible only on a Nature Guide-led tour; book a time for the wildlife walk. The visitor centre and Emu Cafe can be visited without a tour.

It suits visitors who want a guided look at local wildlife and conservation. Sightings vary because the animals roam freely; some visitors see plenty, while others spot only a few or see them at a distance.

The standard Walk with Wildlife tour covers 1.4 km in about 75 minutes. It winds between open grassland and forest, through tree-fern gullies, and out to a coastal view. The route uses compacted ground, boardwalk and gravel, has no steps and a gentle grade. The operator says it suits most sturdy wheelchairs and prams. Guides lend binoculars and earpieces, useful when koalas or birds are high in the trees.

Dawn and dusk tours last about two hours. Dawn focuses on bird calls and morning activity; dusk follows the time when nocturnal animals start moving. Those are good choices if you're especially interested in birds or smaller, harder-to-see wildlife, though sightings still aren't promised.

A protective fence around the sanctuary keeps introduced predators, including foxes and cats, outside. That lets native wildlife move through habitat instead of being kept in individual cages. The sanctuary's species list includes koalas, Tasmanian pademelons, swamp wallabies, gang-gang cockatoos, echidnas and potoroos. Treat those as possible sightings, not a checklist.

The Conservation Ecology Centre established Wildlife Wonders in 2019 as a social enterprise, with profits supporting conservation research and field work in the Otways. The sanctuary offers a close look at the bushland the work is there to protect. Long-nosed potoroos and the Otways black snail are among the threatened species native to the wider region.