"Ballt Bird World + Wildlife Park visit, 2003" Buninyong Travelogue by Kate-Me

The Ballarat Wildlife & Reptile park is a good spot to see native wildlife...but don't expect a lot of action from many of them if it's a sunny day - they'll be lying in the sun, as you can see here.
The Kangaroos are almost a bit too tame, too well fed and rather lazy, but you can get as close as you like and hand feed them.

This joey was much more lively...deciding to try out his newly discovered boxing skills on his long suffering mother's ears, while she just lay there soaking up the winter sun.

Wombat

Don't expect much (if any) movement from these guys either.
They normally sleep by day anyway.

Python

Besides pythons and other more dangerous snakes, there are also several Crocodiles at the park.

one of the brilliant birds at the park

Next, on to Ballarat Bird World, just a few kilometres down the road (at Mt Helen, just before you arrive in Buninyong). It's a family run park, built by hand by the owner, with wooden board walking trails meandering among native Australian plant , shrub and tree species and lush ferns. An extremely attractive setting for some marvellous parrots, almost all Australian species.
There are are about 20 long aviaries with a range of brightly coloured birds, such as this one. Some are more bold than others...a couple came to the bars of their cage to dance and show off, and one talked a little, which was cute.
The cages are very spacious and meticulously clean. A top park I really recommend for anyone who loves birds, especially parrots.

Even more impressive is the large walk through aviary, where you can wander among the birds. The enclosure is so large and so high, you don't even feel like you are in any kind of enclosure, and the birds don't seem to either.
It's unique in that the native trees and flowering bushes and plants which are well established inside, provide the birds
natural food, as well as the seed and water which is put out for them in addition to that. I wish more bird parks could be 'free range' like this enclosure.
The birds look extremely healthy and very contented and one had even built a nest in one of the trees, just like in the wild.