'Get in touch with wildlife'.

Founded, owned and operated by the Heffer family, Maru personally take the time to ensure you enjoy your visit. Enjoy hand feeding, patting the koalas, kangaroos and wallabies, which includes rare albino animals.

Enjoy hourly Koala tours where the keeper will take you inside the koala enclosure and introduce you to our Koala family. Pat and hand feed the koalas and take photographs on a 'Close Encounter' experience. See wombats, Tasmanian devils, dingoes, a crocodile, native birds and more. Meet the keepers at hourly animal talks on all weekends, school and public holidays.

Bring your camera and take advantage of the ample photo opportunities as you interact. Learn about our Wildlife Shelter operation to rehabilitate and release orphaned and injured native animals back into the wild.

Then set sail into Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf Adventure and enjoy 18 holes of Pirating fun. Putt your way around the thirty meter Pirate Ship encountering life-size pirate figurines, including one of Captain Jack Sparrow. Enter the gold mine under the five metre thunderous waterfall and watch out for the grouch in the old outback dunny. Do either activity or for one low price purchase an 'All Day Pass' to give you unlimited access all day long to the Animal Park and Pirate Pete's Mini-golf.

Enjoy a meal or snack in the licensed café area. Maru has sealed paths throughout and amenities for disabled patrons, with plenty of seating and sheltered and shaded areas.

Maru welcomes group bookings and also caters for koala or pirate themed children's parties. Enquire about Maru's specialist programs such as 'Keeper for a Day' and 'Twilight Tours'.

Local directions

Once through Grantville town when travelling to Phillip Island the are the fist attraction located on the right hand side, at the traffic lights opposite Stanley Street.

Facilities

Activities

Tourism awards

2011  - Victorian Tourism Awards  - Finalist

Opening hours

Daily
9:30am -5:30pm
Open later in summer daylight savings hours.

Memberships

• Wildlife Victoria

Disabled access

Contact operator for further details.

Additional business information

Annual Pirate Festival
Hosted every year during the April School holidays, on Sat 14th April in 2012. Come along to enjoy the annual Pirate Festival - see more details under event listings for the Gippsland region. Purchase your entry tickes online before the 1st April and receive up to 10% off the entry price on the day.

Children's Parties
Come to Maru and enjoy a Pirate or Koala themed party which includes entry to the Animal Park and Pirate Pete's Mini-golf. Take up the option to have Pirate Pete come along to your party, or enter and meet one of koalas with the Animal Park Keeper in your own personal tour. See the Maru website for more details.

Koala Close Encounters
Enjoy a personal close encounter with our most popular wildlife icon, the Koalas. Enter the koala enclosure to pat and hand feed a koala and take your own photos. See the Maru website for more details. Children enter for free with any paid adult close encounter experience. Encounters also available with our golden brush-tail possum, the dingoes or a three meter python snake.