Zoo owners Mark and Lisa Treweek, with their two sons Cooper right and William left.
Location &
History
Situated three hours from Melbourne and a mere 7 km from Halls Gap town the zoo is well sign posted and easily accessible off the Halls Gap/Ararat road.The zoo is set on 52 acres of land, and features over 120 species and 500 animals from all over the world, from tiny marmosets to gigantic giraffe and everything in between. Nestled under the shadows of the Grampians Mountains as the backdrop the zoo is well vegetated with large enclosures. Halls Gap Zoo was started by Colin and Liz Konig as Wallaroo Wildlife Park and was opened to the public on Boxing Day 1982. In 1988 it was taken on and branded the Halls Gap Zoo by Daryl and Barb Panther. In 2006 the Wildlife Park & Zoo was saved by the fire fighters when a large fire that started by lightning within the Grampians National Park spread into private land. During the several days of the fire many injured animals such as Koalas, Goanna’s and birds were brought to the park for treatment and rehabilitation and when ready reintroduced back into the wild. In 2007 they sold the Zoo to Greg and Yvonne Culell who were responsible for a wide range of upgrades and new exhbits and a new front entry facility for visitors.
Recognition of the Zoo’s importance to the region was acknowledged in 2011 being the recipients of “Outstanding Contribution to Tourism” and “Outstanding Product or Service” in the Powercor Business Achievements Awards. This was followed up with success in the state wide competition “Victorian 2014 RACV Awards”, being a runner up Tourist Attraction. The Zoo has now joined a number of the regional breeding programmes including Cheetah, Rhino and is one of the most prolific breeders of Spot-tailed Quoll. In July 2023 the Zoo was taken over by Mark and Lisa Treweek, with their two sons Cooper and William, who in their first few months have already invested significantly in animal welfare upgrades and a new exhibit for the saltwater crocodile. An immediate winner for visitor welfare has been a food and beverage outlet onsite that includes a good coffee.
Purpose
Halls Gap Zoo aims to contribute to conservation through immersive experiences, education, and endangered species breeding programs, whilst promoting and implementing contemporary animal welfare practices in accordance with guidelines issued by the Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia, and daily utilising the five-domain model in animal husbandry practises.
OUR
TEAM
Mark and Lisa Treweek are the directors and owners of the zoo who together with their two sons, Cooper and William, have made the Zoo their life. “We bought a zoo” and we are very proud of what we have managed to achieve since buying the zoo in July 2023. Our two boys speak so casually about their parents owning a zoo, and they love every minute they get to spend here with us. We have a great team of staff who are passionate about sharing their animal care with our visitors and are constantly improving on the best standards of care we can achieve for our wildlife.
The Zoo employs about twenty staff over a range of areas for areas including our visitors, animals and the grounds which includes maintenance and horticulture. Being a small team, many of the team are cross trained and able to undertake the work across different areas including the husbandry of the animals.
Mila
Keeping Team SupervisorI have been working in zoos just over 10 years and started with my passion which is reptiles. I now have the amazing opportunity to lead our animal care team in providing the best care possible and looking to constantly improve on this. Sharing our wildlife and educating our visitors is at the center of what we focus on for our team and species.
Steph
Animal KeeperI have been with the zoo a few years now and am passionate about birds, carnivores and animal training. Our training enables us both to provide stress free animal care and share our wildlife with visitors, often in up close experiences.
Sherrin
Primate KeeperSince I was little, I wanted to work with primates and big cats, and I started working with primates in 2007. I love sharing our cheeky troops with our visitors, creating enrichment and training our primates as part of great animal care.
VACANCIES
Work with us
While to Zoo employs staff across all the areas of operation mentioned above, the animal keeping team make up the largest portion of staff. Keeping jobs are highly sought after and the Zoo has created a Trainee Keeper position which allows for young people entering the industry to work across a variety of areas of the operations including admissions before being trained on animal keeping. This results in staff who have a wider awareness and view of the operations including customer service and visitor needs, while they gain valuable experience for their career as a zoo keeper. The number of trainees is carefully balanced with experienced staff.
Volunteer
Volunteers are an important part of the team, and we welcome their involvement and enthusiasm. Volunteering at Halls Gap Zoo is a great way to gain experience and further your knowledge within the zoo keeping industry.
You will get the chance to work alongside our dynamic, hard-working team, from whom you can expand your knowledge base and develop your own professional and personal skills.
Register to become a volunteer
OUR
PARTNERS
We work closely with our regional partners and stakeholders across fields such as tourism, animal care and education.
Follow us @hallsgapzoo
In the interest of public safety, the zoo will be closed today (Wednesday 28th August). As the wind is supposed to increase during the day, we have made the decision for our guests, animals and our staff.
Hoping to see everyone tomorrow!
If you had an animal encounter booked for today, we will be in contact to reschedule.
The weather is warming up, which means our reptiles are becoming more active.
Our lace monitor has taken advantage of the sun being out ☀️
📸 Keeper Tash.
#lacemonitor #lizard #reptile #hallsgapzoo #grampians #victoria
Bean the wombat thought he`d take re-mulching into his own paws.
📸 Keeper Paris
#commonwombat #barenosedwombat #wombat #hallsgapzoo #Victoria
Great hair, perfect lighting.
Pumba is ready for his modelling debut 🌟🙌
📸 Keeper Carmen
#highlandcow #scottishhighlandcattle #hallsgapzoo
Game time!
How many wallabies can you see in this photo?
📸 Supervisor Mila
#brushtailedrockwallaby #marsupial #hallsgapzoo
A Disney movie, or just another day at Halls Gap Zoo?
📸 Keeper Marcus
#greentreefrog #boydsforestdragon #reptile #hallsgapzoo #lizard #grampians #melbourne
When the afternoon light hits the quoll habitats 🙌📸
#spottedtailquoll #quoll #hallsgapzoo #grampians #visitvictoria #melbourne
Get to know our zoo keepers with a game of `I`m passing the phone` 📱🦜🦦
#impassingthephone #hallsgapzoo #zookeepers #redpanda #capuchin #sunconure #ruffedlemur #meerkats #beardeddragon #stickinsect
🦌 Meet the majestic elk! 🦌 Halls Gap Zoo is home to 4 elk- 3 female and 1 male.
Did you know? Female elk, also known as cows, play a crucial role in the elk community. They are highly adaptable and can be found in various habitats across North America, from forests to open plains.
Unlike their male counterparts, female elk don’t have antlers. Instead, they are known for their agility and nurturing instincts, especially during calving season in the spring.
These amazing creatures are excellent foragers, feeding on grasses, sedges, and shrubs. Their keen senses help them detect predators like wolves and bears, allowing them to protect their calves and thrive in the wild.
#elk #cows #hallsgapzoo #hoofstock #visitvictoria #grampians
Did you know- Tasmanian devils are the second largest surviving carnivorous mammal in Australia, only loosing out to the dingo!
When your wombat joey is never far behind 🥰🫶
📸 Keeper Jale
#wombat #joey #marsupial #australianwildlife #hallsgapzoo #victoria #melbourne #grampians
