The Melbourne Zoo

The Melbourne Zoo is set at the edge of Royal Park, NW of the city. The zoo is constantly changing, with new and innovative ideas for improving life for the animals as well as improving viewing for the public.

The Butterfly House

The Butterfly House is without a doubt one of the highlights of the zoo. If you want to take photographs inside, allow plenty of time for your camera to warm up once inside. The high humidity inside will cover a cold camera with condensation as soon as it is pulled out of the bag. But the 10-20 minute wait is worth it. The butterflies are pretty oblivious to people walking through, often landing on brightly coloured shirts and hats. Apart from the butterflies, there is also a collection of tropical plants.

For those budding photographers who like to know all of the details, the photographs above were taken with a 28mm lens (title picture, ambient light) and 135mm f2.8 with up to 170mm extension tubes with a single flash (guide number 32). Ambient exposure was 1/4 sec @ f16, nicely balancing out the flash in most cases. The last photograph was taken with a 600mm lens and 50mm extension tube with flash (using a tripod of course).

The Zoo's Homepage.

More information can be found at the zoo's own homepage at:

Access to the Zoo

Train - Take the Upfield line to Royal Park and the station is less than 75m from the rear entrance of the Zoo. Unfortunately this is line has fairly infrequent services compared to the rest of the train system, and no trains run on Sunday.

Monday to Saturday - #55 Tram (West Coburg) runs through the city along William Street except.

Sunday - #68 from Elizabeth Street run on

Tram & Walk - #18, 19, 20 Tram along Royal Parade (a continuation of Elizabeth Street) and walk across Royal Park from Princes Park. Alternatively, take any tram going past the Royal Children's Hospital on Flemington Rd., and change trams at the hospital (or walk across the park).

Drive - The carpark of the zoo has recently been expanded in what many locals see as a complete overkill. Despite assurances from the city council that it would not be used as parking for football patrons at Princes Park, the CC&FSC released a pamphlet on available parking for football games which included the zoo carpark. Most visitors to the zoo arrive by train or tram, both of which stop at the door.

While many people were outraged at the loss of trees on the east side of the zoo I have to admit that the landscaping that has replaced them is more in keeping with the rest of the adjacent park and as the new trees mature it will only improve.