Maru Koala & Animal Park

Name

Maru Koala & Animal Park

Legal name

Maru Koala Park

Website

https://marukoalapark.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maru Koala & Animal Park is a family-owned wildlife attraction in Grantville, Victoria, offering interactive animal encounters, an 18-hole pirate-themed mini-golf course, and on-site dining for families, school groups, and Phillip Island-bound tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Park and Tourist Attraction

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari Parks & Drive-Through Wildlife Parks (THAAAFAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife park attractions
• Animal encounter experiences
• Mini-golf entertainment
• Family tourist attraction
• Wildlife rehabilitation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grantville

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Entry tickets to Animal Park combined with free Mini-Golf access. Adults $33, Children $18, Seniors $20, Family (2A+2C) $95. Revenue generated from walk-in visitors and online pre-bookings.
2. Mini-Golf Standalone Tickets: Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf can be purchased separately for visitors not wanting animal park entry. Adults $20, Children $14, Seniors $16, Family $60.
3. Animal Experiences and Interactions: Premium paid experiences including Koala Feeding ($75), Dingo Experience ($55), Koala Experience ($55), Echidna Experience ($55), Quokka Experience ($55), Cassowary Experience ($55), Meet a Koala ($35), Meet a Snake ($35), Meet a Lizard ($35). These are add-on experiences booked separately.
4. Homestead Bistro Food and Beverage: On-site restaurant and cafe serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, and desserts. Sources local ingredients, dairy, meats, and free-range eggs. Offers Devonshire Tea, homemade cakes, slices, muffins, and fresh pastries.
5. Children's Birthday Parties: Themed birthday party packages (Aussie Animals or Pirate Pete). Standard Party $30/head, Party Plus $30/head + $99, Ultimate Party $40/head. Includes food, entry, mini-golf, and optional animal interactions.
6. School Group Programs: Educational school excursions including guided animal park tours, mini-golf, educational keeper talks, and optional BBQ lunch facilities. Pricing varies by group size and selected activities.
7. Functions and Catering: Barn Function Room available for private hire. Evening bookings and special dinner/show nights available. Catering for special occasions and group bookings.
8. Retail Souvenirs: On-site souvenir and retail area selling wildlife-themed merchandise and gifts.
9. Sponsor a Koala Tree: Donation program where visitors can sponsor the planting of a Eucalyptus tree for $55, providing food for koalas and supporting wildlife conservation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maru Koala & Animal Park is a family-run wildlife attraction on the Bass Highway in Grantville, Victoria, offering general admission to a native Australian animal park (koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, wombats, reptiles, quokkas, cassowaries) bundled with access to Pirate Pete's 18-hole themed mini-golf. The park sells paid animal encounter experiences, on-site dining at Homestead Bistro, birthday party packages, school excursion programs, and group tour services, supported by an on-site authorized wildlife shelter that rehabilitates injured native animals.

Product overview

Maru Koala & Animal Park is a family-run wildlife attraction offering a unified visitor experience combining an Animal Park (core product) with interactive wildlife experiences, Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf adventure, and the Homestead Bistro restaurant. The Animal Park features native Australian wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, emus, and reptiles with hand-feeding opportunities. Paid add-on modules include Animal Experiences (individual animal encounters and feeding sessions), Animal Presentations (keeper talks), School Groups packages, Children's Party packages, Tour Group services, Wildlife Shelter rehabilitation, Dreamnight at the Zoo community event, and Teen Animal Enrichment Workshops. Visitors purchase a Maru Entry Ticket for general admission, then optionally add paid experiences or dine at the Homestead Bistro. The park also offers standalone Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf for visitors not entering the animal park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf: An 18-hole pirate-themed mini-golf adventure featuring life-size pirate figures, a five-meter shark, a thunderous waterfall, and Australian landscapes from beach to bush to outback.
• Homestead Bistro
• Wildlife Shelter
• Keeper for a Day

Products and services

• Maru Entry Ticket (Animal Park + Mini-Golf) General admission ticket for individuals, families, and walk-in visitors that provides entry to the Animal Park plus complimentary access to Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf. Includes scheduled keeper presentations and talks.
• Pirate Pete's Mini-Golf Standalone 18-hole pirate-themed mini-golf adventure available to visitors who do not wish to purchase Animal Park entry. Adult $20, Child $14, Senior $16, Family $60.
• Animal Experiences Premium bookable animal encounter sessions for park visitors, including guided feeding, handling, and keeper-led educational interactions with specific species.
• Keeper for a Day Full-day hands-on honorary keeper experience where participants work alongside senior keepers on animal husbandry and care tasks.
• School Group Programs Curriculum-aligned educational excursion packages for K-12 students and teachers, including guided animal park tours, mini-golf, and keeper-led talks.
• Children's Birthday Party Packages All-inclusive children's birthday party packages with food, animal park entry, mini-golf, and optional animal interactions for parents seeking a structured celebration venue.
• Teen Animal Enrichment Workshop Specialty hands-on enrichment activity workshop for teenagers (12-15 years), including keeper-led workshop, bistro lunch, and Animal Park exploration with animal food.
• Tour Group Bookings Tailored guided tour and catering packages for visiting tour groups and day-trippers, often combined with Phillip Island itineraries.
• Homestead Bistro (Food and Beverage Service) On-site restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, and desserts to day visitors, plus private function and catering services using locally sourced produce.
• Barn Function Room Hire and Catering Private venue hire and catering for functions, corporate events, and special occasion dinners.
• Retail Souvenir Shop On-site retail area selling wildlife-themed merchandise and souvenirs to visitors.
• Wildlife Shelter Rehabilitation Service Licensed wildlife rehabilitation service providing medical care to injured and orphaned native animals before release back into the wild.
• Sponsor a Koala Tree Donation Program $55 donation program that plants a new Eucalyptus tree to provide food for koalas in care and create wildlife habitat.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winner of Bass Coast Business of the Year 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ExtraGreen HolidayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTour operator providing guided day tours to Maru and Phillip Island with English and Mandarin speaking guides. Part of regular tour group partnerships serving international visitors.
• Grandcity TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTour operator with Mandarin speaking guides that includes Maru in their tour itineraries to Phillip Island.
• Mr John TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTour operator with Japanese speaking guides visiting Maru as part of penguin tour packages.
• Odyssey TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTour operator offering guided tours that include Maru Koala and Animal Park destinations.
• Access Ability AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility partnership providing Access Key with detailed information on accessibility features and Sensory Guide for visitors with accessibility needs.
• Visit VictoriacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Victorian tourism website listing Maru as a nature and wildlife attraction in the Gippsland region.
• Visit Phillip IslandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Phillip Island tourism website promoting Maru as a nearby attraction on the Bass Highway in Grantville.
• Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association membership providing accreditation and professional network for zoos and wildlife parks in Australia.
• Sustainable Tourism AccreditationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited under Trust The Tick sustainable tourism certification program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: Queensland wildlife park focused on native Australian animals with daily keeper presentations and encounter add-ons. Directly comparable mid-sized wildlife park with encounter-led monetization.
• Werribee Open Range Zoo (Zoos Victoria): Victorian safari-style zoo operated by Zoos Victoria, featuring open-range African and Australian wildlife experiences. Comparable as a Victorian government-affiliated wildlife park with encounter/safari offerings.
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary: World's oldest and largest koala sanctuary in Queensland, offering hand-feeding and koala holding experiences. Comparable as a koala/wildlife encounter attraction with similar ticket-plus-experience revenue model.
• WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo: CBD-based Australian wildlife attraction featuring koala, kangaroo and crocodile encounters. Comparable encounter-driven native wildlife park model, though located in a metro tourism catchment.
• Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary: Tasmanian wildlife park with a strong rehabilitation and conservation focus, offering guided tours and animal encounters. Comparable as a family-operated wildlife sanctuary with conservation-led positioning.
• Healesville Sanctuary (Zoos Victoria): Victorian native wildlife park operated by Zoos Victoria, offering close koala, kangaroo and dingo encounters and keeper talks. Most directly comparable Australian peer given shared geography, animal mix, and encounter-led proposition.
• Moonlit Sanctuary: Wildlife conservation park on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula offering koala encounters, night tours and keeper presentations. Closely comparable in scale, region, and encounter-led product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Australia Zoo: Large-scale Queensland wildlife park and international tourism brand. Comparable as a native wildlife experience operator but operates at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Taronga Zoo Sydney: Major Australian zoological institution with overnight wildlife stays, keeper talks and encounter programs. Comparable as a nationally branded wildlife experience operator with conservation mandate, but much larger and more diversified.

Regional players

• Caversham Wildlife Park: Mid-sized wildlife park in Western Australia focused on native Australian animals with hand-feeding experiences. Comparable encounter model and scale, but serves a separate geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MaruKoalaPark
• Facebookfacebook.com/marukoalapark
• Instagraminstagram.com/marukoalapark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maru-koala-&-animal-park

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maru Koala & Animal Park