Animal Land Children's Farm — Attraction in Melbourne

Had my son's 2nd birthday here after visiting previously and enjoying our day, thinking it was great for children. I made several phone calls the week prior to confirm information as I kept receiving conflicting information each time I called. As I had a self catered party, I was encouraged to bring all my own supplies, food, drinks and even a BBQ. Luckily I decided to have all the food precooked because if I arrived needing to use a powerpoint I was then told I couldn't due to OH&S requirements , hence my guests could not have tea and coffee supplied by me. I don't know anyone who walks around with a kettle, but I would imagine a child running into someone with a hot bought coffee would suffer the same as someone with a hot made coffee (unless the bought coffee is cold?). I had a large self catered party which was referred to as "not the real party" when I arrived. I was given all the tags I had paid for and told they would usher my guests to the barn. I was interrupted during eating with my guests for a "head count" as staff had not kept count of how many guests had arrived - I find it hard to believe my own guests did not know the name of the host they were attending the party for? Receiving a bucket of feed for the animals is half the fun for the guests. I was told by the front desk that the 'girl in the barn' will sort out feed for my guests when she was advised which party they were attending for. The 'girl in the barn' had no idea what this meant, and when I suggested she make a pallet of 32 buckets of feed (as this was how many people I had paid for) and she give out these buckets as asked , this seemed too hard. As my guests arrived and requested their bucket we were then told not everyone could have a bucket to feed the animals. No where is this stipulated on the website, during my many phone calls, when booking the party or even when I arrived given staff knew there were several parties booked and the number of people attending the farm that day. This is extremely disappointing given this is half the appeal of coming to such a place. What really sent me over the edge was finding out how rudely staff had spoken about my guest who asked if we could have some hot water for tea and coffee as we were not told beforehand we could not use a powerpoint for the urn. This guest was nothing but polite, and once walking away unbeknown to staff that the next person in line was also one of my guests, began to speak in such rude and derrogatory means my guest did not even tell me about it until after we had left so as not to ruin the day. It is completely unacceptable to speak this way about any customer ESPECIALLY in front of other customers.. I had contacted the farm prior to leaving this review to discuss all these issues,.and was told they would speak with staff and get back to me, this was over two weeks ago, and hence here is my review. Whilst a great place for children to experience animals, be sure to book and pay for a catered party and pay for all your tea and coffee and food or you will otherwise be looked upon as not deserving to be there. Best to also go on a day that might not be so busy so everyone can get to feed the animals. Would have otherwise been a pleasant experience if it wasnt for rude and unorganised staff. I hope you treat others that choose the self catered party option as advertised...

Honestly, I’m not one to give reviews but this one is necessary in the hope that management will make some changes to the conditions of the grounds in which the animals have to live. I visited this animal farm with my two children and a friend and her three children. Our first stop was the small animal enclosure. It was quite a busy Saturday and two young girls were running the enclosure. Due to how busy it was, parents and children seemed to be sick of waiting for their turn so decided to pick up the rabbits and Guinea pigs as they pleased and the poor animals looked clearly distressed from the rough handling and the amount of commotion that they had to put up with. The young girls running this enclosure did absolutely nothing to control this. Next we ventured Around the farm and there was absolutely no green grass for the animals (and it doesn’t look like there’s been any grass there for a very long time). I don’t think those poor goats/ sheep/ horses have ever enjoyed grazing in their life. The next stop was truely disturbing. The pig pens. Absolutely full to the brim of huge pigs and little piglets. No room to move and they were trampling all over each other. There was baggage leave thrown in their pen but besides that, it was thick mud and poo. The last stop was the chickens and turkey enclosure. I walked in and walked straight out. The smell was horrendous and the conditions of their enclosure, they might as well have been in cages. It once again was mud and poo. I’ve visited plenty of farms, animal sanctuary’s and zoos over the years, we have large and small animals at home and I’ve worked in the industry for a long time. These condition were not ok. This is not how animals should have to live. Management, I’m hoping you see this post and make some changes to the condition of these animals enclosures and all those people who chose to visit, I hope you voice your opinion and maybe some changes...

I am writing to express my disappointment with the experience my family and I had at your farm today. We were excited to visit for the first time and had high expectations for a fun and enjoyable outing with our 4-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, our visit was marred by poor customer service and lack of clear communication regarding ticket types.

We paid $61 for our tickets at the window, but were not informed whether these tickets were for general admission or VIP access. As first-time visitors, we were unaware of any distinctions between ticket types. Our visit began at the nursery, where we sat down only to be rudely confronted by a staff member. She informed us that we had general admission tickets and were not allowed to sit in that area, as it was reserved for VIPs. She told us, in front of all the other guests, to leave and return in 20 minutes. This public admonishment was humiliating and completely unnecessary.

We found her behavior unacceptable, especially considering we were there with our young daughter. A more courteous and informative approach would have been appreciated. This experience has left us feeling unwelcome and embarrassed, and we are unlikely to return in the future.

I urge you to address the behavior of your staff and ensure that they treat all guests with respect and courtesy, especially families with children. Clear communication about ticket types and their privileges should also be provided at the time of purchase to avoid...