Set on 80 acres of fox-proof bushland at Calga on the Central Coast, Australia Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary is less a zoo than a walk through the bush with the locals. Many of the kangaroos, wallabies and emus free-range across the grounds, so kids wander among them rather than peering into pens, and the whole place sits on Darkinjung Country with 4,000-year-old Aboriginal engravings and grinding grooves you can actually see on site.

Why We Love It

• Animals come to you Free-roaming kangaroos, wallabies and emus mean gentle, up-close contact on the animals' terms, with dingoes, wombats, reptiles, koalas and birds in habitats around the loop walk.

• Real Aboriginal heritage Rock engravings and grinding grooves dating back 4,000-plus years sit right on the grounds, and ranger-led cultural talks make this as much a culture walk as a wildlife one.

• Ranger encounters all day Guided animal encounters and feed times are spread through the day and included with entry, so there's structure without herding kids to a strict timetable.

• The famous Wild Night Out Ranger-led spotlighting tours and overnight cabin or camp stays let bigger kids meet nocturnal animals after dark - a bucket-list outing once they're a bit older.

• Bush over bitumen Natural dirt tracks through living habitat, not concrete paths and signage, so it feels like a proper bush adventure rather than a theme park.