Wild encounter: Is this Melbourne's best-kept secret?

In under-the-radar Werribee, surprises await.

The list starts with a huddle of squeaking zebra finches and quickly balloons to include royal spoonbill, Cape Barren goose, masked lapwing and 49 other species. "Not bad for a morning!" says Chris Doughty of Melbourne Birding Tours. Chris ranks 12th in the world for sighting the most bird species (8200 out of roughly 10,000) and, in his esteemed opinion, there aren't many places globally where you could spot so many in a few hours.

Just under an hour west of Melbourne, however, is one such place. Here, empty dirt roads - access is permit only - crisscross around dozens of lagoons lined with bulrushes and succulents, drawing birds from as far as America, Africa and Russia. The car is our slow-roving "hide" from where Chris identifies species with uncanny skill. How does he discern from a fluttery dot in the sky what's what? "It's in the way it flies, the way it moves," he says. Binoculars bring them into sharp focus - a swamp harrier disappearing into reeds, talons extended; the timid scuttle of a spotted crake.

This Ramsar wetland of international importance is southern Australia's best birdwatching site though it's better known as the Western Treatment Plant, responsible for processing half of Melbourne's sewage (rest assured, the dirty work is done long before the water reaches these ponds).

Hovering on Greater Melbourne's distant perimeter, yet not distant enough to be considered regional, Werribee sometime slips under the radar. However, these wetlands are just one of many surprises for the inquisitive traveller. Consider the orange sandstone K Road Cliffs hugging the Werribee River, or the 143 colourful heritage-listed boatsheds lining Campbells Cove. Its best known drawcards cluster in the Werribee Park Precinct and one is another exciting wildlife encounter.

I challenge anyone to visit Werribee Open Range Zoo and not come away with a yearning to visit Africa, so evocative is it of the real thing. Linking spacious enclosures - for residents like gorilla, cheetah, hippos and meerkats - are lumpy concrete "dirt roads" imprinted with 4WD tyre tracks. When puddles make a section impassable we divert on an "overgrown track" alongside, setting off a cacophony of recorded animal sounds.

The highlight is an open truck safari across a 50-hectare savannah - we do the deluxe tour, more intimate than the standard - drawing us quietly alongside grazing zebra, rhinos and giraffe munching on gum trees (apparently they love them).

"Animals have some control over their destiny with all this space," says guide Ade Foster, and space is what this zoo is all about. In 2024, Melbourne Zoo's Asian elephant herd will move into a new 21-hectare (almost the entire footprint of Melbourne Zoo) home here. Global zoo breeding programs play a critical part in conservation and have enabled the reintroduction of species back into the wild after being declared extinct, such as the oryx, of which we pass a herd.

Read more on Explore:

Kulinda the cheetah is another savannah beneficiary, gazing out from behind a fence across the land that occasionally provides her with a careless rabbit or Cape Barren goose to supplement what the keepers provide. Fortunately no hunting is required to feed a human appetite in this neck of the woods. Five minutes away, we score a slow-cooked pork and spiced potato pizza at Shadowfax Winery, rusted-iron modernist on the outside and cosy on the inside. One red spiral staircase descends, like a bold work of art, to the underground barrel room.

During Sunday lunch, the place is packed and the Paul Rettke jazz trio is as easy to listen to as the wine is to drink. James Halliday has awarded Shadowfax five red stars for their consistently "exemplary" wines and by the time we've sampled our way through the 14 on the tasting menu (incidentally, free) we're more than a little giggly.

Decorum is mustered for high tea next door in The Refectory at Werribee Park Mansion. Built in 1877, the house is one of Victoria's most opulent - it played Lofthouse Manor in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - and beyond three-tiered servers laden with scones, smoked salmon blinis and petite cakes, arched windows frame leafy gardens.

A poke around the house afterwards is a revealing wander through ornate rooms decorated with gilt, velvet, silk and chandeliers. You could spend ages enjoying the surrounding 10 hectares of parkland, formal gardens and walking trails, so it's both a convenience and an indulgence that you can actually stay here overnight. Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park inhabits the wing that was once St Joseph's Seminary, and it mixes heritage and high ceilings with modern luxury.

Getting there: Werribee is a 40-minute drive west of Melbourne.

Staying there: In the heart of Werribee Park Precinct, Lancemore Mansion Hotel has rooms from $253. lancemore.com.au/mansion-hotel

Explore more: visitwerribee.com

The writer travelled courtesy of Visit Werribee & Surrounds, Lancemore Mansion Hotel and Werribee Open Range Zoo.