IT was with some trepidation that I packed my warmest pyjamas for a wild night out with a bunch of animals in the High Country.

I’m not talking about country folk who like to party hard. Instead, we are heading for Mansfield Zoo to sleep in swags under the stars in the shadow of Mt Buller.

I’ve gone out with a few hairy beasts in my time but I’ve never had a sleepover with the king of the jungle.

Arriving in Mansfield, we head to the Produce Store in the main street for a hearty lunch made from local ingredients. A tasty range of baguettes, soup or a ploughman’s lunch satisfied our appetites, though it left a rather large hole in the wallet.

But it is not only the family that needs sustenance. The zoo’s lions are fed every day in front of visitors and we just made it to the zoo in time to watch.

The two white male lions, Djuma and Matimba, are pacing up and down their cage in anticipation. It’s the closest I’ve been to a lion and their hungry roars get the heart racing, even though the regulation fencing is in place.

Another two lions arrived from Queensland in May, adding to the zoo’s pride and joy.

The rest of the afternoon is spent feeding and looking at the other animals, including monkeys, deer, llamas, emus, ostriches, dingoes and camels. Special food to hand-feed the animals can be bought for $2.50.

Asking my two children how the zoo compares with Melbourne’s, they respond positively: “It’s like you’re in a park … like you’re in the enclosure with the animals.”

We set up our swags and a tent for the children then head to an undercover barbecue area where we cook dinner and light a fire for warmth and entertainment with toasted marshmallows for a sticky, sweet dessert.

The capuchin monkeys keep an eye on us from their enclosure as do the deer and peacocks who wander amiably in and out of the shelter.

One of the benefits of a zoo sleepover is seeing what the animals do at night. We get to see the wombats at play — or was that a brawl over food? During the day, they had been immobile, tucked up asleep.

We crawl into our swags, which are reasonably comfortable and prove to be warm and waterproof as it rains overnight. An occasional roar from the lions makes the children a little nervous in the dark, but in no time the rooster is crowing, awakening the family in the early dawn. Zoo owner Bronwen Wilson clearly loves her animals — and her 24/7 job. The only holiday she takes is Christmas Day.

“The best thing about the zoo is waking up to the animals, looking out the kitchen windows at the capuchins playing,” she says.

And that’s also true for us. After breakfast cooked on the barbecue, the children get to help give all the animals (except the lions) their morning meal.

We head back into town to wander around the Mansfield Farmers’ Market, held on the fourth Saturday of the month, year round.

Enthusiastic organiser Alli Walker takes us around the stalls, well stocked with local produce including caperberries, meat, cheese, chutney, wine and nuts.

A pancake cooked by local high school students is washed down with an invigorating latte.

A scenic drive around Lake Eildon leads us to beautiful Jamieson where the shallow river and its stepping stones provides a fun diversion for the children.

A walk around the historic town leads us to the tiny museum which features Ned Kelly artefacts. Lunch at Deb’s Jamieson Café is rewarding, with special kids’ meals, homemade soups, salads and more filling fare — at a great price.

In a complete contrast to the previous night’s surrounds, we head to the Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort at Merrijig to stay in a luxury self-contained chalet.

The afternoon passes quickly as we try out the resort’s facilities: A quick hit of tennis in the crisp, mountain air, the regulation family arguments over mini-golf, a relaxing dip in the hot spa.

Dinner is to die for at the Mill Inn, further up the road. The menu boasts a range of homemade pasta that melts in the mouth, washed down by a local wine.

There is hardly room for fig pudding and lemon tart, but somehow we manage to squeeze it in.

We waddle back to the resort only to find that we’ve cranked the heating up so much that we are sweating in our beds as if we are in a sauna.

We don’t need those fluffy pyjamas after all.

The writer travelled to Mansfield courtesy of Tourism North East

THE DEAL

Getting there: Mansfield is a 2½-hour drive northeast of Melbourne on the Goulburn Valley and Maroondah highways.

Staying there: Mansfield Zoo, 1064 Mansfield-Woods Point Rd. Sleepovers, at $65 an adult and $45 a child, are available until May. BYO camping gear. Ph: 5777 3576. The Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort, Mimosa Drive, Merrijig. A two-bedroom, self-contained chalet is priced from $310 a night, including continental breakfast. Ph: 1800 033 214

Eating there: The Mill Inn, 1 Alpine Ridge Drive, Merrijig. Ph: 5777 5868. Pasta dishes about $25, other meals up to $36, kids’ meals $12, desserts $10.

Online: millinn-merrijig.com; mansfieldzoo.com.au; pvr.com.au

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