Episode 342: Healsville Sanctuary: Creating Habitats

Luke Boyle is the Horticulture Manager at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia—a leading conservation zoo nestled in native bushland, dedicated to protecting and showcasing Australia’s unique wildlife. We chat about the incredible work Luke and his team are doing to ensure the sanctuary is not just a safe and enriching haven for animals, but also an inspiring and welcoming place for human visitors.

Links

• Healesville Sanctuary – Official site (Zoos Victoria)
  Discover updates on their conservation projects, visitor information, and how to support their wildlife work: https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/

• Zoos Victoria “Fighting Extinction” Program
  Learn how Healesville Sanctuary is part of statewide efforts to protect and recover threatened species through breeding, habitat restoration, and research: https://www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/

• Helmeted Honeyeater Release (May 2025)
  Read about the recent release of critically endangered helmeted honeyeaters from Healesville into the wild—an inspiring milestone in their breeding program: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/09/helmeted-honeyeater-release-healesville-sanctuary-cardinia-south-east-victoria-breed-wild-population

About Luke Boyle

After completing a gardening apprenticeship at Swinburne University, Luke worked with various landscapers and gardeners and also at a local council managing reserves and remnant vegetation. Studying landscape design and construction at night school as well as a short course run by the national Trust called Save the Bush, inspired him to look at the protection and restoration of bushland as a career.

Luke started at Healesville sanctuary in 1993 where he is the Curator of Horticulture presently

Other episodes if you liked this one:

🍃 Episode 329: Wildlife Gardening, Australia Style
Summary:
Sarah Wilson speaks with AB Bishop, an expert in Australian native plants and wildlife-friendly gardens. They explore how thoughtful garden design—using local species, layered planting, and wildlife features—can create rich habitats that echo the mission of Healesville Sanctuary.
🔗 Listen here

🍃 Episode 332: Garden Wildlife Ponds
Summary:
Sarah chats with Pete Case from the Freshwater Habitats Trust about establishing garden ponds that serve as crucial wildlife refuges. They cover design tips, ecological benefits, and how even small water features can support biodiversity—paralleling the conservation focus at Healesville.
🔗 Listen here

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