LIKE koalas to eucalyptus leaves, Ballarat schools love excursions to the Ballarat Wildlife Park.

And it wouldn’t be a school excursion without being peed on by a koala or having your school laces nibbled by a kangaroo.

Run by Greg Parker and his family, the park is home to some of Australia’s popular native animals.

In July this year, one of the park’s four-legged residents, Patrick the wombat, was named by CNN as the world’s third best city mascot.

The 29-year-old is believed to be the world’s oldest bare-nosed wombat in captivity.