Zoo / Aquarium/ Animal parks, Sydney

Want to see unique creatures from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific? Then the Taronga Zoo is the place for you. I saw it all except the elusive platypus.

Zoo entry plus Round Trip Fare on the Ferry is $48 AUS.

You can also get a water side view of the opera house on the ferry ride to/from the zoo.

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The entire trip to Australia was fantastic. But, if I had to pick the #1 activity we did on this trip, it was going to the Featherdale Wildlife Park.

This is a sanctuary for Australian wildlife that allows tourist to interact with the animals without exploiting them. As there are minimal "cages" and far more open areas, you get to feel like a zookeeper walking around amongst the animals.

While feeding the animals and petting the koalas & other Aussie animals was fantastic, the ultimate highlight for me was quite simple. I knelt down to stick my hand out to a teenage 'roo so he'd know I was friendly. I guess he decided I smelled friendly, as he proceeded to hop into my lap like a preschool child and just hang out there.

Now, THAT'S a travel story you can take with you for the rest of your life! =)

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Sydney Aquarium consists of 3 oceanariums exhibiting the rich diversity of Australian marine life. Besides sharks and rays, dugongs (which are also called sea elephants) are the highlights of this fantastic place. You can spend hours here and you won't get bored, maybe a bit tired. The aquarium opens at 9 am and closes at 10 pm. Entrance fee is 32 AUD, but you can get the discovery package which combines aquarium and wildlife world visits for only 50 AUD.

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While visiting Darling Harbour, you shouldn't miss Wildlife World. You can get combined tickets with Sydney Aquarium for 50 AUD and fill your whole day. This place gets you closer with kangaroos, koalas and many other local residents of Australia as well as flora and fauna.

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This small zoo on Darling Harbor was quite a surprise. Given its size and location, I was not expecting much out of this place but a tourist trap with a few kangaroo exhibits. In fact, it's a very nice little zoo with a wide range of Australian wildlife..

The Sydney Aquarium was opened in 1988, and is located on the eastern side of Darling Harbour. The aquarium displays more than 11500 fish and aquatic animals, including huge sharks and rays, platypus, seals, fairy penguins, crocodiles and much more.

Properly the best aquarium I have ever visited. I especially like the underwater tunnels where sharks swim above you. There is also a good exhibition of the Great Barrier Reef coral environment.

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A visit to Sydney would not be complete without a visit to the Taronga park zoo..this zoo is in such a wonderful location and is just a wonderful place to spend a day..there are all the Australian native animals here to be seen and up close ..walk among many species of Kangaroos and Wallabies..visit the Koala Bear house..and the nocturnal house is a must...great photo opportunities..set right on the shores of the Harbour some good photos of the city are here also..great conservation programmes here also with Western Plains Zoo..(see my Dubbo page) on the Western Plains zoo..

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Do you want to see the famous animals in Australia? Such as Koala?

Visit the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on October 7th, 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman. Taronga Zoo is managed by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales under the trading name, "Taronga Conservation Society", along with Dubbo's Taronga Western Plains Zoo.