Zoo / Aquarium/ Animal parks, Sydney

Located in Darling Harbour, this aquarium is somewhat small in apperance but once inside it becomes pretty big......look in tourist welcome booklets for a 20% off coupon for it's a steep $25 AU to get in !!!!! come early come late this place is always packed....good thing is, it's stay opens everyday til 10 p.m......a must do for any tourist in Sydney !!!!!

UPDATE: MAY 2008
Now $35 AU to get in !!!!

Ok, this might sound very obsured....but if have never seen a Koala bear up front and personal this is the place to see it......serveral tour companies offer various trips from the Rocks area to several zoo's around Sydney. Don't pass up the chance to pet a Koala bear or the Kangaroos !!!!! A Must do even if you not a child, it will certainly bring back fond memories of your youth !!!!! We had a complete BLAST and was one of our higlights of our entire trip. I'm sure the other tourist on our ferry were stunned to see a group of mid 20 year old's acting like 10 year old's and to our credit even the girls in our group acted the same way !!!! The price of the ferry ride and admission to the zoo was a mear $20 which was a great price.......DO PAST UP THE CHANCE......HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!

UPDATE: May 2008

Price now is $39 AU to get in !!!!! up from $20 AU 4 years ago !!!! almost double !!!! and the picture with the Kola is now $14.99 AU when before it was a $3 AU donation !!!!!

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Sydney Aquarium, Darling Harbour, takes you on a tour of the seas and oceans surrounding Australia's vast coastline and the rivers, waterways, estuaries and swamps of our large and diverse yet dry land mass.

Situated in Darling Harbour the aquarium houses over 11,000 animals from over 630 species of Australian fish, reptiles and mammals that have an affinity with water.

Joined by near to 60 metres of underwater tunnels, the Sydney Aquarium presents the animals according to the regions in which they can be found in the waters around and within Australia: Southern Rivers; Northern Rivers; Southern Ocean; Northern Ocean.

Six million litres of water house this varied and colourful exhibit. See these animals upclose, as they swim about in their "near to natural" environments and observe them as they look back at you and as you wonder about them, they're probably doing the same of you. Captain Nero has nothing on this!

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Taronga Zoo is a great place to visit for young and old!
They have a huge amount of Animals and a great Skylift that takes you over the whole zoo and you can see the animals from above, it's a great experience.
When I went they were building a new ocean section that wasn't open yet but is due to open sometime in 2008.
They also have demonstrations with animals throughout the day and feed times.

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Of all the places to go in Sydney this is one of the best. The Aquarium is jam packed with great aquatic life and there are many different sections to explore.
When you enter you go through a Murray River section which is a little boring for Australians but if you're an overseas tourist I'm sure it's great. Once you get through this section you move onto a rock pool with small sharks, stingrays and other fish. Also surrounded but in other enclosures include octopus, squid, jellyfish and tropical fish.
As you make your way through you get to a seal section where you can walk above the pool and also below. There wasn't much action below as their are only 3 seals and are more likely to be on the surface. Another section you can walk under is full of different species of sharks, stingrays, turtles and when I was there the divers were cleaning the tank.
As you get further around you get to The Great Barrier Reef section and this is the magical part. There is one massive tank that is jam packed with all different types of fish and sharks. You walk al the way around this tank and on one side there are two massive fish that honestly have to be seen to be believed.
At the very end of the Aquarium is one huge wall where you can look into the tank full of sharks and fish. It is the biggest and most amazing tank I have ever seen. Their are a few steps you can sit on and just watch as the sharks swim up to the glass and go past you!

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The Zoo is one of the major tourist attractions in Sydney. The best way to get there is by ferry from Circular Quay. Once you arrive at the ferry landing on Mosma, take the tram up to the Zoo. You get a bird's eye view of the park and of Sydney Harbor.

I must say I was a bit disappointed with the Zoo. It was undergoing major restoration/construction and many of the exhibits and animals were not available for viewing. We were lucky enough to meet a travel writer who was staying at our hotel who gave us free passes to visit the Zoo. The free passes made up for any dissappointment as the entrance to the Zoo is a bit on the pricey side.

We did enjoy what little animals there were to see. One of the reasons why I wanted to visit the zoo was to see the koalas and kangaroos. You are allowed to be photographed with the koalas but you are not allowed to touch them.

This particular Koala had a joey in her pouch.

The koala area is located upon entering the park.

Make sure to take in one of the many bird and seal shows given throughout the day.
Showtimes are posted along the park and can also indicated on the park map.

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The Sydney zoo turned out to be a must. First, there were no animals to be seen in the wild in the middle of the continent where it was supposed to be teeming with them. Second, despite its originally off-putting price, the ticket includes not just the regular passive watching of semi-dosed animals but also entertaining shows where the birds or sea mammals are the stars. These are at least two of the good reasons to visit, not to mention the ferry crossing of the bay and the views of the Sydney harbour from the elevated point of the “bird amphitheater”. As juxtaposition to the Canadian approach to wild animals, the Australians have their beloved animals perform in order to raise awareness amongst the public for cleaner and safer environment with myriads of well-to-do species. This is not a Cirque du Soleil attitude. How can it be any different when Australia is a downunder and Canada is practically touching the North Pole!?

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I need to admit we really enjoyed this day. Animals are fantastic and ZOO very well maintained. The biggest attraction were pictures taken with animals including koala. Thats an experience I couldnt missed