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Editor Pick

Taronga Zoo

  • October 30, 2009
  • Rated 3 of 5 by jaygami1986 from London, United Kingdom
Taronga Zoo

This review is on my visit to Taronga City Zoo, which is located in Sydney Australia. I had heard some great reviews about the Zoo, and was told if your ever going to Sydney its one of the best places to visits in terms of finding out about the local wildlife which is indigenous to that part of the World. I was truly amazed, I have been to a lot of Zoo’s around the world, however I found the zoo, more exotic and exciting to visits and this however could be because it was set in a beautiful country, which was experiencing a 40 degree heat wave.

Info

The zoo was officially opened in 1916, with over 50 acres of free space which is home to some 2,600 animals.

How to Get There:

There are several ways to get to the zoo; these include taking modes of transport such as the bus, a ferry, a train and a local bus operator which offers a return journey, which I think most tourists, might find the easiest.
Alternatively if you have a car you can park in their car park, however expect to pay a parking fee in the range of $15. The bus or coach fair has several pickup points which tourist use, they offer a relatively simple operation, prices set me back around $10, if you need more information you can contact +61 2 9969 2777.

Prices and Rates:

The ticket prices for admission can varies and it is usually down to the time of the year you are visiting the zoo, however the last time I checked the zoo prices were as followed;

Regular admission was $41 for adults and $20 for children between 4-15 years of age; they also offer a discount for senior citizens, usually in the price region of $25.

I actually travelled with a group, and we had the option of doing a group booking, which offered us a discounted price, as there were a large number of us. If you are going in a group, which is usually more than 12 people then you can expect to pay $32, which gives you a saving of $9. You can also have the option of booking a one day or two day pass, which allows you to cover the zoo over a number of days.

Zoo Packages:

The zoo opens at 9:00 am in the morning, and to be honest visitors have a wide variety of things they can do, they have the option of either going around the zoo by themselves, take up some presentations or stick with a tour guide who will show you around the park in great detail, making sure you don’t miss anything, whilst at the same time giving you some detailed background information about the animal, its habitat, etc.

Some of the tours included in the visit can include the Australian Walkabout tour, which is a group tour which usually takes about 1 to 1 and a half hours long. The tour includes a visit to the Kangaroo, koalas, wombats, dingoes, echidnas and Australian birds. This is a great opportunity to visit these indigenous animals up close and personal, the tour even allows you to how koalas in your hand which is quite and experience, there is also plenty of time to take some photographs.
If you have the time I would also recommend taking the Wild Australia tour, which again usually last about 1 and a half hours. This tour is more of a hands on experience, you get involved with the zoo keepers and also get a chance to see what happens on a daily places in terms of how they look after the animals, how they feed them etc . The tour starts at either 10:00am or 14:00 pm. I was gob smacked when I had the chance to feed the baby kangaroos, its something that cant be done in most zoo’s and it really does add excitement to the zoo tour.

The zoo also offers Animal encounter packages, which charge you an additional fee to get up close and personal with some of the most magnificent animals, these include, Kangaroo, koalas, wombats, dingoes, echidnas and Australian birds. The package includes and induction tour and a photograph with you and an animal up close and personal. Fees for this type of package are as followed; The Koala Encounters cost $19:95, Reptile encounter $19.95, Hold and Owl is $19.95, the Seal encounter costing $39.95 and Giraffes in Focus costing $19.95

Animals:

The zoo has a wide variety of animals, which you may or may not have seen before. However, I found watching these animals so much more fascinating because they had some nice surrounding man made habitats. We also get a chance to see animals that you can only see in Australia; these include my favourite’s kangaroos and Koala. There are also a great deal of water inhabited animals such as hypos, which also adds some fear and excitement, getting a chance to see these wild and beastly animals.

The zoo also offers visitors a chance to stay at the zoo overnight in their accommodation facility, allowing you to be in a jungle type facility, sleeping under the starts and being close the animals. For more information please look at the following link.
http://www.taronga.org.au/western-plains-zoo/plan-your-visit/overnight-stay.aspx

Food:

The zoo also has several places were you can relax and have some breakfast and lunch, or simply some tea or coffee. There is a wide variety in terms of food and with a very scenic backdrop it makes it a brilliant and calming environment. Its very relaxing unlike some of the theme parks you go to where it’s packed, busy and full of kids.
The Taronga Food Market is a simple and convenient food hut, were you can pick up easy and quick food such as burgers and pizzas, chips, hot dogs to name just a few.
For alcohol you can visit the local licensed Café, which offers some cold beverages, which go down very well on a very hot summer’s day.

The local zoo shop is also there for visitors for people to purchase some great gifts that they can take back with them; these include photographs, key rings, and post cards.

Overall the zoo is a brilliant place for people to visits; it’s a really exciting hand on experience, which is very exciting. The exotic animals, the scenic views and the hands on experiences you can have make it one of the most exciting zoos in Australia.

From journal Things to See in Sydney

Taronga Zoo

  • January 9, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Parisbeba from New York , New York
Taronga Zoo

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 is undergoing a 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 and she gave us free passes to visit the zoo. The free passes made up for any disappointment 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.

From journal Flying Down Sydney Way

Taronga Zoo

  • September 24, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by pinkpassport from Corpus Christi, Texas
The zoo is a great place to see Australian wildlife up close and in one location. The sky chairs take you from the front gates up to the zoo. Great views! Can be done in one day. I don't really remember the price of admission.

From journal Living in Australia

Editor Pick

Taronga Zoo

  • August 8, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Howdymike from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Taronga Zoo

A popular destination in Sydney, and for good reason. Taronga Zoo is a very unique and pretty zoo that features animals you definitely don't see every day. It is built on the side of a hill right by Sydney Harbour to give at an interesting terrain, which can tire you out after a day!

The main appeal of Taronga is all the animals you can't see anywhere in the world except Australia. Right at the entrance you can pay AU$3 to get your picture taken with a koala, or if you just want to look at them up close and snap a few photos that is free. There is a fun kangaroo area where you pretty much just walk through they're little habitat and get up close. There are too many cool exhibits and animals to describe, but make sure you see the Red Pandas, the Platypus and Echidna, and the monstrous crocodile!

There are a number of shows and feedings throughout the day, but the one not to miss is the bird show. It's a cute show, but what makes it really spectacular is the backdrop of the city and harbour.

The best way to get to the zoo from city central is definitely the ferry. You can buy a ferry/zoo pass for around $30 r/t and on the ferry you get a great view of the city and harbour while passing right by the Opera House. Also, once you get off the ferry, you get to take a gondola skyride/skilift thing to the top and get a view of the zoo from above. Spectacular!

From journal Nine Days in Australia

A zoo with a view

  • January 30, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Koentje3000 from Hamme, Belgium

Taronga Zoo is located next to the Parramatta river, at the opposite site from the centre of the city. It lies on Bradleys Head road in the suburb Mosman. It is easily reachable by bus or by car, but definitely the most scenic way to come to the zoo is taking the ferry from Circular Quay in Sydney's city centre. A round trip ticket, including the entrance ticket to the zoo, will cost you 20-35 aussie bucks. Even if you don't like zoos or when you are short of money, you should take the ferry here at least one time (5AU$ one way), cause it offers superb views on the Parramatta river, the Harbour bridge, the Opera House and the CBD of Sydney.

The lower entrance to the zoo is just next to the wharf. A second entrance is foreseen at the upper edge of the zoo (it is built on the slopes of a hill) for people coming by bus or car. The zoo was started during the 1920's, quite old for a zoo. You can see this at the entrance gate, a nice neo-classical building. Just after the lower entrance is a bassin with seals and sea lions, with a seal show twice a day. Next stop is the African part of the zoo, with zebra's, camels and giraffes. A little bit further they do a bird show twice a day, with parrots and birds of prey. They even half a huge eagle flying over the heads of the public. Amazing!

Other very interesting parts of the zoo are the Asian part with Asian elephants and tapirs, the aviary where you can walk between storks, ducks and pelicans, the excellent serpenteria, with boa's, crocodiles, lizzards, toads and frogs, and the exquisite Australian nightlife experience. The latter one is not a pounding techno music bar full of drunk people (which can easily be found in Sydney, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings), but a darkened hall (your eyes need to adapt to the lack of light for a few minutes) packed with interesting Australian night creatures, like flying foxes, bats, possums, and an aquarium with platypuses. We were unable to spot these strange and timid animals, looking like a cross-bred between a duck and a beaver, but the movement in the water made it clear that they were somewhere.

You can spot many other animals in the park including wallabies, kangaroos, emu's, gibbons, gorillas, foxes, tigers, bears, etc. Last but not least, the zoo offers some spectacular views on Sydney Harbour and the city centre.

From journal Summer in Australia's Biggest City

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