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.

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.

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!

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.

The Taronga Zoo can be reached via ferry. Your admission price allows you to ride the gondola up to the zoo entrance. Starting at the top of the zoo, you essentially walk down the hill and end back at the ferry terminal.

If you won't be getting out in the wild while visiting Australia, this zoo is a must. You can see all the native animals here: wombats, echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. They also had some animals I'd never seen at zoos before: tafirs, meercats, and tahrs.

They are building an Asian animal pavilion, which was unfinished when I was there.