Atlas Kingsley_Taronga Zoo_Attractions_Sydney Short Term Rentals

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- Taronga Zoo

· Taronga Zoo sits on hills in Sydney's North Shore, offering spectacular views of Sydney Harbour, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge from its giraffe enclosure.
· Larger than the city zoo, it houses Australian native animals including koalas, kangaroos, wombats, platypus, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, and native birds. Other animals include chimpanzees, penguins, otters, rhinoceros, seals, raccoons, and reptiles.
· Visitors can interact with free-roaming kangaroos, but koalas are view-only. Koala photo opportunities require booking before 2:30 PM. Daily animal shows are featured.
· This hillside zoo offers two touring options: take the cable car up and walk down, or walk up and take the cable car down.

Transportation

Water Transport:

Sydney Ferries from Circular Quay (every 30 mins, 12-min trip)
Zoo Express by Captain Cook (connects zoo with Circular Quay/Watsons Bay/Darling Harbour)
Sydney Harbour Ecohopper from Manly Wharf or Circular Quay
Fantasea Cruising Sydney (twice daily from Darling Harbour Wharf 8 or Circular Quay)

Train:

Take train to Circular Quay for water transport
Or train to Central Station/Town Hall/Wynyard, then bus M30 (30-45 mins)

Bus:

M30 from city center (via Harbour Bridge)
257 from North Shore (transfer to M30 at Mosman Junction)
238 from Balmoral Beach
228 from Clifton Gardens
Northern beaches areas: Take bus to Spit Junction, transfer to M30

Admission
Standard tickets:

Adult: $45.90
Child (4-15): $27
Family 1 adult + 2 children: $88.80
Family 2 adults + 1 child: $105.60
Family 2 adults + 2 children: $129.60
Free: Children 0-3 years

Opening Hours
09:30-16:30 (May 1 - August 31)
09:30-17:00 (September 1 - April 30)

Location
Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia

Atlas Kingsley Apr 02,2025

To get to Taronga Zoo, you need to take a ferry from either Circular Quay or Darling Harbour. I bought a combined ferry and entrance ticket package on Itrip, which was quite affordable, and ticket exchange was conveniently located at the wharf. Though everything is digital now with QR codes, which was a bit disappointing for someone like me who likes to collect physical tickets.

The ferry ride from Circular Quay to the zoo takes just 15 minutes, offering beautiful views of the Sydney Opera House and refreshing sea breeze along the way. There are two ways to reach the zoo: either by cable car or shuttle bus up the hill. If you want to take the cable car, you need to specify this when buying tickets as prices differ. If buying online, make sure to read the information carefully!

The cable car ride is very quick - it feels like just 5 minutes to reach the top. Since this is a zoo, we couldn't get too close to the kangaroos for photos, but making eye contact from a meter or two away was still nice, especially considering it was a "boxing kangaroo." In the afternoon sun, the kangaroos were lazily lying on... leaves? weeds? fallen leaves?

While walking around, we came across a long queue and joined it. Only when we got closer did we realize it was for the tigers! Many children were excited to see the king of beasts, but after searching the entire enclosure, we didn't even see the tiger's shadow - all we heard were roosters crowing!

There's a shopping area at the exit where all proceeds go to animal conservation. The zoo also has camping facilities - I didn't look into the specific rules, but interested visitors can check them out. The scenery and environment are truly beautiful. We accidentally wandered into the children's area, which had lovely small animals and was designed very beautifully with attention to detail. The whole park design is excellent.

The zoo has two exits: one at the top where you can take the cable car down, and one at the bottom where you can take the shuttle bus. Both have gift shops!