Taronga Zoo
- 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
The cable car ride is short but the views are absolutely stunning~~ City views in front and elephants below~~ (If I had to choose, this would be my #1 pick~~) You can ride the cable car back and forth without getting off~~ They stamp your hand when you enter the zoo~~ so you can leave for meals~~ take the cable car down~~ whatever you want~~ and come back later.
The koalas and kangaroos can't compare to Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary~~ so we didn't take photos with them~~ This trip was focused on giraffes~~ I'd read online that among all zoos, the giraffes here are the happiest~~ with the world's best views~~ That's why I initially came to Taronga - to see their giraffes (though surprisingly, maybe due to the continuous rain~~ the giraffes had been moved~~ but you could still enter their empty enclosure). I love Taronga's natural scenery~~ There's also a zoo at Darling Harbour in the city~~ if you're short on time and want koala photos, go there instead.
The tiger exhibit is probably small? (Only 2 tigers) Before entering, there's a ceremony~~ you queue up like at an airport (coincidentally Tiger Airways)~~ watch a short video~~ then "fly" to Southeast Asia to visit tigers~~ It's all designed with Southeast Asian style~~ There's also a viewing vehicle~~ that extends into the tiger area~~ Pretty cool~~ Kids would definitely love it. The bird show area has absolutely spectacular views~~
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