Sydney’s Taronga Zoo worth a visit

Posted on January 28, 2008
Filed Under Travel |

Australia is by all means far away from every other place on this planet. A direct flight from Western Canada is 15 hours long. But once you get there, the beauty of the city more than makes up for the long trip. One of the attractions worth visiting when in Sydney is the Taronga Zoo.

The best way to reach the zoo is to take a ferry from Sydney harbor. The ferry leaves passengers at the bottom of the zoo which is situated on the side of a small hill. A small ride up using a gondola brings visitors to the entry while first enjoying incredible aerial views of the zoo animals.

Once you have entered the zoo, finding your way around is easy considering the many signs directing visitors and the fact that as long as you walk downhill you will eventually find your way back to the peer where you can take the ferry back to Circular Quay.

There is a large number of animals displayed here. There are many indigenous animals and birds on display and some from around the world. You can see elephants, lions, giraffes and tigers alongside kangaroos, wombats, platypuses, penguins and koalas. In fact, you can have your picture taken with a koala if you wish. One interesting fact I learned about koalas is that they spend a good 20 hours every day sleeping; the reason is their diet which consists of eucalyptus leaves. These low energy treats and the fact the leaves require lots of effort to be digested causes koalas to have little energy and spend most of their time sleeping. In other words, when you are at the zoo, don’t expect to see koalas doing anything exciting.

One animal display you don’t want to miss is the Western Lowland Gorilla group. It features a number of gorillas including a mother named Frala with her new baby which was apparently born this past Christmas. So, this gorilla baby is currently just 1 month old. See the baby holding on to his mother’s back in the photo to the left (click for a larger view.) The Silverback Kikabu is the father and leader of this group of gorillas. He is massive weighing over 200 kilograms. You can see him in the photo to the left as well. This is the largest gorilla I have ever seen.

In addition, an event worth seeing at Taronga Zoo is the bird show. In this half hour show, caretakers introduce a number of birds flying free and performing tricks. If you want to enjoy the experience of an owl flying inches over your head or a little parrot landing on your arm to take a donation from you then you should not miss out on the bird show. It was the most entertaining half hour I spent at the zoo.

The trip to the zoo cost me 44 AUD including the ferry ride to the zoo and back; I traveled with Matilda Cruises and their rocket express ship which is a pleasure to travel with including the entertaining commentary by the guide. Actually, the ferry ride was all worth it because other than the trip between Circular Quay and the Taronga Zoo, it stops on a number of locations and ticket holders are entitled to jump off the ferry to explore any area and take the next one back. If you want to enjoy dinner and refreshments after a long day at the zoo, then you can make a stop at Watson’s Bay and enjoy dinner and some good local beer with a great view of Sydney’s harbor.

Below is a small collection of the photos I took when visiting the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Click on the images for a larger version.