Wild Life Sydney Zoo

My first trip here was actually for a very special reason. The staff were super accomodating and made lots of arrangements (all free!).
The park itself is large and contains a great variety of animals to satisfy anyone. Additionally you can have a Koala breakfast that involves a full tour of the park along with a brekafast and cuddles with Koalas!
Highly recommend for tourists or any Sydneysiders who haven’t been before. Very accesable friendly!

We visited this zoo on a Saturday in December 2014, and it was sooo crowded! The animals are nice to see, but we were glad we took the 63 $ pass for 5 attractions because otherwise it would have been really too expensive for what it is. Animals are behind windows, you cannot even get really close to the Kangaroos… It really seems like a prison and we did not like it so much…

I went there this weekend with my girlfriend to see breakfast with koalas and it was amazing.
I give it 3 stars not because the place had any major flaws, it’s more about finding the whole concept of having animal in small spaces unpleasant. «Then, why do you still choose to support them with your presence and your money?» shall you say. Well, I had never seen koalas, I had breakfast with them and it was awesome. It was morally reprehensible and I’m not proud of it. We all have our contradictions. And still I loved every moment of having breakfast with them. My girlfriend almost cried. If she had got to hold one I’m pretty sure she would have pissed herself.
The experience at any other time may be annoying: the place is crowed with kids punching the windows and therefore you want to slay them all, it may get too crowed to enjoy of the animals at your own pace and it can get loud. «Kindergarten day out» kind of loud.
Still, with the breakfast with koalas activity, you get to go at 7:15 and have the zoo staff guide you through the zoo in a quick tour before the zoo even opens at 9AM. Apparently the groups tend to be about 10 people, up to 30 in busy days. The day we went we were in a 4 person group, including ourselves.
After you’ve seen the wallabies, kangaroos, the wombat and the Tasmania devil among other animals, you get to the cafeteria, which is surrounded by the koala’s habitat. There you have a breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, sausages, tomato and beans, if you like. You can also choose to have some cereal if that’s what you’re into it.
The whole time you get to watch the koalas in their most active time of the day, including jumping from branch to branch, a little bit of fighting, and mostly sleeping. You also get the chance to stay in the park for the rest of the day, a picture with them and a code to download the rest of the shoots of the day. I haven´t been able to redeem that last one though, apparently there are some technical issues in their end. Still was a pretty good Saturday.

Loads of animals here but depending on the timing, most animal might be asleep around 1−2pm.
Located at Darling Harbour, just go straight from the information center. After walking about 10 minutes or so from the Darling Quarter’s Wilson Parking lot, you will reach this place.
On its website, it stated that you could park for $ 15 if you park at the Darling Quarter’s Wilson parking lot. It took me awhile to find especially when there are 3 different Harbour street locations in the navigation system I used. I had to do quite a bit of loops here and there before finally arriving to this parking site. (You would have to validate it at the Sea Life Aquarium site).
This zoo looks quite small from the outside but it does carry quite a range of animals (mostly Australia related). There are interactive exhibitions too especially at the kangaroo or wallaby encounters section. Like I mentioned earlier, the timing is crucial as you might not find hopping animals.
While entering this zoo, they will take a picture of you and will present you a book which is worth purchasing especially when it had facts about the animals I saw. Was definitely a good souvenir to take home.
There is also a café at the Koala encounters. Didn’t explore there but explored the gift store instead. The gift store had a range of items and the most worth it souvenir for me was the snow globe with the word Wild Life Sydney Zoo and the year 2015 on it. I do collect snow globes so it was definitely a bonus for me at $ 10 (extremely affordable) too.

I bought the Merlin 5 attraction pass on line before arriving. This is way cheaper than doing it in person. Buy before you leave because you have to print off the voucher and present it. My first ever sighting of a real life Tasmanian devil, koala bear, and other creatures I did not even know existed was at this zoo. I could sit and watch the koala all day. But I would be sitting on the ground because they have no benches in front of the koala. And I waited for the 4pm koala talk and the zookeeper never showed. I later learned that although the other zookeeper talks are in front of the animals, the koala talk is upstairs, outside at the overprices koala photo spot. Anyways, the zoo is indoor and hot, the AC must have been broken. It is small and can be done in an hour or more if you like to learn about the animals and want to watch them sleep/​play/​eat. There is a snack area ontop of the building (the bottom floors are the wax museum) that is open air. That is where you can get a photo with a koala for $ 20 or $ 25 (I forget). You cannot touch the koala, but can get close to it. Save your money for the Featherdale Wildlife Park Zoo where you can pet the koalas and kangaroos for the price of admission. I am glad I went to this zoo. It is a better deal with the attraction pass; and for those only in Sydney for a few days this zoo is well worth the visit. I did not go to the Taranga Zoo so I cannot compare the two if you only had a day. But if you had to choose between this zoo and Featherdale Wildlife Park Zoo, I would chose Featherdale.

I bought my ticket online for a discount and I got to skip the line. It is located near Sea Life Aquarium, IMAX, Madame Tussaud’s and across the water from Maritime amusement.
I was so thrilled to see koalas and other animals native to Australia. They have keeper talks at certain times. Zoo keepers talk about certain animals like cassowary, wallaby, kangaroo, koala, etc. They have loud parrots that pooped on a tourist. Crocodile Rex — I’ve never seen a crocodile that gigantic. Yikes! They have snakes, pythons, lizards, salamanders, nocturnal animals, Tasmanian devils, echidnas, wombats, etc.
I finally got to the koala section. They were sleeping. Oh so cuuuuute! So, I got suckered into buying souvenir photos with them so I can get upclose to these warm, furry darlings. The keeper and photographer told me to move closer to one of the koalas but don’t hold onto the faux tree branches. «Move your head closer to the koala», she said. I looked up and had white furry koala balls in my face. Gah!
I was so happy to have been here. This is how I wanted to spend my first day in Sydney. It only took 1.5hours of my time so I had lots of time to do other things.

No coupons = More $$
This place is small and can be done in less than an hour if you don’t take your time. We came at around 4 PM and had only about 1 hour to walk around because it was booked for a party that day which sounded crazy. I was disappointed because I was not able to hold a Koloa to hug and take pictures with, but at least I get to feed and touch a kangaroo right next to me… that made my day with it being so close to me and it being so cute

It was raining at the time when we went in, so we decided to head indoors to check this out. It was expensive, but there are some online discounts available, so try to book ahead. I didn’t like that it shares the building with Madame Tussaud’s as I’m very creeped out by wax figures.
There are a good amount of educational talks they do, which was nice, try to time your trip to catch these. You do get to see a nice range of wildlife here, and the crowds weren’t too bad. Loved the koala talks.
This is perfect if you won’t have the chance to see a bigger zoo or get out of Sydney during your stay in Australia. But once we went to the Australia Zoo, it was a much bigger deal than this zoo.

I’m not a huge fan of zoos, but the animals here didn’t seem to upset or unhappy. I really enjoyed seeing animals that I’ve only read or seen photos of, especially the koalas and other marsupials. There are lots to see from insects, ants, and a gangster crocodile! Say hi to the koalas for me unless they’re sleeping! And bring the kiddos. It’s quite interactive.

It’s a cute little indoor zoo, and a great way to get a look at lots of uniquely Australian creatures without leaving Sydney. We were just passing time after the aquarium, hoping the rain would let up, so we didn’t do the whole thing. Rex, the massive crocodile, is worth a peak! We also enjoyed the rock wallabys, the giant flightless bird, the ant exhibit, the bats, the possums, and the large collection of reptiles. It was neat to get a closer look at all the snakes!
I think it’s worth checking out if you have kids, you’re looking for something indoors and climate controlled, and/​or you won’t make it to another wildlife park or zoo while in Australia.

Ok, Wild Life Sydney is not quite on the same scale as Taronga Zoo. BUT – dare I say it? – I actually liked it quite a bit better than the Sydney Aquarium, its next-​door neighbor at Darling Harbour. And in a couple of ways it even rivaled its larger competitor across the bay.
First off, it’s less crowded than the aquarium and zoo, so we felt much less stressed and claustrophobic walking around than at the other places.
Second, it’s interactive! We found a few spots where the animals are allowed to wander/​waddle/​fly in or around the same areas as the visitors themselves. I spent a decent amount of time in the tropical room allowing a butterfly to perch upon my hand, and attempted to lure a parrot in the koala area to do the same (no cigar on that one: P). I had the chance to pet a flock of baby emus but I chickened out (even the chicks are a tad too rambunctious for me). And we were able to get really close to a couple of kangaroos and kookaburras.
In addition, the majestic cassowary is one of the park’s main attractions, in my opinion. It’s a gigantic, beautiful bird that looks like it just stepped out of a Lady Gaga music video. Awesome.
I’m glad we had the afterthought to grab the combo ticket to Wild Life Sydney when we went to the aquarium earlier in the day. It was unexpectedly very fun!

To be fair I haven’t been here for almost exactly a year, but my experience wasn’t all that great. Having said that I found it better laid-​out and more interesting than the Taronga Zoo. There is even a large area with Kangaroos in it. If you’re after just a little bit of Aussie wildlife and a quick visit, this might just be your thing. It’s well setup for kids and doesn’t take too long to explore.

It’s a good indoor zoo with air conditioning and a nice selection of animals. We went here with a group of students and parents while we were in Sydney and enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t as thorough as other zoos. Wild Life Sydney is conveniently located in Darling Harbour surrounded by restaurants and other attractions, so you don’t have to go far to see the animals if you are short on time.
I liked that it was a single path one way exhibit, because I was trying to make sure all 23 people in my group were heading in the right direction and on time. We enjoyed the outdoor Cassowary exhibit, crocodile area (that guy is huge!), and all the other animal exhibits. We especially liked the bit upstairs where you could hang out and watch the Koalas up close and personal. Some people in my group paid the extra money to go into the Koala area and get a photo with them. They were happy with their experience.
I don’t have any complaints about Wild Life World, it’s just not amazing. It’s very accessible to the city and very well done for what it is. If you have limited time and are in Sydney, this is a great place to see some Australian wildlife.

It’s like a zoo, only indoors-​ier! If you make a bit of an effort you can go see the animals that don’t suffer from agoraphobia at Taronga Zoo — at least there you get to appreciate the view as well as the animals, and if you don’t have the foresight to book ahead for Wild Life Sydney, it’ll cost you a similar amount. And due to the constraints of an indoor zoo, you won’t see as many animals — giraffes would struggle for sure.
Zoos tend to get a bad rap anyway from animal welfare people, but at least there they have fresh air to breath, and Taronga has the harbour breeze on top of that, so surely that’s gotta be pleasant for the elephants. Wild Life Sydney just makes you think of animal jail — although I’m sure they’re treated perfectly well, it just seems far too claustrophobic for animals that are used to being roaming around the great stretches of Australian land (or rainforest, depending on the species).

Sometimes Taronga Zoo can just feel like a bridge too far. Quite literally in fact, if you don’t happen to live north side.
This is when Wild Life Sydney comes into its own. Perfect for the time-​poor tourist wanting to see a koala before they fly out, this light and bright ‘animal adventure park’ is just the ticket. In fact keep an eye out for a combo pass and you can duck into the Aquarium next door as well (plus Ocean World if you fancy a ferry ride over to Manly).
A friend and I decided to play tourist one day and this double bill was a delightful way to spend a morning. There are plenty of informative installations and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say this place is at all ‘adventurous’, there is definitely something cool about checking out a wallaby, a koala and a huge sodding croc mere moments from downtown Sydney.

The first week that I landed in Sydney, I wanted to do all things touristy. And right on top of that list was seeing a Koala, Kangaroo and a Platypus. As i was in the city and strolling across Darling Harbour, it made perfect sense to mark it off the list by visiting Wild Life Sydney.
Australia does’t have any real Wild Life. I mean, there are no Tigers, or Cheetah’s or wild scary animals. The Australian wildlife is more gentle. In saying that, Australia is known to have the ten most deadliest snakes and other animals you will never see in any other part of the world.
I loved seeing the super cute koalas, the huge Croc, baby emus, and ghost bats!
You can usually buy a combo pass to see the wild life world and the Aquarium or even buy a ticket to see the Oz Tower. More about that in another review.

When I have friends in from overseas they often have two things in common. First, they are time poor. Second, they want to see something «Australian».
This place does both fantastically. Not only is it totally weather friendly (as most of it is under cover), the single path and one way nature of the exhibits makes sure you see everything (and makes it harder to loose children).
I especially like the motion sensor bit just after the croc exhibit. Be careful… crocs attack… :-)
If you really need to kill time, why not try the double pass that includes the Aquarium. Makes for a good family day out.

Looking for a great weekend getaway for your family? Wild Life Sydney has always been a wonderful attraction, especially for the kids!
Wild Life Sydney has got the most adorable koalas, colourful butterflies, beautiful birds, kangaroos, a monstrous five-​metre crocodile and a lot of other interesting creatures and critters from the bush. Wild Life Sydney is such a lovely paradise in the heart of the city. It’s a great place to take some timeout from the hustle of the city.
They are open all year round from 9am to 5pm. When you go, don’t forget to watch their daily feeding sessions, educational talks and entertaining shows for a complete Wild Life Sydney experience!