Read just about any “Things to do in Sydney” article that Google can supply for you, and you’ll undoubtedly see Taronga Zoo over and over as one suggestion. But Tarogna Zoo has little to offer in uniqueness when it comes to zoos. If you’ve been to any major zoo, you’ll find that Taronga is just the same old, same old. If you want a real Australian wildlife experience, skip Taronga Zoo, because Featherdale Wildlife Park is where it’s at.
It’s less crowded
How irritating is it when you visit a place and you’re just stuck roaming through crowds? Ugh! Featherdale Wildlife Park is smaller than Taronga, and a little further out from Sydney’s city center. This means it has much less crowding than Taronga Zoo. At Featherdale, you have a better chance of getting good up-close views of the animals, and can spend more time at the exhibits rather than feeling rushed.
It’a all about Australian wildlife
Australian wildlife is made up of some of the most unique species on our planet. Visitors to Australia don’t need to waste their time looking at elephants or gorillas, when those animals aren’t even native to the area. Featherdale Wildlife Park isn’t going to waste your time with animals you see at every other zoo. Here, you will see everything Aussie: koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, and even tasmanian devils!
They’ve got great talks
Lots of zoos offer talks where a zoo keeper will talk to the public about different animals and offer lots of good information. The talks at Featherdale Wildlife Park are even cooler because they introduce you to the unique animals of Australia. For example, did you know that a female tasmanian devil can give birth to up to 40 joeys at one time? Or that dingoes actually don’t bark? I sure didn’t until I listened to Featherdale’s awesome animal talks.
You can make new friends
A visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park will give you lots of opportunities to make new friends with the locals. They have several areas you can enter, where kangaroos and wallabys roam freely. With a $2 purchase of animal food, you’ll be making friends in no time. As always, please be respectful of the animals in these areas. No chasing or holding onto the animals. And watch your fingers because the animals do have teeth…
Save your dollars
Of course, we can’t overlook the fact that a visit to Featherdale Wildlife Center is cheaper than the Taronga Zoo! Entrance for one adult to Taronga is currently $46AUD, while a trip to Featherdale will only set you back $31AUD. That’s a difference of $15 you can use towards bringing home a sweet souvenir from the gift shop! Or hey, you can even donate it to help keep Featherdale Wildlife Park and it’s initiatives in operation.
So there you have it. While you are planning your Sydney itinerary, go ahead and cross Taronga Zoo off your list and replace it with Featherdale Wildlife Park. You won’t regret it!
*Photos taken by my amazingly talented husband who has a much better camera than I.
Looking for more to do in Sydney? Check out How to do Sydney in One Day and these 15 Free Things to do in Sydney. Or, try taking a day trip out to the Blue Mountains!
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10 Comments
Australia has the best wildlife! I love doing off-the-beaten-path things too, they’re almost always better than the touristy counterparts. This is a great post to get the word out there!
Great advice, this is the kind of zoo that would capture my attention. Love how you can reach over a touch the animals. Would love to have some cuddle time with the Koala. Best of all they are all native to Australia.
Didn’t even realise this existed. Obviously Taronga gets all the attention. This place looks great though and it’s always wonderful to be able to avoid heaps of crowds. Certainly a cheaper option too. Those prices have increased quite a bit since I was there last.
Now this is my kinda wildlife park!! You had me at the cute Koala Picture! I’m not a big fan of overly busy zoos so this place would be perfect for me!
We did exactly what you suggest and skipped Taronga Zoo when we recently visited Sydney, having recently visited the excellent and super cheap Taipei Zoo. Unfortunately we were unaware of Featherdale Wildlife Park, as we may have given that a go. It looks really good.
I like the idea of visiting a place with only Aussie animals! It would be a truly Aussie experience and that is what people out of Australia really want to see when they come to Australia. The park is now on my Aussie list! Thank you!
The photos of the animals are incredible! It’s really hard to enjoy a zoo that’s overcrowded, so I’d definitely have to skip out on the zoo and visit this wildlife park whenever I’m in Sydney.
I’d love to see the koala and kangaroo!
I love this idea. I went to Featherdale a long time ago, but remember distinctly patting the kangaroos – which was awesome! Can’t do that in Taronga!
Thanks for sharing, this is why I love reading travel blogs because you always find cool alternatives to the more touristy places! We will be travelling through Australia later this year so we’ll keep this in mind!
Nice place. I would love to see a Tasmanian Devil up close and personal; however, that is a long way to go to do so. Great review and write up about the zoo option. 😉