Recently, my parents and I were in Sydney for a special event that we all really enjoyed (if you’ve already seen my post about the Ramses exhibition you’ll know what I’m talking about). But we completed it within the first half of the day, leaving the afternoon with nothing to do but sit in the car, a very exhilarating activity I know, wink wink. As an avid animal lover, I quickly suggested going to the Wild Life Zoo, only a walk away from the car.
So, the three of us began to walk. That’s the great thing about Sydney, most places are within walking distance. The Sydney Wild Life Zoo is right next to the Sealife Aquarium and the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. If you had more time throughout the day, these three sights could all be seen together, and they even offer an activity package option when you pay for tickets, so they end up being cheaper together. We just saw the zoo, however.
As we walked in, our photos were taken so we could pick them up at the end of the exhibit. This is a really cute part of the park for kids, as they photoshop you into different scenes and scenarios, but as three grown adults, it could be a little awkward… Anyway, we walked up the ramp and finally got to see our first native animal, sleeping. A lot of the animals at the Wild Life park were asleep but they were still so cute. Although it’s a pretty small animal park, Sydney Wild Life is a great place to take kids to teach them about Australia’s endangered native animals. Yes, I know I’m an adult, but hey, I love animals so I’m still going to come here with my parents ok.
Because Sydney Wild Life is only home to Australian animals, there aren’t going to be many you haven’t seen at other zoos around here. It’s a fairly small wildlife park. But what they lack in size, they make up for in design and decoration. Now I’m not just talking about the enclosures here, the whole zoo is decorated with colourful paintings and creative animal statues for kids to explore and adults to admire. And apparently for dads to be silly and pretend they’re being eaten by a giant crocodile. Another thing I noticed about the design was how accessible it is for wheelchair and mobility aid users. Most levels are connected with shallow ramps or elevators for those who cannot use the few stairs that are there. You can really tell how much thought has gone into the design of the place.
Sydney Wild Life does have the cute and cuddly Australian animals like wombats, koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos. But I think my favourite animals here were the scaly ones. The snakes and lizards here were so unique, and they actually had quite a wide variety on show. I think other zoos focus on the cute, cuddly and exotic that they forget about the weird and wonderful. There were some gorgeous snakes, including a death adder, tiger snake and a diamond python, all with different colours and patterns. Now I wouldn’t be this excited about a snake if I saw one in the wild, but seeing them here behind the glass I couldn’t help but admire their beauty. They also had quite a few lizards, including the Australian favourite, the blue tongue lizard. Another one you don’t often see is the shingleback lizard, a reptile that seems to have a second head on the end of its tail. Honestly, I couldn’t tell which end was which.
An Australian zoo wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to get a photo with a koala. Now, in the past, you could get a photo while cuddling a koala, but these frequent cuddles with strange humans cause a lot of stress on the animals, so it is now illegal in most Australian states. So instead, Sydney Wildlife offers the option to get photos with koalas while the park rangers hold them. I would’ve jumped at the opportunity to do this as a kid who doesn’t need to worry about spending money, but as someone who works a part-time job, the price was just a little too much for me. Nevertheless, we sat down at the koala café and enjoyed the ranger’s talk about the cuddly animals with some food and water.
Yes, Sydney Wild Life is a little smaller than other zoos. But they really have packed in a great experience for all its visitors. It’s honestly so cute! I’ve been to a lot of zoos before and this one just has that small Australian park charm. If you want to take your kids to a fun and educational activity, or if you just want to get away from your adult life for a day, Sydney Wild Life is definitely the place to go.
All photos in this post are taken by me.
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