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The Hunter Valley Zoo

4.8 (6 reviews)

The Hunter Valley Zoo Photos

Recommended Reviews - The Hunter Valley Zoo

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Meerkats with their 1 week old babies
Gavin S.

Took my daughter to Hunter Valley Zoo for the Meerkat experience. Had a fantastic time!! All the animal keepers are really friendly and knowledgeable and more than happy to stop and answer any questions. The zoo is designed so you can interact with all the animals - well except the lions of course. It's wheelchair friendly and they even have sunscreen available around the park which I thought was a great idea.

Ok so listen. I came from Texas (USA USA) and my only goal was to pet a baby kangaroo. I started the trip kind of worried because low key I thought that kangaroos were super under lock and key down here. PLOT TWIST! They let you pet them here. I saw one pop out of a pouch like WOOP and there he was. So cute. 10/10 would recommend. The lions are hella loud though so watch your kids when they are near those jungle cats

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Photo of Leland S.
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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

Hunter valley zoo has everything a zoo should have, friendly staff, amazing shows and lots of fun for the family

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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13 years ago

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Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park - Merrkats on my lap

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

4.9(7 reviews)
71.0 km

If I could give this place more stars I would. It's a small wildlife park so you can visit…read moreeverything it in a couple of hours. We did 4 wildlife encounters - koala, sugar gliders, meerkats and the wombat. It was ridiculously fun. And we also got the feed bags for the bunnies. We also saw the kangaroo feeding. Staff was superb. Easy parking, cute gift shop and the animals were well cared for. Thanks to Matt for bringing us to this great tucked away treat.

Want some outback experiences while visiting Sydney? Look no further…read more Managed to purchase 1/2 off admission tickets from groupon deals and thought that I would have to top up some money as it expired a few days before coming here. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and the lady at the front desk helped us out and gave us a map filled with instructions, animal encounters or feeding timings and the location of each attractions. The first encounter after opening the door towards the park was wild kangaroos as well as swamp wallabies hopping and emus strolling past us. It scared me a little as I thought they were in close proximity and most of the kangaroos are big in size. Then we went to the koala encounter area, alpaca, farm animals area, different birds, Tasmanian devils, reptiles, quolls, kookaburras, dingoes and some more that I forget the different names. It was an open enclosure and this section of the park is stroller friendly. My friend and I then did the trail. For the trail some parts are damaged by the continuous rain which happened the month before. And both of us got a little lost as there were no signs from the trail we went. But fortunately we managed to find the mount white lookout and headed to the visitor center through the boardwalk. Most of the animals were asleep when we arrived so going to the different talks or feeding sessions will give you more chances of taking pictures. Most of the animals were rescued animals but it blended well in the enclosures that they provided. The onsite rangers are well knowledgeable too and provided quite a number of information about the animal and his history during the mini talk sessions. There is an onsite souvenir store as well if you would like to grab yourselves soft toys, magnets, bells and more. For the food corner, you have to go to the store to make an order. Tried the fish fillet, chicken nuggets and hot chips. They were pretty delicious, wasn't too oily and good pricing too. Spent approximately 5 hours there and just looking at the animals were pretty relaxing for me especially for an animal lover like myself. I love how they try to preserve the wildlife aspects for the Kangaroos and emus so that they can freely roam around. It is definitely a hidden gem in Sydney :)

Photos
Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park - You get to pet the kangaroos!  Just approach them from the side and back, not the front!

You get to pet the kangaroos! Just approach them from the side and back, not the front!

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park - Momma with baby Joey (see his legs sticking out of her pouch)

Momma with baby Joey (see his legs sticking out of her pouch)

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park - Look who greeted us!

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Look who greeted us!

Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo

4.3(235 reviews)
117.0 km

Honestly a must-see while in Sydney! Really easy to take the ferry over and walk to the bottom…read moreentrance of the zoo. Definitely pick up a map as the zoo trails do lead all over. Plenty to see and do that it can easily take 4-5 hours of exploring. It's great to see their conservation efforts and animal research they do too! Learned a lot about different animals as well as they do a great job at educating all guests about their animals that you will see. We did pay extra to have a Koala close up experience and it was so worth it! You get to see beautiful koalas up close without touching them as not to disturb them. Such a wonderful and lovely experience!

After walking from our hotel, eating meat pies and drinking delicious hot coffee, we planned to…read morevisit Sydney's Taronga Zoo, located on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour in Mosman, New South Wales, Australia. Before arriving in Sydney, I researched Circular Quay's Sydney Ferry time schedules, routes, SINGLE ticket cost (as opposed to getting their multi-use and pre-paid Opal card), and which wharf direct to Taronga Zoo we'd depart from, and found that the one-way 12-minute ferry ride would only cost us $8.80 AUD or about $6.20 USD per person. The 12-minute ferry ride docked at the base of the Taronga Zoo, where public motor coaches were waiting to take passengers up to the top entrance. However, we also knew we could enter the zoo through its lower entrance, which was a scant 3-minute walk from the ferry wharf. We felt that it would be better on our legs to ride up to the top and walk down the zoo trails to exit than to walk uphill through the zoo. After passing through the Main entrance, we stood in line to get our admission tickets, then walked in and browsed the souvenir shop for memorabilia and to support their conservation efforts. The Taronga Zoo features Australian wildlife and exotic animals from around the world. I think I remember reading somewhere that this zoo houses about 4,000 animals from more than 350 species, and that walking the zoo trails takes about 3 hours or more because you'll make stops to enjoy the animals. We started our walk through the Australian animals trail, then continued down to the red pandas, Pygmy hippos, water buffaloes, and seals before exiting through the Lower Entrance. Unfortunately, their Sky Safari cable car has been closed since 2023, but they expect their new and improved cable car system to be operating soon. I've seen videos about the cable car system, and they remind me of our visits to the San Diego Zoo.

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Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo

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Sydney Wildlife World

Sydney Wildlife World

3.7(65 reviews)
120.3 km•Sydney

After visiting SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, we headed next door to WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo. While it was…read morestill an enjoyable stop, it was noticeably less impressive by comparison. The zoo itself is relatively small, and because we visited on a very hot day, many of the animals were either sleeping, tucked away in shaded areas, or simply not very active. As a result, parts of the visit felt a bit underwhelming, especially if you're hoping to see a lot of animal interaction. That said, there were still elements we appreciated. The nocturnal animal exhibits were interesting and gave us the chance to see species that aren't always easy to spot, which added some variety to the experience. We also enjoyed stopping by the koala café, which was a nice place to take a break and offered a fun opportunity to relax while still being surrounded by the theme of Australian wildlife. Overall, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo was a pleasant but brief visit and works well as a convenient add-on if you're already in Darling Harbour. While it didn't quite live up to the excitement of SEA LIFE, it still offered a few memorable moments and a chance to see some uniquely Australian animals.

If you want to get up close and personal with a koala (who wouldn't?!), this is the place. Four of…read moreus purchased tickets for their Koala Breakfast (A$90 per person), which included a private tour of the park, a hot breakfast buffet and photos with one of the adorable koalas. You'll need to arrive by 7:15A, but it's worth the early wakeup because you get to do all of this before the zoo opens to the general public later in the morning. Of course you can stay as long as you want after breakfast as well to spend more time with your favorite animals. At 7:15A, there were about 20 of us which the staff split into two groups for the tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the animals and paused at many of the exhibits to tell us more about them in detail. The tour lasted about one hour and then we headed up to breakfast with a perfect view of several koalas just perched in their trees. Koalas sleep for a large portion of the day, so we were lucky to catch so many of them in action. Unfortunately, the one that they had us take photos with was sleeping the entire time, but he was still so adorable with his head tucked into his knees. While you can't touch them, it was amazing to be able to stand so close, without any type of barrier between us. Breakfast was delicious and hearty, including all elements of an English breakfast... eggs, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, toast and fruit. I was even able to get my first (and last) taste of Vegemite from a tiny packet. Photos are available for printing immediately and you can get digital copies for an extra fee. After breakfast, we took another walk through the zoo at our own pace. I could spend hours watching the precious wombat, kangaroos, and wallabies. The Tree Kangaroo was so energetic and we felt a huge thud as he hopped down to the ground, whipping his tail back and forth as he scampered around his habitat. The Cassowary was also stunning and I marveled at its prehistoric claws. The Bilby and owls, a couple of the nocturnal creatures, were cool too. For these fellows, the zoo turns out the lights during open hours to trick them into thinking that it's nighttime, so we observed the Bilby running around. You also can't miss the fascinating platypus! There are many reptiles as well, for those who love the cold-blooded beings. I highly recommend getting an early start and purchasing the Koala Breakfast deal. I believe you can still get photos with the koalas via general admission, but it was nice to do that and be able to explore the park without large crowds. I appreciated this more personal experience which made for everlasting memories. 4.75 stars.

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Sydney Wildlife World - Satin Bowerbird

Satin Bowerbird

Sydney Wildlife World
Sydney Wildlife World

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The Hunter Valley Zoo - zoos - Updated May 2026

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