Sydney in a day

nanoboy

nanoboy

Well-Known Member
I can only get out to Sydney for one full day for a while to visit zoos. Which do you recommend I visit? What's my itinerary? Any zoos offer animal encounters that I can't get in Melbourne?

Cheers.
 
I seriously doubt you could do Dubbo in combination with anything (if you really want to see Indian rhino). So you've got the aquarium and Wildlife World or whatever its called this week, which obviously are right next to each other, and if you have your own transport and it isn't your first visit, then Taronga could be slotted in as well if you rush. I'm not sure if you can fit Manly in as well?

Bonus: long-beaked echidna is back on display apparently at Taronga.

If you haven't been to Taronga before, then I'd say just do that and do it well. Loads of interesting things to see there.

EDIT: I just remembered, aren't the aquarium and Wildlife World open till evening? If so then you could do Taronga in the first part of the day and the other two in the afternoon.
 
I have thought about this for myself because I haven't been to sydney in about 4 years. My plan is to go to the Zoo during the day and then the aquarium after 5 or 6pm for the dugongs. Wildlife World can probably be skipped because there's nothing there that I haven't seen before.
 
Thanks folks. We went to the wildlife world and aquarium back in 2009, but we have never been to Taronga. So there's no way of doing Dubbo and Taronga in one day? What about smaller wildlife parks within 1 hr drive of the airport?
 
I just had a look on the map - why would anyone drive 5hrs from Sydney to Dubbo? Maybe I can fly to Dubbo.
 
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so go to Taronga first (opens at 9.30am) and then depending on how much time you spend there, you afterwards drive to Manly Sealife (closes 5.30pm), then drive to Darling Harbour and go to Sydney Wildlife and Sydney Sealife (both close late, around 7 or 8pm?). [You can get a three-attraction ticket encompassing the last three if you know you can make it to all three]

Or drive to Dubbo and back.
 
it's up to you but i would go to Taronga nice and early and spend the day there. If you have time pop in to the aquarium. In my opinion a slowly paced walk around taronga would be more enjoyable then a full day trying to see everything in sydney. up to you but.
 
I assume you're flying into the airport....so I'd catch a taxi to Circular Quay and get the ferry over to Taronga to arrive at opening time. You can easily spend almost the entire day there and not get bored. However, I'd catch a ferry back around before 4pm and then go to Darling Harbour for the Aquarium. Personally I wouldn't drive anywhere in Sydney as you'll just get stuck in traffic and then have to try and find overly priced parking spots, particularly if it's mid-week when the traffic is particularly bad (whereas it's relatively cheap and a quick and scenic trip on the ferry). If you are staying the night in Sydney, then splash out and do the Taronga sleepover :)
 
Jet said:
I assume you're flying into the airport....so I'd catch a taxi to Circular Quay and get the ferry over to Taronga
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The train from the airport to Circular Quay is cheaper and, usually, quicker. Especially on a week day.
 
Thanks guys. So, train from the airport to Circular Quay, and then the ferry to Taronga for a 9:30am start.

We have been to the aquarium and the touristy wildlife centre in the city, so we will give them a miss. It sounds as though we can fit in Manly as well. Maybe we can fit in Featherdale, but is there anything there that we haven't seen already at Victoria's wildlife parks?
 
nanoboy said:
Thanks guys. So, train from the airport to Circular Quay, and then the ferry to Taronga for a 9:30am start.

We have been to the aquarium and the touristy wildlife centre in the city, so we will give them a miss. It sounds as though we can fit in Manly as well. Maybe we can fit in Featherdale, but is there anything there that we haven't seen already at Victoria's wildlife parks?
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remember that both the Merlin places have changed since 2009. And Manly is very small so you will only need a shortish amount of time there.

But as has been mentioned before, make Taronga your priority because there's lots there (including heaps you won't see in Melbourne) and just fit in the others if you have time at the end.
 
nanoboy said:
Thanks guys. So, train from the airport to Circular Quay, and then the ferry to Taronga for a 9:30am start.
It sounds as though we can fit in Manly as well. Maybe we can fit in Featherdale,
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If you have only got one day, think no further than Taronga. You will regret having to leave, and miss so many things, just to rush off to Manly. Manly will involve a ferry trip back from Taronga to Circular Quay and then another ferry trip to Manly. Lots of travel time and down time for what? Read Chlidonias' review - that sums it up well enough. Better to spend quality time at Taronga.

You won't have time to do Taronga and anywhere else [including Featherdale] in the one day.

For your next trip why not plan a couple of smaller parks in the one day - Featherdale is a must and don't overlook Symbio.

Or take a couple of days and hire a car and do a southern round trip - Symbio, Nowra, Mogo and up to Canberra then back to Sydney.

You can even do DDZ in one day;) We recently had a senior person fly up from Melbourne Zoo on a [very] early flight, come out here for the day and then fly back that night!
 
I agree whole heartedly with Steve - just do Taronga.

Next time you can do the others as he suggested - and don't forget the Australian Reptile Park an hours drive north of Sydney.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
don't forget the Australian Reptile Park an hours drive north of Sydney.

:p

Hix
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If you are going to go north, take two days, hire a car and do the Reptile Park [much more than reptiles], Hunter Valley Zoo and Billabong Zoo at Port Macquarie.

You could start or finish either your southern or northern tour with Featherdale which is in Sydney's west.
 
From what I know of you, you like Encounters.
I'd recommend going to Featherdale. It's very hands on.
It's in Doonside which is a fair bit out of Sydney, but yeah. You can pat lots of kangaroos and Koalas and see lots of birds, I quite like it.
 
Thanks guys! I do love my animal encounters. :D It sounds like I must do Taronga in one day and fit in the other touristy ones in the city if there is spare time. Then I can fly back up to do the smaller wildlife parks (e.g. Featherdale) in one trip, and Dubbo in another. If Steve has any special encounters, then I will definitely fly to DDZ! :D
 
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