Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo

As a school holiday treat, and my Christmas present, my daughter and I stayed at the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo. We arrived at 3.30 pm and after checking, went for a guided tour in the enclosure in the retreat. There you get up close to potoroos, pademelons, and echidnas among other animals.

After the 20-minute tour, I then had an hour before the zoo closed so I raced through to the lions, tigers, giraffes, and elephants. It was great having the zoo more or less to myself as all the day-trippers left. I could get a prime position for photos without jostling with the public.

The retreat itself is lovely in both the public and private areas, so in the breaks between animal tours and the zoo itself, it's a lovely place to relax and enjoy the stunning city views

In order to have two beds in the room, we had to get the Treetop Suite, which has glorious views of the Harbour Bridge. Our room looked into the camel enclosure and right below us were the kangaroos. From the walkways, you can watch the animals in the retreat enclosure. Conveniently, the koala was at eye level so the animal watching doesn't need to stop when the zoo closes. There is a platypus in the pond at reception who puts on quite a show, and a peacock seems to stroll around as it pleases.

Our package included a three-course dinner in the Me-Gal restaurant. The views are spectacular and we had the added bonus of the Handa Opera on the Harbour fireworks mid-meal. The other dining option, which would have a spectacular view as well as in the bar, though the dining menu is limited, There are plenty of cocktails to wash it all down. Both dinner and the cocktails have a focus on local produce and Australian flavours, so it's a great experience for international tourists too. After dinner, we returned to the room for a movie and then bed.

In the morning we had a great tour before breakfast. This time learning about the Tasmanian Devils, many birds in the aviary, and the big kangaroos. During the night, we had a surprise fire alarm that required us to meet in the lobby for a few minutes while the fire brigade confirmed it was a false alarm. The bonus of this was the lyrebird repeating both the alarm and the 'evacuate now' noise. It was the most amazing thing to see. I've not really captured it in the linked video where he switches to kookaburra at the end. It really was incredible to behold.

After breakfast, it was time to check out. They will store your bags and you can spend the day in the zoo before leaving.

It is an efficient and fun way to see the animals up close, and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. It is the perfect getaway for kids, photographers and anyone wanting to do something a little different. It felt a world away from Sydney but still with the stunning harbour views!

Practicalities:

Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo 

Further reading:

Lions , More Lions, Echidna, Australian Birds, Kangaroos, Peacock, Platypus

Linking with #SaturdayCritters