Six Of The Best Animal Activities In Sydney

By: Sarah Stores, ellaslist explorer

My boys love animals. Big, small, furry, scaly, slimy, sweet and scary. We love them all. We are regulars at the fabulous Taronga Zoo but our munchkins are such animal fiends that we have branched out and discovered some other animal based activities across Sydney. See our six of the best below!

1. Go on a Spotlight Prowl Tour of Centennial Park
Centennial Park is beautiful at dusk but it is also filled with an array of creatures. Join the tour, bring a torch and discover all of the parks nocturnal creatures from bush tail possums, micro bats and tawny frogmouths. The flying foxes were a clear favourite with our munchkins.

2. Australian Reptile Park
This large facility was a surprisingly delightful day for me and my kids. There is a HUGE crocodile enclosure, roving kangaroos, a lost world of reptiles for all your reptile fans that also love Indiana Jones style exploring, a spider world, wombats, giant turtles, koalas and more. It is a great large space which is perfect for kids to run around in and discover. The picnic tables in the sun are very inviting and the playground is almost as huge as the crocodile enclosure and a LOT of fun. Worth the drive from the centre of Sydney and a great day out.

3. Featherdale Wildlife Park
The perfect spot for your little one to pat, cuddle and feed a kangaroo! This (partially) free range zoo is great for little ones. It has an excellent selection of animals which are easily accessible for the kids and the barn yard area is an all-time favourite for our kids.

4. Aquarium
We have two excellent aquariums in Sydney. For pre-school aged kids (and under) I love the Manly Aquarium as it’s small and usually pretty quiet but still has a great selection of animals. The penguin display is very cute and the underwater tunnel has a great selection of sharks and turtles (it’s great at shark feeding time!). As an added bonus it also has a fabulous soft play area. For a bigger and busier adventure the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour is also excellent and the Octonauts display is a big hit!

5. Wildlife Sydney Zoo
If you adventure into the Darling Harbour aquarium it’s worth combining it with a trip to Wildlife Sydney Zoo. There are a lot of Australian animals and it is a well-designed space that is easy to navigate and run through. The butterfly enclosure is a special place!

6. Petting Zoo at the Entertainment Quarter
Every Wednesday and Sunday on the markets days at Entertainment Quarter there is a great little petting zoo which is friendly and accessible for kids of all ages. You can feed and pet a range of goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens and they often have brushes to tame the unruly hair of the animals! A $5 ticket allows you entry in and out of the petting zoo all day which is great as you can combine your trip to the yummy markets, great playground or jumping castles that are there on the same day.

 

ABOUT SARAH STORES

I’m Sarah. A Mum of two over-active boys and a self-confessed Sydney tragic. I love living in, exploring, discovering and experiencing all Sydney has to offer. Having lived in Sydney most of my life I have loved exploring it as a grown up but now as a Mum I’m relishing re-discovering my passion for Sydney through the eyes of my boys. I love planning and executing our regular family outings to explore new things in Sydney. As a working Mum, it is a great way for our family to stay connected and have fun together. I would love to spend all my time travelling the world but given I live in the real world of mortgages and jobs we see exploring Sydney as tourists as the next best thing. You can follow our adventures on Instagram at SarahStores