Taronga Zoo

Visiting

From the main entrance at the top, work your way down through the exhibits and finish at the lower gate beside the wharf. Plan the route around the free shows: Seals for the Wild runs at 11am and 2pm, and Free Flight Birds flies condors, cockatoos and galahs against the city skyline at noon and 3pm, weather permitting.

On busy days the seal queue forms half an hour early. At the bird show, sit near the end of a row, where birds land close.

Keeper talks run through the day, from the rhino in the morning to the koalas and kangaroos in the afternoon. For lunch, the lawns beside the amphitheatre look out over the Opera House, but keep an eye on your food: brush turkeys and ibises raid the picnics.