Taronga Zoo

About

Taronga Zoo Sydney is a government-run public zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the Lower North Shore suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. It offers great views of Sydney Harbour and the city. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (May to August) and 9:30 am to 5:00 pm (September to April). Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning "beautiful view". It was officially opened on 7 October 1916. Taronga Zoo Sydney is managed by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales, under the trading name Taronga Conservation Society, along with its sister zoo, the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. Divided into various zoogeographic regions, the 28-hectare (69-acre) Taronga Zoo Sydney is home to more than 5,000 animals of approximately 350 different species. It has a zoo shop, a cafe, and an information centre.

The Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales opened the first public zoo in New South Wales in 1884 at Billy Goat Swamp in Moore Park, on a site now occupied by Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School. Inspired by a 1908 visit to the Hamburg Zoo, the secretary of the zoo, Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, envisioned a new zoo based on the bar-less concept. After realising that the Moore Park site was too small, the NSW Government granted 43 acres (17 ha) of land north of Sydney Harbour. A further 9 acres (3.6 ha) were later granted in 1916, and the zoo at its current site opened to the public on 7 October 1916.

The "Rustic Bridge" was opened in 1915 and was one of Taronga Zoo's earliest landscape features. It was the main way in which visitors could cross the natural gully that it spans. Early photographs show it as a romantic pathway secluded by plantings. The rustic effect was created by embedding stones in the wall and like the aquarium, its design was reminiscent of Italian grottoes.

A critical review in 1967 led to a new emphasis on scientific conservation, education and preservation. New exhibits were built starting with the Platypus and Nocturnal houses, waterfowl ponds and walkthrough Rainforest Aviary. A Veterinary Quarantine Centre was built as was an Education Centre (funded by the Department of Education). Previous attractions such as elephant rides, miniature trains, monkey circus and merry-go-round gave way to educational facilities such as Friendship Farm and Seal Theatre (these latter two exhibits completed in the late 1970s).

A gondola lift (known as the Sky Safari) was installed in 1987 and updated in 2000, transporting passengers between the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and to the top end of the zoo.

The gondola closed on 31 January 2023 due to reaching the end of its workable life. A proposed $105M redevelopment to create a more modern and fully accessible passenger experience, including larger gondolas capable of accommodating wheelchairs and prams, has been approved by the NSW Government following assessment. The project attracted community opposition, with concerns raised about the increased height and visual impact of pylons above the tree canopy, vegetation removal, and effects on harbour views, as well as the scale of associated infrastructure such as new stations and expanded queuing areas; Sydney Zoo also lodged an objection citing potential competitive impacts. The approved design retains the original route while reducing the number of pylons compared to the previous system and introducing new stations, landscaping and visitor facilities. Taronga Zoo stated the redevelopment is necessary to replace ageing infrastructure, improve access across the site’s steep terrain, and includes tree replacement, environmental and heritage management measures. Construction is due to commence in early 2026 with it scheduled to re-open in 2027-2028.

The "Rustic Bridge" was opened in 1915 and was one of Taronga Zoo's earliest landscape features. It was the main way in which visitors could cross the natural gully that it spans. Early photographs show it as a romantic pathway secluded by plantings. The rustic effect was created by embedding stones in the wall and like the aquarium, its design was reminiscent of Italian grottoes.

A critical review in 1967 led to a new emphasis on scientific conservation, education and preservation. New exhibits were built starting with the Platypus and Nocturnal houses, waterfowl ponds and walkthrough Rainforest Aviary. A Veterinary Quarantine Centre was built as was an Education Centre (funded by the Department of Education). Previous attractions such as elephant rides, miniature trains, monkey circus and merry-go-round gave way to educational facilities such as Friendship Farm and Seal Theatre (these latter two exhibits completed in the late 1970s).

A gondola lift (known as the Sky Safari) was installed in 1987 and updated in 2000, transporting passengers between the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and to the top end of the zoo.

The gondola closed on 31 January 2023 due to reaching the end of its workable life. A proposed $105M redevelopment to create a more modern and fully accessible passenger experience, including larger gondolas capable of accommodating wheelchairs and prams, has been approved by the NSW Government following assessment. The project attracted community opposition, with concerns raised about the increased height and visual impact of pylons above the tree canopy, vegetation removal, and effects on harbour views, as well as the scale of associated infrastructure such as new stations and expanded queuing areas; Sydney Zoo also lodged an objection citing potential competitive impacts. The approved design retains the original route while reducing the number of pylons compared to the previous system and introducing new stations, landscaping and visitor facilities. Taronga Zoo stated the redevelopment is necessary to replace ageing infrastructure, improve access across the site’s steep terrain, and includes tree replacement, environmental and heritage management measures. Construction is due to commence in early 2026 with it scheduled to re-open in 2027-2028.

The gondola closed on 31 January 2023 due to reaching the end of its workable life. A proposed $105M redevelopment to create a more modern and fully accessible passenger experience, including larger gondolas capable of accommodating wheelchairs and prams, has been approved by the NSW Government following assessment. The project attracted community opposition, with concerns raised about the increased height and visual impact of pylons above the tree canopy, vegetation removal, and effects on harbour views, as well as the scale of associated infrastructure such as new stations and expanded queuing areas; Sydney Zoo also lodged an objection citing potential competitive impacts. The approved design retains the original route while reducing the number of pylons compared to the previous system and introducing new stations, landscaping and visitor facilities. Taronga Zoo stated the redevelopment is necessary to replace ageing infrastructure, improve access across the site’s steep terrain, and includes tree replacement, environmental and heritage management measures. Construction is due to commence in early 2026 with it scheduled to re-open in 2027-2028.

In 2000, TCSA commenced a 12-year $250 million master plan, the majority of which is being spent at Taronga Zoo. The first major master plan item was the Backyard to Bush precinct which opened in April 2003. Under the plan, the zoo received five Asian elephants from the Thailand Zoological Park Organisation for breeding purposes, education, long-term research and involvement of conservation programs. The plan has met opposition from environmental activists in Thailand, who blockaded the trucks hauling the elephants to Bangkok International Airport for their flight on 5 June 2006. The elephants along with other Asian rain forest specimens are housed in the Wild Asia precinct which opened in July 2005 (the elephants arriving from quarantine in November 2006) and aims to immerse visitors in an Asian rain forest environment (though later renamed Rainforest Trail as included species from tropical Africa).

A marine section, Great Southern Oceans, opened in April 2008. Recently, the redevelopment and restoration of the historic entrance opened, further adding to the masterplan. The chimpanzee exhibit also underwent expansion work and re-opened as Chimpanzee Sanctuary allowing its residents more space and also to assist making it easier for the introduction of new individuals by splitting the areas of the exhibit when necessary.

The Centenary Theatre is a 160-seat immersive cinema that opened in 2016 as part of the zoo’s centenary celebrations. Designed with a curved timber façade and wrap-around screen, the theatre showcases wildlife conservation films throughout the day and hosts live presentations on weekends and school holidays.

The Tiger Trek precinct opened in August 2017, featuring multiple exhibits for critically endangered Sumatran tigers. Visitors experience an immersive simulation of travel to Sumatra, including a themed plane ride, a walk through a replica national park village and ranger station, and up-close viewing of the tiger habitats.

The Taronga Institute of Science and Learning was officially opened on 16 October 2018 by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The building, often referred to as “The Hive” due to its honeycomb-inspired architecture, serves as a centre for conservation education and scientific research. It brings together students, scientists, and educators, combining traditional classrooms with immersive, habitat-themed learning environments.

At its core are three immersive classrooms — Australian Desert, Rainforest, and Woodland — where students can learn alongside live animals such as bilbies, and cotton-top tamarins. The Institute also includes a 250-seat lecture theatre, laboratories for behavioural ecology and wildlife health, and the CryoDiversity Bank, which preserves genetic material from endangered species. Outdoor learning spaces include enclosures for echidnas, kangaroos, and koalas.

The Taronga Wildlife Retreat opened in October 2019 as part of the zoo’s broader Australian precinct redevelopment. The eco-accommodation offers rooms overlooking the red kangaroo exhibit and provides guests with guided access to native wildlife areas, including the Blue Mountains bushwalk trail and an outdoor platypus exhibit.

The African Savannah precinct opened in June 2020, redeveloping and expanding the zoo’s previous giraffe and zebra habitats. The new design includes mixed-species exhibits, such as giraffes ostriches and zebras sharing the “Waterhole” enclosure, as well as new habitats for African lions, fennec foxes and meerkats. The African lion habitat was temporarily closed in 2022 following an incident involving five cubs and their father escaping into a secondary containment area; no injuries occurred, and the enclosure reopened after a year of upgrades.

In 2023, the zoo opened the Nura Diya Australia precinct, following a five-year redevelopment of the former Australian Walkabout and Nocturnal House areas. The precinct complements the Taronga Wildlife Retreat, which opened nearby in 2019. The new Nocturnal House, Nightwing Nura, features bilbies, ghost bats, short-beaked echidnas, spinifex hopping mice ; and J.R, who is presently the only Barton's long-beaked echidna to be living outside of his species' wild range in Papua, (and is over 55 years old now). It also includes a platypus named Matilda, she was named after the Australian national women’s soccer team, who's nickname are The Matildas.