Taronga Zoo (and more)

Good morning Sydney! It was wonderful to sleep in a bit this morning and get going at our own pace. We had a few items on our agenda, but no specific timetable until our 8:40pm train to Melbourne. After checking out of our B&B (and leaving our heavy bags), we headed out to the Harbor Bridge Pylon lookout, a spot just under the bridge that offers great views of the harbor – and it did not disappoint!

We strolled around the harbor, enjoying the gorgeous weather – the sun was shining and the air was crisp and clean. We walked around to Circular Quay and boarded the ferry to the Taronga Zoo, Sydney’s zoo about 10 minutes down the harbor. As we rode up to the dock, you could hardly tell that there was a zoo amongst the trees and plantlife! Although it’s positioning on the hill meant a lot of uphill walking, the animals were a great distraction! Maybe Sarah should have written this entry… she’s definitely more into animals than I am! Here is the science-free lay-person’s account of our trip to Taronga:

There were a wide variety of animals, and we did not make it a priority to see them all… instead, we focused on the Australia-specific animals, and two of the presentations that seemed interesting. Two of the highlights for me were the mountain goats (I love watching them jump down and around the rocks!), and the tiny baby elephants – so adorable!!!

We made time to see the “Birds of Prey” presentation, and the view from the amphitheater alone was worth the trip to Taronga! It was incredible!!!

 
The bird show had some interesting birds, it was neat to see them fly around, but the best part was when they had one bird swooping through the audience. I was committed to getting an “extreme close up” picture, but I think I waited a second too long to duck – it was a close call!
 

After the bird show, we spent quite a bit of time in the exhibits of Australian animals – they are amazing! I got to see a platypus (it is so small!), a Tasmanian devil, an echidna, and a super cute and chubby wombat! The best part, by far, was the interactive section, which wasn’t a petting zoo, but did allow visitors to walk through an open area with an emu, wallabies, kangaroos, some birds, and other creatures. It was incredible to be face to beak with an emu (and a little scary!). One of the wallabies had a baby joey, and we got to see it peak out of its little pouch. It might have been one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

Sarah began to chat with the zookeeper (Cristal, my new best friend) who was wandering around the interactive zone, and after a few minutes, Cristal invited us to come pet one of the sunbathing kangaroos!!! She fed the kangaroo a little treat while Sarah and I pet the gorgeous animal. It was so incredibly soft! I wanted to cuddle right up to it, but I don’t think that would have been a good idea ;)

We ended up spending a bit longer at Taronga than we had anticipated, but the unexpected benefit of that was a sunset ferry ride back to the harbor. Watching the sun set behind the harbor was the best way to say goodbye to Sydney, and a perfect ending to our time there!