Of course, a “must-do” while visiting Australia is getting up close and personal with some of Australia’s unique wildlife. I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall ever having a one-on-one encounter with a koala, kangaroo, or wallaby in my NJ backyard, so as an animal lover, I was definitely looking forward to seeing those little guys in person.
While some people choose to stay in the city and visit Sydney’s popular Toronga Zoo, Dad and I opted to take a short trip out of town to the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Blacktown. We chose Featherdale over Toronga primarily because of the attraction’s TripAdvisor ratings, the price ($27 vs $44 for adult admission, plus, we had a 20%-off coupon found in one of those free visitor’s guides at the airport), and due to the fact that we heard it was a more relaxed type of zoo.
Getting to Featherdale is easy via public transportation. From the city, simply take the North Shore and Western line to Blacktown Station. Upon exiting the train, locate bus stand 9 just outside the station. Then take the number 725 bus for a 10 minute ride which will drop you right outside Featherdale’s gates. For real-time train and bus timetable information, visit http://www.131500.com.au/.
Dad and I spent about 2 hours at the park in total. Aside from just koalas and kangaroos, there’s a variety of other attractions inside the park ranging from exotic bird exhibits, reptiles, penguins, etc. The cool thing about Featherdale is that they allow most of their animals to roam freely among the people.
Though some parks and zoos in Australia allow you to actually hold a koala at your chest, Featherdale does not. You are allowed to take photos next to a koala bear while petting it, but they do not allow you to pick up the animal.Â
In the kangaroo/wallaby section, you can have a cone of “kangaroo food” for a $1 donation, and they will eat the food right from your hand.
So what do you do with an empty cone? There are plenty of emus that will chase you around to eat it!
Overall, we had a great day at Featherdale, and I would definitely recommend visiting if you find yourself in Sydney!
P.S. – I didn’t include any photos of Dad feeding the animals for two reasons: 1. He looked ridiculously frightened and uncomfortable feeding a 12-pound wallaby and 2: He complained for days that I posted unflattering pictures of him in a previous post, LOL.
We were there a few years ago and loved it. My wife still has fond memories and many pictures of her with the animals. You definitly get up close and personel.
Thanks for posting! Rich and I are looking forward to visiting Featherdale later this year.
Your post brings memories. I had the best trip to Sydney last year.
I actually visited both Toranga Zoo and Featherdale. Each has its pros and cons. If someone is pressed for time or cost (adds up quickly in admission fees), I’d personally recommend Featherdale between the two.
Ouch!!!..Did Angelina just throw me under a bus.?….Park was fun..When we first entered park, I said look at the kangaroo”””…and a 4 year old girl quickly corrected me…..that’s not a kangaroo….it’s a wallaby!!Again…outsmarted by a 4 URL old….
Featherdale is an amazing place, great for a half day trip. When we went, it was the first stop on a tour to the Blue Mountains.
I loved feeding the kangaroos, wallabies, emus and a koala. I asked if I could feed the koala and they said he probably wouldn’t take anything from me. I grabbed a small branch with some leaves on it and he started chomping away!
I selected Featherdale over Toronga too, has a wonderful time. Easy to get to on train/bus.
I was there last year and think it was a great value and experience… As an FYI if you want to pick up a koala go to a zoo in Queensland where it is permitted, no zoo in NSW will allow you to pick them up.
This makes me want to go back to featherdale and aus and take that 21 hour flight
I didn’t know about Featherdale! I went to SYD back in 2011 and my friends and I went to Taronga Zoo for an entire day (we love animals!) I hope to visit Australia again in a few years and when I do, will make sure to visit Featherdale this time. Thanks for the tip!
I would have expected an actor to take non-blurry pictures…
Sorry for the tangent, but will you be posting about your Japan trip? I am going in a few weeks and look forward to your report/advice.