Taronga: Zoo on a Hill - Sydney - TravBuddy

Going to the zoo in Sydney is certainly a fun day out! Taronga Zoo sits on a hill on the opposite side of the harbour to Circular Quay, and the ferry takes you right to the entrance of the zoo. It's a 12-minute journey with excellent oppurtunities for taking photos of the Bridge and Opera House. You also get a good idea of how far the urban sprawl that is Sydney spreads. From the water it looks much like an Asian city, with multi-rise buildings that have crept right up to the banks of the water.

The ferry takes you to the zoo's lower entrance, and from there you can take a cable car to the top of the zoo. Then, you walk back down, seeing the animals on the way. It would work quite well except that we didn't plan our routes properly, not to mention we ended up running up and down the hill to catch all the animal shows. Don't wear high heels! I don't know why you would but I thought I should warn you in case, since a lot of the girls at the zoo that day were in a dress and high-heels (it was Valentine's day)!

I feel like in most zoos the best enclosure is often the elephant one, which was the case for Taronga Zoo, but probably the most unique enclosure was for the giraffes and zebras. Not because it was anything special, but because it backed into a classic view of the harbour. Since Africa I've sort of felt that taking photos of African animals at zoos is a bit redundant but this photo - one of giraffes heads stooping between the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House - is plastered on so many zoo brochures and is possibly what sells most zoo tickets. It's something unique. Where else would you get a view of an Australian city, with a giraffe in it?