What do you do in Sydney when the skies turn grey and threaten to release buckets of rain on everything after promising the kids a day out? Source an inside adventure of course!
With a family Merlin Pass in our hot little hands we decided to check out the Wild Life Sydney Zoo in Darling Harbour during the last weekend of the school holidays. We have previously visited and it’s always a great day for the kids and continues to expand their knowledge of Australian native animals.
The zoo is sectioned into geographical areas which makes it easy to discuss where each set of animals come from and what they have in common. My two can identify the differences between mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and insects fairly easily. Recently I decided to start deepen their knowledge by explaining that mammals can be broken up into marsupial, monetreme and placental groups. Actually recognizing a mammal as one of these three groups has been interesting so providing an opportunity to challenge their knowledge was exciting.
Our first mammal encounter was with a Tasmanian Devil. This one was very subdued and enjoyed sleeping throughout our observation of his enclosure. We could see his teeth and with his lunch, an unidentifiable animal carcass, out on display we quickly agreed that he was a carnivore. This led to some confusion when the kids attempted to identify which type of mammal category he might be. The Tasmanian Devil has a pouch which makes it a marsupial however the kids had believed that all marsupials were herbivores. Our first lesson for the day down!
Butterflies were next. Before we entered their exhibit I reminded the kids not to touch the butterflies wings even if they landed on them. When you touch a butterfly on the wings you are likely to coat your fingers in a light dust. This is actually the scales of the butterfly’s wings which can not be regenerated thus making it difficult for it to fly.
Our exploration of the site continued and we saw koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, snakes, budgies and a plethora of other native animals before making our way into the nocturnal exhibit. This is exhibit is quite dark and you will need to allow your eyes to adjust before walking to each exhibit. Once they have you are in for a treat. We watched Bilby’s speed around their home and burrow into holes. We saw tiny little native hopping mice play tag and gorgeous fruit bats fly around their enclosure. I love this section.
Before we left we tried to spot the crocodile (the largest in captivity) in the water. We couldn’t see him, only rocks. Miss N nudged us and pointed to where she thought he was hiding. No, just a rock. Wait, it moved. Oh my gosh! Look how big he is! We quickly learned that crocodiles can blend into the rocks and wait for their prey to come down for a drink.
There is a lot to see at the WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo. It walks you through all the climates and native land animals available in Australia. It took us a couple of hours to leisurely stroll through the exhibits. A family ticket for the day starts at $79.00. Make sure you check prices before you attend as they are cheaper online. Head to Darling Harbour to access the site.
If you have a car or are willing to travel a little out of the CBD, you may like Featherdale Wildlife Park.
