Wild Life Sydney, Darling Harbour

Wild Life Sydney is a wildlife park right in the middle of the city in Darling Harbour. It is cleverly designed so that even though it's inside a building, the animals are outdoors via the open roof. You, however, are indoors, in the air-conditioning, which is great on a super hot day or a rainy day. The habitats of the enclosures are done nicely, with floor to ceiling glass rather than wire cages. Inside the exhibits are attractive, with a red desert environment for the kangaroos and a eucalyptus forest for the koalas. As with any zoo though, the animals don't have very far to roam. The piped-in music can drive you nuts too.

I loved seeing the enormous alligator- you can see him underwater right next to you behind glass- and the bright green snake. Watching the koalas literally cling to the trees even though their bodies are hanging down was amazing- they are wonderful creatures. The kangaroos were hanging around lazily the day I was there because it was a hot day. There are keeper talks at different times, and on the walls are painted facts about the animals- one of them was interesting: newborn baby koalas eat their mother's poo because it contains special bacteria to help them digest gum leaves!
This wildlife park was very modern and attractive- a good way to see Australia wildlife if you can't make it to a wildlife park out in nature.
Make sure you go to Sydney Aquarium afterwards because it's incredible, especially the Dugong exhibit.
The shop at Wild Life Sydney and at the aquarium has very reasonable prices and is a good place to buy souvenirs. There is also a snack bar, with more piped in music. You can get a sausage roll here, which is yummy!

Directions

Wild Life Sydney is located next door to Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour. The address is 1-5 Wheat Rd, Sydney NSW 2000, call 1-800-206-158.
Open daily 9:30-5.
Last entry is an hour before closing.
Buy tickets online to save a lot of money. If you buy online, entry is $30 for adults, $23 for NSW students and seniors, and $20 for kids.

Click on map for interactive view