VIEW Sydney Wildlife World Photo Gallery
Sydney Wildlife World, opened at Sydney's Darling Harbour in September 2006, brings some of Australia's unique animals, birds and other creatures right at the doorstep of the city's central district.
Darling Harbour itself is a favorite haunt of visitors and locals alike, with its parks, playgrounds, promenade paths, Imax cinema, museums, shopping boutiques and arcades, convention centre, exhibition halls, restaurants, coffee shops, aquarium — and now a wildlife showcase.
A glimpse of wildlife
To the visitor with limited time, as well as the curious local, Sydney Wildlife World does offer a glimpse into the existence of various species of animals, birds, reptiles and insects found in the Australian bush, swamps, rainforests, deserts.
But if you were looking to visit a place of open-air enclosures (such as those at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney's west) with kangaroos and wallabies hopping around, or large expansive habitats of Australian and non-Australian fauna (such as those at Taronga Zoo, a ferry ride from Circular Quay), Sydney Wildlife World may not be the place for you.
Unique Australian fauna
What Sydney Wildlife World offers is a variety of interesting and unique Australian fauna so accessible to the Sydney city visitor many can simply walk to it — and with a variety of animal species in nine unique Australian habitats. More than 6000 animals are said to live in Sydney Wildlife World within their own ecosystems.
You meander one way through these sections with the Australian wildlife glassed in like museum exhibits — except that they are, of course, live wildlife creatures — on either side of the route.
So what creature's that?
And particularly with the invertebrates, some of these are contained in tiny niches and may even be difficult to see.
There is a need for proper labeling to identify the various species of wildlife at Sydney Wildlife World. Maybe this is in the works and since I visited so soon after Sydney Wildlife World opened, maybe it just hadn't been done yet.
All the way to the koalas
The "exhibit" areas do grow larger, as in the reptiles section, and look fairly open where you find the cassowary, wallaby and koala.
Typically, with an animal so closely identified with Australia, the koalas are to be found in their own sanctuary at the end of your wildlife route before you find yourself in the Sydney Wildlife World giftshop.
Getting there
Sydney Wildlife World is within walking distance of the city centre.
If taking the train, alight at Town Hall station on the City Circle route, take Market St just after Queen Victoria Building, and head west to Darling Harbour.
Sydney Wildlife World is adjacent to Sydney Aquarium, between Cockle Bay and King St Wharf.
If you wish to take the monorail from the city centre, alight at Darling Park station. If taking the ferry from Circular Quy, alight at Aquarium Pier in Darling Harbour.
If coming from Central Station, take the tram to Darling Harbour, alight at Pyrmont Bay station, then walk east on Pyrmont Bridge.
On the Sydney Explorer bus, alight at Stop No 22.
