Whether you’re 8 or 80, getting up close and personal with animals is always something to enjoy.
From crocodile feeding to capybara petting and alpaca breakfast, discover the best animal experiences in NSW to create memories with your loved ones and meet some of your favourite creatures.
Embrace your inner zookeeper at Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is home to more than 5,000 animals from over 350 species, many of which are endangered or threatened. As well as offering visitors a close look at some of the world’s most iconic creatures, the zoo also runs two wildlife hospitals through the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, with the aim of rehabilitating injured native animals and caring for the animals in the zoo.
Make your visit extra wild by signing up for one of three ‘Keeper for a Day’ programs, aimed at visitors from 8-years-old to fully grown. Kids will love the Cadet Keepers experience, which is designed for nature-lovers between the ages of 12 and 17. As part of the program, kids will meet with zookeepers and educators, before going behind the scenes to help with daily maintenance activities, including feeding the animals and learning more about their needs.
Taronga Zoo also runs daily animal encounters, which are sold on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis from the Retail Shop at Top Plaza. Current encounters include the reptile & amphibian behind-the-scenes, where visitors will meet a reptile keeper, meet aquatic creatures up close, and even tour the conservation rooms to learn how Taronga cares for sick animals. Other favourites include the capybara encounter, where you can meet and feed capybaras their favourite snacks, and the giraffe encounter, where you’ll meet Taronga’s tallest animals and participate in a feeding.
For more family-friendly fun, the bird and seal shows are an experience not to be missed.
Splash your way through Symbio Wildlife Park
Located just outside Sydney in Helensburgh, Symbio Wildlife Park boasts over 20 acres of gardens and animal habitats, as well as more than 500 animals from around the world. It is also the only zoo around Sydney with a splash park, which is perfect for cooling off in the warmer months.
The wildlife park hosts daily animal encounters, including hand-feeding kangaroos and wallabies in the immersive walk-through enclosures, meeting farmyard animals in the interactive farmyard experience, and hand-feeding a group of little penguins. Visitors can also become keepers for the day, where you’ll join an experienced zookeeper on their daily tasks of feeding, habitat cleaning and caring for the animals. You’ll even go behind-the-scenes on some of the park’s conservation programs, and meet red pandas, meerkats, koalas, echidnas and more.
Learn to be a farmer at Calmsley Hill Farm
Calmsley Hill Farm is an easy 45-minute drive from Sydney, and offers a unique interactive farm experience. Each day, visitors can join a range of hands-on encounters that share what it’s like working on a farm. From animal patting in the morning, to cow milking, tractor rides and a stock whip show, there’s truly something for everyone.
One of the highlights of each visit is the working dog show, where you can watch how farmers work with their dogs to round up sheep, and follow it up with a sheep shearing demonstration. Don’t forget to pack your own picnic lunch, as you can make use of the free electric barbecues and enjoy a meal anywhere on the beautiful grounds. There’s also a Farmhouse Cafe, which offers barista-made coffee, juicy burgers and refreshing ice cream to fuel your adventure.
If you’d like to stay a little longer, you can book a private camping experience. The package includes two days on the farm, a dinner of gourmet sausages and salads, a classic Aussie breakfast, exciting animal encounters, morning animal feeding and egg collection for breakfast. It’s the perfect night away for families and animal lovers.
Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures is a horse-lover’s dream
Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures is Australia’s largest horse riding centre, located only an hour out of Sydney. With over 3,000 acres of wilderness to explore, and plenty of outdoor experiences, it’s designed for thrill seekers and families alike.
Horse riding trails are available for every experience level and age group, and will lead you through rainforests and native bushland. There are over 200 horses to choose from, and the expert staff will pair you with your perfect companion before the ride. Experienced riders will love the cattle drive ride, where you’ll mount a horse and practice mustering a roaming cattle herd before relaxing with a complimentary barbecue lunch. Kids aged 3-12 can join a horse ride led by a staff member, where they’ll have the thrill of mounting a horse in a safe and controlled environment.
As well as horse riding, Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures also offers quad biking adventures through the bush, kayaking along the river, abseiling, laser skirmish, and camping or glamping. There’s even an on-site cafe for delicious coffee and hot food, and a shop for snacks, sunscreen, firewood and ice.
The purr-fect day at Catmosphere
Sydney’s original cat cafe, Catmosphere, partners with rescue groups to provide cats with a safe and friendly home. The staff work tirelessly to help adoptables find loving homes, and provide them with everything they need for success.
The cafe offers a range of unique experiences, including The Treehouse, a tiki-style lounge filled with young kittens, and the Cat Lounge, where visitors can relax with more than 13 adult cats. Catflix Cat Cinema is a rustic film venue inviting you to curl up with some of the older cats and enjoy a film on the big screen, and you can even sign up for cat yoga on special occasions.
Those visiting with kids can head to Kittyland, where visitors ages 5+ can snuggle with rescue kittens. Time with the kittens is slightly shorter than with the older cats, as they need plenty of rest, but they are always playful and mischievous during visits. When purchasing a cat encounter, visitors will also receive a complimentary soda or hot tea.
Pawsome Cafe Bones
If you’re more of a dog person, then Sydney’s Cafe Bones is for you. The menu provides delicious options for both humans and furry friends, as well as the world’s first cafe-style dog beverage – the pupaccino. Visitors are welcome to bring their pup along, or simply turn up and meet pooches from all acros the city. The cafe is situated in the middle of Richard Murden Reserve, so you can relax with a refreshment before letting your dog out for a run-around.
Cafe Bones recently released its own range of gourmet dog biscuits, which can be purchased at the counter. Humans will love the breakfast wrap, beef wasabi burger, and lamb & rosemary pie, while furry friends can tuck into a puffin – a pup muffin filled with bacon and cheese.
Feed a croc at Australian Reptile Park
Home to more than 2000 animals, the Australian Reptile Park is a popular attraction located on the central coast, only one hour from Sydney. Here, you can get up close to the world’s scariest animals. The Weigel Venom Centre is home to more than 200 of the world’s most venomous snakes, and provides raw venom from Australian terrestrial venomous snakes for the production of anti-venom. Amazingly, this program has saved more than 25,000 lives since its inception. If you’d like to see how venom is extracted from these creatures, the park runs daily snake milking at 10 am.
Another park standout is the Crocodile Show, where you can watch brave keepers feeding giant saltwater crocodiles. Keep an eye out for Elvis – known at the park as Australia’s crankiest croc. Each day, a program of free keeper talks introduces visitors to the most iconic animals in the world, from Tasmanian Devil talks to Galapogos Tortoise walks and more.
For a unique experience you won’t soon forget, sign up for an Alligator Encounter, where you’ll visit a massive lagoon home to more than 50 alligators, and feed them from the jetty. Plus, you’ll leave with a photo holding a baby alligator.
Become besties with a llama at Alpaca Magic Farm
Located in Yass Valley, Alpaca Magic Farm has been breeding alpacas, llamas and donkeys for more than 25 years. The farm hosts regular events, including breakfast with Alpacas and Llamas twice a month. Meet and feed over 60 alpacas and llamas before digging into a delicious grazing board of meats, cheeses, olives, dips and more. The classic Llama Experience is another favourite, where you will take part in an introductory session to learn all about llamas, how to gain their trust and what to feed them, before taking a one-hour farm stroll with your own llama. Make sure to bring your camera, as there are plenty of stunning plants and animals all across the farm.
For older guests, the farm runs fibre craft workshops using fresh alpaca fibre. During the workshop, you will learn how to spin, ply, wash and skein your own alpaca and llama fibre, as well as knitting, crocheting and dyeing your own miniature alpaca or llama.
Can’t get enough of these animal experiences in NSW? Why not check out the best farm tours in Australia?
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