Day 18: Lions and Tigers and Kangaroos…Oh My!

The Lions Sleep Today

Our first day in Sydney after getting off the cruise we headed to Taronga Zoo. The zoo is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour and was officially opened in 1916 and in the last 50 years, Taronga has been involved in numerous conservation captive breeding programs for endangered and vulnerable species. The zoo’s management officially changed Taronga's trajectory away from general visitor entertainment to focus on assisting species that are threatened in their wild habitats. We found the zoo to have great exhibits, a great layout and great location. I would probably rate it in the top 5 I have ever visited. We did see many animals we had never seen in person including koalas, kangaroos, wombats, Tasmanian devils and many others. Unfortunately we were not able to see the Platypus, which is in their logo 😂.

Once we finished at the zoo, we took the ferry and headed to our VRBO in Pyrmont. We have a great location in a beautiful building. Our first order of business was to do laundry. We all needed clean clothes. We decided to put in a load and then head to the local grocery store and “Liquorland” to pick up provisions for or our short 5 day stay. It worked out perfect that there were some take away restaurants in the same mall, so we grabbed something to eat and headed back to our accommodations. We had a nice dinner with drinks and called it an early night in preparation for 4 busy days ahead. All in all a great day first day!