Zoos & Wildlife in Australia

The 77 places on this page split into two broad camps. The first is the large zoo you plan a whole day around. Taronga Zoo Sydney in Mosman, which Time Out calls one of the most beautiful zoos on the planet, is our pick for Sydney families with children under 10: reviewers keep mentioning the harbour views and pram access, and the Sky Safari lets you start at the top and walk downhill. Australia Zoo at Beerwah, Time Out's best for families, is built around its croc show and keepers, but seats fill fast on weekends. If your kids want something closer to a safari, Werribee Open Range Zoo runs a bus through open-range enclosures and lets children in free with an adult ticket, though the site is walking-heavy. Monarto Safari Park, which Time Out describes as the world's largest open-range safari park, uses a bus format that suits all mobility levels.

The second camp is the smaller sanctuary where contact matters more than variety. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has a free-roam kangaroo paddock that works for toddlers and grandparents, plus a sheepdog show reviewers call a surprise highlight. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary adds a wildlife hospital viewing area, and Tourism Australia notes its long history as a lorikeet feeding site. Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park is flat and compact enough to cover in two to three hours. Cleland Wildlife Park, Time Out's best wildlife park, and Healesville Sanctuary, with its Flight Arena show, are both single-circuit visits of a few hours.

A few outliers: Penguin Parade at Summerlands is a cold late-evening wait that reviewers say suits ages 6 and up, Sydney Zoo has child-height enclosures so under-10s see without being lifted, and Adelaide Zoo is a walkable panda-first day for ages 3 to 10.