I was like a little kid running around pointing at the animals and getting to feed them and taking closeup photos of their cute noses. There were different kinds of kangaroos, wallabies, koalas (including a BABY), wombats, bats, dingos, some pretty colorful birds, a tawny frogmouth, a cute little shetland pony, and more. What a nice way to spend a morning. read more

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This place is small, but awesome. I came here with a tour group and we were able to wander throughout on our own. There were small kangaroos bouncing about and we got to pet a koala. It was the perfect way to kick off being in Australia. read more

Are those large Q-Tips? No, they're sleeping Koalas in the tree. Also, forget about wanting a dog, it's all about wanting a pet Kangaroo! I've always owned dogs, but after hanging out with the Kangaroos here, I finally found the exotic pet I've been looking for. We came here after being severely disappointed with Taronga Zoo. They finally had the koalas we were looking for. I mean we ARE tourists after all. Each of us got our photos taken with the fuzzy buddies, and found it amusing that they sleep in curled balls as they cling to trees. The highlight was feeding the Kangaroos who seemed happy, friendly, and hungry. This was a small park, but the perks of getting up and close to the iconic animals of Australia was worth it. Oh, and they also have Dingos here! read more

Koala Park Sanctuary - Don't they look like Q-Tips? - Zoos Near Me - West Pennant Hills, NSW

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All the locals told me that this place was "run down" and talked about it like it was a joke, so I didn't go for my first two years in Australia. Finally, I decided it didn't matter what they thought, so I went... And I loved it, just like I thought I would! First of all, it's $27, compared with $46 that the nearby zoo charges. It's only Aussie animals, versus the zoo which offers the same animals that you see at any zoo in the world. But what I loved about it was that everything is included in the entrance price. You don't have to pay any extra to go in with the kangaroos and pet them (my Yelp profile photo is from here). You don't have to pay any extra to go in with the koala, pet it, and take a photo with it. Those things at a typical zoo would have high extra charges, on top of the admission price! There's quite a few shows to see, including the sheep-sheering and boomerang-throwing show, which I recommend. They're nothing fancy about the shows and they're all pretty informal, but I recommend planning ahead to figure out what time you need to be at each place. It's a small park, and there's not too much to do between each show time, so you really have to be strategic if you don't want to be bored while waiting for the next show on the list. read more

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I'm gonna be straight up. I'm a tourist, and I want kangaroos and koalas. Well look no further cause the Koala Park Sanctuary has both! Everything is included in the park entrance fee except for any food that you want to buy to feed the animals. You can pet and take pictures with these three koalas during certain times which was cute. Also, there's a kangaroo area where you can just walk right up to them. I know some other zoos do this too but usually you have to stay on a path so you can't actually pet them or be next to them unless they somehow decide to go onto the path. Here, you can just go right up and take a selfie with them! Even if the rest of the zoo is just okay, this alone made the trip worth it to me. read more

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The last Australia day, the Hornsby Shire Council website had free tickets for offer, and that was all the excuse we needed to go back to the sanctuary. I say back because this place is one of those places that you will likely visit again and again, every time someone from out of town or overseas visits and wants to see a koala. The best part is that they have much more than just koalas here. While it is no Taronga (http://frid.co/t0A6hP) it is a great place to take a bit of a picnic lunch and check out some wild life. One of the big draw cards here is the chance to feed the kangaroos which my kids loved. So if you get the chance, why not give it a go....? read more

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If you would like a closer encounters with Kangaroos and Koalas, do drop by here. Was searching on what I could do and chanced upon this on yelp. Located within Castle Hill proximity, it is considered close to the Parramatta area where I stayed. This park cost $27 (price may change) when I visited and unlike other touristy areas, it was not crowded. There is free parking around this area (off-road version) and when you enter, you can pay for the park ticket as well as a bag of food for the kangaroos. Managed to be a part of the shows - Koalas, Penguins and the Sheeps shearing & boomerang. For the Koalas show, after a brief introduction about Koalas, you could go to the enclosure to pet one of the Koala (as instructed by the zoo keeper). Koalas are nocturnal animals and they tend to sleep in the day so most of the time you will be looking at them hanging on the woods while closing their eyes. But sometimes, it will wake up and feed themselves with the leaves in front of them. Another fun fact is that they do not really drink water. The penguins are the smallest penguins on earth. Their height can only reach 40 cm. During their feeding time, they waddled towards the zoo keeper to get their fishes. They are also picky eaters and will walk away when they are full. The sheep shearing show was interesting as we were able to witness short-haired border collie herding the sheep to a corner and seeing how to use boomerangs (how to throw and how to fetch) was another fun factor while you are in this park. I also managed to see Australian dingos and cockatoos as well as different types of wallabies. At the cockatoos section, one of them will say "do you have a cracker?" and will keep repeating that even though you said no. My favorite part of this park or "small zoo" was the grey kangaroo feeding area. The kangaroos are basking in the sun and they expect you to stretch your hands in front of them which was interesting as they will not fight for food. While they are chewing down the hays, you could also pat their backs. You might be able to see some kangaroos hopping for a bit while you are there. Overall, it was a good trip and definitely a hands on experience is a bonus. :) read more

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Koala Park is a small family run sanctuary in the hills District of Sydbey. While it may lack some of the luxuries and trappings of Taronga Zoo or Featherdale Park, it has a nice charm and it is obvious the people running the park really care about the animals. Unlike a lot of other parks, the koalas run wild at night! You can feed and pet kangaroos and the koalas and there is a huge range of other native Australian birds and animals. Worth the trip and a fun few hours. read more

Koala Park Sanctuary - Koala feeding time! Wake up Kyanga!! - Zoos Near Me - West Pennant Hills, NSW

This place has gone down hill since I first came here in the 80s. Many of the areas are in disrepair, a lot of areas with few animals. Compared to several other Australian wildlife parks I would rate this as the most blah. I wish I could rate it a lot higher where it was several years ago but its really not that good. There are 2 others (Western Sydney and one South of Sydney) which are exceptional. I suggest you check those out if you want an amazing experience. I have several tourist destination in Sydney on my Sydney Tourist list. read more

This was a fabulous little place. All the animals were active & the sanctuary utilized space very well. It is such a natural setting I felt like I was actually in the bush. You can feed kangaroos & pet a koala and a dingo at no extra cost. Not many people were there so we had the place to ourselves. I highly recommend this. Don't listen to the bad reviews. I almost did & I would have missed out on this little gem. read more

So where do you take overseas visitors who want to get up close and personal with our Australian wildlife? The Koala Park of course! My daughter had her friend visiting from Tokyo and after sending them to the Zoo ,where they did have an enjoyable day, but the cost to get a photo of friend with koala was a little expensive and not the close encounter she had hoped for. so it was the general consensus that a visit to the koala park was on order. it was brilliant! Sato cuddled, patted and generally was totally besotted with our cute koalas and to top things off being able to feed the kangaroos and pat them ..well she was in heaven! yes the park could probably do with an upgrade but only in a few areas and really it is the rustic feel that's gives this place it's character.. take a picnic and relax in the picnic area provided...We always keep coming back..need I say more!.. read more

Not a location that should be considered as a sanctuary. Visits, enclosures, and rules appear to be highly commercialized. The whole visit felt more like a zoo than a sanctuary. I'm sure the animals are still cared for with the best intentions and efforts but the park appeared to have lackluster energy and a lot of different animals were on display. It's hard to justify calling this place a "Koala" sanctuary when the park only has 2 Koalas. Kangaroos, Emus, Wallabys, and birds at this place all outnumber the Koala. I have visited far better quality sanctuaries (i.e. Tasmania) whose staff are genuinely knowledgeable and are passionate about the care and educating the public of all the creatures within it's park. read more

Yes, this is a quaint, homey place that is a little dated but I didn't care. It wasn't very polished but I wouldn't call it run down. It reminded me of the Oakland Zoo, kind of like OZ's little country cousin. Both are located in the hills making for up & down trails that wind through mature trees. Vistas are obscured by the foliage so even with a map, every bend of the path brought a new and surprising animal encounter. It was like a mini walkabout. It wasn't very crowded except around the petting enclosures. I was like a little kid again, running around with abandon. The difference between this and a regular zoo, is the fact that you can get up close and personal with some of Australia's ionic animal population. I got up close and personal with some koalas. I also got to pet a wombat and some 'roos! I even saw a kookaburra sitting on a old gum tree that had me singing the nursery rhyme for the rest of the day. LOL. A definite must see for first time visitors to Australia. read more

If you want to go to a zoo besides Taronga (which is great, but can get very crowded), try the Koala Park. There you can go right up to wallabies, feed some kangaroos, admire and gently pat koalas on the back (with the trainer's permission), as well as see a live sheep-shearing demonstration and an intro into how to throw a boomerang the correct way. Great for kids and adults, you can spend most of your day walking about and admiring the magnificent marsupials present. read more

The Koala Park Sanctuary is home to cute and cuddly Koalas. They restore Koala's to their former health, having rescued injured or abused Koalas. The sanctuary is large, thanks to its space in West Pennat Hills. The area is well enclosed but needs a MAJOR cosmetic renovation because the premises have not been done up since its establishment. Overall, the place looks very tired and is in need of attention. For tourists and even locals, you are given the opportunity to pat the Koala's and have your photo taken with them- a rare opportunity in Australia. The photo provides great memorabilia as a souvenir. There are other native Australian animals such as kangaroos and dingos. Food is available at the sanctuary and isn't expensive but is pretty basic. While it is a great place to see the Koalas and other animals, the place is very run down which is a bit of a disappointment. read more

If you only want to see and possibly cuddle or be photographed with a koala than don't go. If you want to get a quick glimpse of the Australian animals it might worth the visit. There are many kangaroos and wallabies even in touching distance if you dare. The park seems quite run down and the food is all microwaved and served boiling so be careful. I found the $27 per adult ticket price quite expensive for what was offered, however it's a quick if your looking for somewhere to take the little ones for an afternoon out. read more

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We loved coming here! I was looking to pet/feed kangaroos and koalas and I got to do that here at a cheaper price than other places in Sydney. There weren't a lot of people which we loved so that meant more time with the animals all to ourselves. The workers were friendly and one of them let us have two turns with the koalas (you can pet them but not hold them or feed them). But there were only three koalas in a small enclosure so that wasn't as exciting as we were hoping but still worth it! There were a lot of kangaroos in the feeding area and you can buy hay for $2.50 to give them. It's a decent sized bag of food and will easily be enough for two people. The kangaroos didn't even eat it all because they had already been fed by other people. The place is decent enough, not super well kept or fancy like an expensive zoo but we weren't expecting that and didn't mind at all! We would definitely go back. They have mostly all Australian animals which was all we were interested in anyway. We also pet a dingo, goats, saw lots of birds, peacocks, a wombat, wallabies, and a tiny penguin. They have bathrooms and a restaurant as well and a bus stop right in front so you can get there on the bus. The bus only runs every 30mins I believe. read more

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Yesterday went to Koala park 8/7/15.Took my daughter and 2 of her friends. (aged 11) had such a great time. Make sure you see all the shows (all the animals come out for a feed., so much information is shared. did not know we have Australian penguins. after all the shows, the girls loved feeding the kangaroos.(make sure you buy the food) my highlight was the koalas. cant believe you can pat them and have a photo. the place was so we natural, not too many buildings so wonderful. loved it.. I know it is a little pricey but where can you pat koalas and have kangaroos jumping around you....worth going. Karmela read more