KEY POINTS:
Giraffes are lords of the Sydney jungle. Lions have their pride, koalas and kangaroos bask in the natural bush, but giraffes enjoy the best views in the zoo. Their long necks are an advantage. But standing at the vantage point by their large enclosure, even us short-necks can
appreciate the stunning views of Sydney's sparkling boat-filled harbour, the distant city skyline jutting into the clear blue skies.
Taronga Zoo, built on the lengthy harbour shoreline, has always been about the best vistas - the word Taronga means 'beautiful view" in one of the local Aboriginal languages.
The animals themselves got a good lookaround in 1916, as they crossed the harbour on an armada of barges from the old zoo site in the growing city; the sights are now iconic, with the addition of the Coathanger, as Sydneysiders call their majestic harbour bridge, and the Opera House, which can been seen from the zoo ferry at Circular Quay (whichever way you look at it, the busy quay is rectangular, the name a tribute to Aussie humour).
Rooftop zoo views are possible, too, on the sky lift from the ferry wharf. The heritage-listed entrance is Australia themed no less than a bevy of furry koalas, nestled in their gum trees. Shall I have my photograph taken with them as the sign says? I remember the government minister who cuddled a koala some years ago and was soaked for his trouble.
Wild Australia stretches right across the eastern side of Taronga Zoo graceful kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, hungry dingoes and technicolour birdlife, plus strange echidnas with their long noses and addiction for ants.
I managed to catch a brief glimpse of a shy, retiring platypus with its prominent bill darting through the water. Great Southern Oceans, which opened officially earlier this year, spreads across the centre of the 21ha site. Australian sea lions and fur seals, New Zealand fur seals, magnificent leopard seals, tiny penguins and solemn pelicans call the adventurous architecture home.
I get up close and personal with some fun-loving seals through the strengthened glass windows in the Submarine Research Station. Powerful and intelligent, the leopard seals are lords of the southern oceans, rescued in Australia far from their icy Antarctic home. They keep me under close surveillance as they swim, splash and cavort around their Olympic-size pool.
The cute fairy penguins elicit a laugh as they hurtle around the water without a care in the world. Sydney Harbour boasts its own colonies of the delightful indigo-blue birds.
Always good neighbours are the easy-going elephants in Wild Asia, crowd favourites whose long tactile trunks never stop picking up food. Is the herd whispering to each other about the new baby elephant expected next year? Humans cannot hear their low-frequency language.
Next up: small Sumatran tigers, graceful snow leopards, tapirs, silvery gibbons and the extraordinary red pandas who devour up to 200,000 leaves a day.
Walk a distance up the wooded pathway (Taronga's slopes are not for the faint-hearted) and you'll stride across continents to the African Waterhole where lions lazily size up visitors; giraffes gaze at their harbour views; and our chimpanzee cousins and the gorillas go about their family business. A wide-eyed baby gorilla, born last year, plays safely in the protective arms of his watchful mother.
Don't forget to visit the mischievous grey meerkats from southern Africa. Standing bolt-upright or just having some fun, they present a theatre of constant activity tiny humans in the way they watch and play.
What a safari.
TARONGA ZOO
Taronga does not stint on supplies for its many explorers. I enjoy a well-deserved break in the relaxed food market; plenty of space to stay a while. A plateful of delicious Pad Thai, pasta or pizza for $8 or so. A well-filled baguette for $11. Coffee or a Fosters beer in the soft afternoon sun, just perfect.
Still more. A day full of talks and presentations about the zoo's 2600 animals. Gorillas and reptiles in the morning, koalas and spiders in the afternoon. Or catch a keeper feeding her favourites. I become an expert.
Are you up for a Roar and Snore? Buffet dinner, a nocturnal trip through the zoo and sleep under the stars in a tent at weekends, all included. What was that? Roars, growls, shrieks and grumbles. Dawn over Sydney Harbour is simply unforgettable. Jimiyu, the newcomer in the giraffes' grandstand, agrees.
Entry: $44 entrance and return ferry to Circular Quay, $39 entrance only. Roar and Snore $165.
Places to stay:
Rydges Capitol Square Hotel From $99/room/night ph +61 2 9261 4929
Novotel Darling Harbour From $199/room/night ph +61 2 9934 0000 h1181@accor.com
The Observatory Hotel From $825/room/night ph +61 2 9256 2222 email@observatoryhotel.com.au
