Farms, Zoos & Aquariums! Amazing Animal Encounters around Sydney

Looking for a memorable animal encounter? Most children adore the chance to cuddle up to a friendly kangaroo or pat a baby duckling…and let’s be honest, most adults get a kick out of it too! If your family loves all creatures great and small, try one of these animal encounters around Sydney where you can meet and greet cows, penguins, kangaroos, tigers, meerkats and so much more.

1. Calmsley Hill City Farm

Calmsley Hill City Farm

The ‘inner city’ farm at Abbotsbury offers kids the chance to hand-milk cows, get up close and personal with a penful of goats, pat baby bunnies and ducklings, and wander through an enclosure where you can feed a gang of kangaroos as they hop around you. Bring your own picnic lunch and use their free electric BBQs, or purchase food at their Farmhouse Kiosk, while you enjoy the beautiful grounds.

There are also interactive shows and demonstrations, including sheep shearing, cow milking, and whip cracking, or you can head off and take a tractor ride around the farm.

Address: 31 Darling St, Abbotsbury NSW 2176
Website: Calmsley Hill City Farm

2. Golden Ridge Animal Farm

Located in Dural, Golden Ridge Animal Farm offers daily tours which allow you to hand-feed very enthusiastic sheep, goats, guinea pigs, llamas and more – plus cuddle up to ducklings, chickens and baby bunnies before trying your hand at milking a cow! If you’re looking for a little more adventure you can enjoy a pony ride, or try your hand at egg collecting from the chicken coups.

Each session is two hours and they run several sessions a day, where you get to head off on a self-paced tour and hand-feed over 200 animals.

Address: 686 Old Northern Road, Dural
Website: Golden Ridge Animal Farm

3. Nancy’s Freedom Farm

Nancy’s Freedom Farm

Teach your children that eggs don’t come from the supermarket fridge with a trip to Nancy’s Freedom Farm, where you can hand-collect warm, fresh eggs from the friendly chooks and bottle feed a variety of baby animals, plus play with Nancy’s incredible farm dogs.

You can collect your own eggs, straight from the nesting boxes and interact with the world’s friendliest farm animals. Nancy and her crew will be on-hand to answer any questions and provide a unique farm life experience. Open every weekend for a “Farm Visit” which involves animal petting and egg collecting!

Address: 97 Arcadia Rd, Arcadia NSW 2159
Website: Nancy’s Freedom Farm

4. Amazement Farm & Fun Park

Amazement Farm & Fun Park

Offering farm stays, animal encounters plus a huge barn cafe and a ‘magical maze’ the Amazement Farm and Fun Park has loads to do. The horse and cart ride is a must, then let the kids get lost in the maze while you sneak a coffee!

There is also the bird sanctuary area, kids’ playground area, rhinoplay unit, yard activities, sporting games, giant board games, Maze terrace cafe, picnic areas and much, much more. It’s a fun family day out for the whole clan.

Address: 170 Yarramalong Rd, Wyong Creek
Website: Amazement Farm & Fun Park

5. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

For kids who love getting up close with little critters, the rock pool is your best bet – kids can dip their hands in to touch and feel the sea life and rock formations. But don’t miss the dramatic stingray and shark feeding sessions in the tunnel, plus the little penguin show in the atrium.

It’s a great opportunity for the kids to learn as well. Educational presentations and feeding sessions offer insights into marine conservation and the importance of preserving these fragile ecosystems.

Address: 1-5 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Website: SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

6. Wildlife Sydney Zoo

Where else can you touch a butterfly, cuddle a koala, see a snake and check out a cassowary? These animals are all on offer at Wildlife Sydney Zoo, right in the heart of Sydney’ CBD in Darling Harbour.

Enjoy interactive experiences like animal encounters, where you can touch and learn about the animals with the guidance of experienced keepers. Throughout the visit, knowledgeable staff provide insights into the animals’ behaviours and conservation efforts. You can even sit down to breakfast right next to the koalas!

Address: Darling Harbour (next to Sea Life Aquarium)
Website: Wildlife Sydney Zoo

7. Sydney Zoo

Tiger Encounter at Sydney Zoo

Sydney Zoo offers a huge range of animal encounters. No matter what zoo animal you love, they’re sure to have an encounter to help you get up close and personal! Choose from koala, squirrel monkey, tiger, elephant, giraffe, lion, meerkat, camels, reptiles.

Best bits? Kids can become a Mini Zookeeper For a Day! Designed for 8-12 year olds, this program takes kids behind-the-scenes to experience a day in the life of a zookeeper.

Address: 700 Great Western Highway, Bungarribee
Website: Sydney Zoo

8. Taronga Zoo

Come eye-to-eye with Taronga’s incredible animals. Book an Animal Encounter for a thrilling experience on your next visit… like a capybara, koala, giraffe, elephant and meerkats. Whether it’s meeting a friendly koala, hand-feeding a giraffe, or interacting with adorable penguins, the Animal Encounters provide a rare opportunity to connect with wildlife in a meaningful way.

Whether you’re hand-feeding a kangaroo, observing the grace of a Sumatran tiger, or marveling at the intelligence of an orangutan, there’s plenty to keep the family busy. Top it all off with a play at the farmyard, where you can even enjoy water play in the summer months.

Address: Bradleys Head Road, Mosman
Website: Taronga Zoo

9. Featherdale Wildlife Park

Featherdale provides a home to over 2,000 Australian native animals from more than 260 different species and is home to the world’s largest collection of Australian wildlife. Focusing solely on native animals, at Featherdale you will find the largest collection of koalas in New South Wales, three open space enclosures filled with kangaroos and wallabies, as well as encounters with many other iconic Australian animals, such as dingos, echidnas, wombats, bilbies, Tasmanian devils, reptiles and a stunning collection of birds from Australia and around the world.

At Featherdale, their encounters are led by how their animals choose to engage with guests. The animals and their welfare always comes first.

At Featherdale, they’re proud to offer a range of unique and memorable encounter opportunities for you to meet and get closer to some of Australia’s most unique and amazing wildlife. Read our review here.

Address: 217-229 Kildare Road, Doonside, Sydney
Website

10. Australian Reptile Park

Australian Reptile Park is just a 35-minute drive up the M1, and is an incredible hands-on zoo featuring exciting wildlife shows and lots of opportunities to get up close and personal with the animals. You’ll find plenty of Australian animals in Sydney, from free-range kangaroos, koalas, a Tasmanian devil, dingoes, Hugo (a giant 165kg Galapagos tortoise), a huge alligator lagoon and, of course, Elvis, the crankiest and most famous crocodile in Australia!

The park is ‘pram friendly’, too, so it’s easy to push your way along the nature walk to explore all of the animals. For the older kids, there is an impressive adventure playground. There is also lots of open space for picnics, as well as free gas barbecues, so if you’re organised, pack some sausages and fresh bread rolls! Otherwise, there’s an on-site cafe.

We visited recently and had a great day out! Read our review.

Address: Pacific Highway, Somersby
Website: reptilepark.com.au

11. Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

Australia Walkabout Park

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park is also located north along the M1 – about 2 minutes before Australian Reptile Park (see above). Most of the animals at Walkabout Park are free to roam the grounds. It’s set on 80 acres in native Australian bush, so as many of the animals as possible can live in their natural habitat.

During your visit, you might see emus, Grey Eastern kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, koalas, dingoes, flying foxes, wombats, Tasmanian devils, Spot Tail quolls (Tiger quolls), cockatoos, kookaburras, pythons, lizards and dragons. You can enjoy all the fascinating native animals.

There is a cafe where you can buy pre-made sandwiches, hot pies, and fish and chips. Coffee can be purchased from a coin-operated machine that makes barrister-quality coffee with freshly ground beans and fresh milk. Snacks, cold drinks and ice-creams can be bought at the gift shop. There are lots of picnic tables around the Visitor Centre and along the tracks, plus barbecues (but be sure to book one!)

Address: 1 Darkinjung Road, cnr Peats Ridge Road, Calga
Website: walkaboutpark.com.au

12. Koala Park Sanctuary

Set within 10 acres of natural eucalyptus forest, Koala Park Sanctuary is located in the residential Hills District of Northern Sydney. The Sanctuary supports a large number of koala families who live peacefully among a broad range of other Australian wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingoes, possums, penguins, flying foxes, emus, echidnas, cassowaries, wedge-tailed eagles, cockatoos, and many more friends. The park was established in the 1920s to provide a safe haven for the koala to live and breed.

Where: 84 Castle Hill Road, West Pennant Hills NSW 2125
Website: koalapark-sanctuary.com.au

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Rachel Chappell

Rachel Chappell is the Founder & Publisher of North Shore Mums, your go-to for advice, support and inspiration for parenting, mumlife, and kids’ events on Sydney’s North Shore. She's a mum of three daughters.

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Farms, Zoos & Aquariums! Amazing Animal Encounters around Sydney