Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park — Attraction in Sydney

Very saddened by visiting this "Wildlife Park". We went here yesterday as part of a Blue Mountains tour (the rest of our trip was great). We showed up and were brought in quickly with our tickets. Immediately upon entering, I felt sick to my stomach. The enclosures for the animals are small and boring. All of the animals look sad (except for the goats). The birds are in tiny, overcrowded areas, and some were trying to poke through their cages. Penguins, geese, etc. barely had water. There would be one small pool of water for all of them, and it was like 3 inches deep. On top of that, it was a really hot day during the summer season. The kangaroos were in an open area. People were able to purchase feed in cups and give it to the kangaroos. People kept shoving food in the kangaroos' faces and trying to force them to eat even though they didn't want to. This was so uncomfortable to watch. You could also touch the kangaroos and koalas. Can you imagine being forced to take food and be petted for simple entertainment? People were giving kangaroo food to other animals like goats randomly. There was no regulation by staff. How do they control over or under eating? Mistreatment by visitors? This broke my heart. The koalas had bad enclosures as well and they also had a koala inside in a portrait hall and he was placed into an unnatural pose so that huge lines of people could pay money to get a photo with him. This felt like a dystopian zoo to me. It honestly broke me. Some people seem not to care they just want to feed and touch animals and ignore all of this, but the people I came with felt the same way as me. The staff weren't very friendly either, though it was very hot and miserable outside. If you are in the Sydney area, save your money and take the ferry to Tarronga Zoo. I went there earlier this week and it was absolutely amazing. Penguins and seals had amazing areas of water. Every single animal looked well taken care of. They have either rescued their animals or rehabed them from other zoos. They support sustainable fishing. You can tell they all have great, trusting relationships with their animals. The birds have massive rainforest areas where they fly around freely rather than the tiny cages the birds were in in Featherdale. Yeah, just go to Tarronga. The price isn't much different, and you get so much more and you won't have to compromise your ethics. I would never have supported Featherdale if...

Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park is truly one of the most enjoyable and authentic wildlife experiences in New South Wales. From the moment you walk in, you can tell this isn’t just another zoo — it’s a place where the animals are genuinely cared for, and visitors can connect closely with Australia’s unique wildlife in a friendly, relaxed environment.

The park layout is easy to navigate, clean, and beautifully maintained. Everything feels thoughtfully designed to let you get close to the animals without feeling rushed or overcrowded. The staff are incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable, and passionate — they’re always happy to answer questions, share facts, or guide you to the best photo spots. You can really sense their dedication to animal welfare and conservation.

One of the highlights is being able to hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies in an open area — an experience that never gets old no matter your age. The koala encounter is another must-do; getting up close to these adorable creatures while learning about their habits and conservation was simply amazing. Featherdale also has a great range of other Australian icons like wombats, dingoes, echidnas, Tasmanian devils, emus, and an impressive variety of native birds and reptiles.

If you’re traveling with kids, this place is perfect. The park is family-friendly, with lots of shaded areas, picnic spots, and a café offering good coffee, snacks, and lunch options. The pathways are stroller-accessible, and the educational displays make it easy for children to learn while having fun.

What I especially appreciated was the balance between fun and education. Featherdale does an excellent job promoting wildlife conservation and awareness of endangered species, showing how important it is to protect Australia’s natural heritage.

The location is also convenient — just a short drive from Sydney — making it a great day trip without the hassle of long travel. Parking is easy and free, and entry prices are very reasonable for what you get.

Overall, Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park exceeded all expectations. Whether you’re a tourist wanting to see Australia’s iconic animals up close, a local family looking for a day out, or simply an animal lover, this park delivers a wonderful experience full of warmth, learning, and natural beauty. Highly recommend adding it to your Sydney itinerary — you’ll leave with a camera full of photos and a heart...

As part of Anderson's Blue Mountains Tour, we had one hour to spend at this wildlife park, apparently home to the largest collection of Australian animals in the world. If you get there early enough, food cups may be available for purchase for feeding the animals. We didn't arrive until 3:00P, so the food cups were sold out by then, but we still loved every minute of our experience.

The highlight of our visit was the photo opportunity with a koala. If you're short on time, head here first since it can take a while to get through the line. There were only about five groups ahead of us, but they had to understandably swap out one koala for another to give it a break, so we waited about 20 minutes before we stepped up to the camera. You get to stand right next to the koala that sits just inches away on its branch. The photographer snapped a few pictures, making sure the koala was alert and looking straight ahead. They printed our photo immediately which includes a code to access a digital copy as well.

After taking our photo, we had about 40 minutes left to explore, so we had to breeze through. If not for the time crunch, I could have spent hours here observing the animals, and would recommend reserving at least two hours to see all of them.

I loved watching the wombat saunter about and the huddle of penguins that all waddled around together. To my surprise, there was a quokka habitat! Quokkas are known to be one of the happiest animals with their adorable smile and friendliness to humans. While they are completely fenced off, it was so cool to see them in person although they were hiding under some tall grass at the time to catch some shade.

There is a wallaby enclosure that you can enter if you want to pet them. They were adorable, calm and velvety soft. Super cute!

This park is about a 50 minute drive from Sydney, but it's totally worth the trip if you...