Visiting Taronga Zoo COVID After Lockdown (Part 1)

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a crappy summer for us in Sydney with more rain than sunshine the last 3 months. It is considered the wettest summer in 30 years. It was hard for the little ones having to be indoors most January as we caught COVID plus the rain, they haven’t been outside for many days. Finally after finding a day of fine weather, we decided to go to the zoo. We’ve joined the Zoo Friends Club last year before the lockdown but since that visit, everything was closed until early this year the zoo reopened. Due to the closure, the zoo have extended all member card holders for another a few months meaning our pass will expire in August this year, we still have at least 6 months of usage! The kids were super excited to be able to get out of the house but also a full day out with me at the zoo. They love animals and can’t wait to see if there are anything new to check out this time.

We parked in the carpark this time as we now have a zoo pass. Members get a discount for parking which saves us walking from car spaces which is around 10 minutes away. Especially in the summer heat, I don’t see us going back to the car by the end of the day without any tears (mainly from BB M). The carpark was right next to the zoo so the kids started walking towards the entrance with excitement. I felt excited as well, I haven’t been out just myself with the two boys for awhile so it will be a special day. We got our passes and vaccination checked at the front gate and were let in. A special note, the park requires visitors to prebook their visits so I had to book my visit the night before to ensure the zoo has enough space for everyone due to COVID at the time.

As BB E can read quite a bit now, he decided he will lead us for the day. The two boys got a map each and started decided where to start first. Once we walked in, we saw the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning on the right. I never noticed the building but this time I did, maybe thanks to the map the kids were holding. First stop was to see the koalas. The koalas were hiding between between the trees trying to catch a nap but we managed to locate two of them. BB M loved them and said he wanted to take one home …. Then off they went to see the reptiles, frogs and all the insects. I’m not a fan of them but the kids were so I just stood away while BB E was reading the description on display. There were lots of kids there on the day but everyone had really good manners and we went in and out of there very quickly.

Next we went to take a quick photo at the outlook area outside the reptile section. It’s like a must do when we visit each time and comparing to the photo I took with the kids here last year, they have grown a lot. BB E lost a front tooth so this photo made him look extra cute. As you can see, the weather was stunning but really it was one of those rare days in a month we got that much sun. After the photo, we quickly went to see the giraffes just below. The keepers were feeding them but the giraffes refuse to come out because of the heat! They were sticking their heads out one of the other to check what is happening outside and then went back to their cave/house again. As BB M called it, the giraffes were play peek a boo.

The next stop before lunch would be to see the lions and gorillas. We didn’t get to see the lions last time but apparently this time they were out and about so we headed that way. Apparently the lions were also sick of that hot weather on the day and were hiding under the shade near a glass area. So the zoo staff have asked everyone to line up and take turns looking at the lions in two groups to ensure we aren’t close together. It wasn’t a long wait but under the heat, it felt long. Finally it was our turn and the kids thought they were cute but scary. The lions didn’t care about us, they were just enjoying the shade and rested their eyes.

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