A zoo experience shouldn’t just be seeing animals at a distance. At Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, you can get right up close to all sorts of birds, animals and reptiles.
Featherdale has the largest collection of Australian animals in captivity, and with around 260 different species, it’s also the most diverse. Head of Life Sciences Chad Staples showied us around as we met some of the most popular animal personalities.
One of the most popular exhibits is the koala encounter, where you can get up close to a koala for a pat and a photo. There are around 40 koalas at Featherdale, which is one of the largest collections in NSW.
Other encounters include meeting Hazel and Harriet the quokkas, Squeak the sugar glider and Geoffrey the barking owl – and yes, he does bark like a dog, but only when predators are about.
You probably don’t want to get too close to Featherdale’s resident saltwater crocodile, but you can have a hold of one of the freshwater ones.
And you can’t leave without meeting the face of the place – Archer the koala.
It’s a terrific day out that true animal lovers won’t want to miss!
