The story of this place
When Taronga Zoo opened on Sydney Harbour's north shore in October 1916, it replaced the older zoo at Moore Park with 69 acres of bushland terraces looking back toward the city. Animals were transferred across the harbour by ferry and barge in one of the more unusual moving jobs in Sydney history, turning a practical relocation into a public spectacle. Over the century that followed, Taronga became one of Australia's most recognisable wildlife institutions, pairing public exhibition with breeding and conservation work for threatened species. Yet what makes it unforgettable is still the setting: giraffes, seals and native wildlife framed against the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the blue curve of the harbour below.