Overview
If you prefer your overnight getaways with a healthy dose of wildlife thrown into the mix, Sydney's newest eco-retreat will be right up your alley — because it's located smack-bang in the middle of Taronga Zoo. Officially opening today — Thursday, October 10 — the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is offering the ultimate sleepover with Sydney's biggest animals.
Currently you can glamp overnight at the zoo as part of the Roar and Snore experience, but this is the zoo's first permanent accommodation offering. The impressive new structure is the work of acclaimed Australian studio Cox Architecture, and sees five lodges built into the zoo's bushland. There are 62 designer suites all up, with choices of harbour, bush, animal or treetop views.
Best of all, the sounds and sights of Mother Nature will be literally out your front door — the retreat is located in a sanctuary where koalas, wallabies, red kangaroos, echidnas and platypus live. So you can wander out to spot some at your own leisure, or else join a tour of a still-quiet zoo at sunrise.
The retreat is, importantly, located on Cammeraigal country, and we're told that Taronga worked with Cammeraigal Traditional Custodian Professor Dennis Foley and Gurindji Woolwonga woman Susan Moylan-Coombs to ensure that guests have access to information on local Indigenous history and culture.
The view from the restaurant, Me-Gal.
Food is set to be another big drawcard here, as the retreat also boasts a new restaurant, Me-Gal (the Cammeraigal word for 'tears'). It's dishing up an Aussie-accented offering centred around local produce and native ingredients — think Fraser Island spanner crab with fried saltbush, and NSW beef with king oyster mushrooms.
As you have probably gathered, rooms at the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga don't come cheap. Rates start from $790 per night for two adults, which includes the two-course dinner, breakfast, general admission to Taronga Zoo, and a some very cute encounters Australian animals. But, as well as a pretty unique experience, your cash will go towards a good cause. As the retreat is owned and operated by non-profit Taronga Conservation Society Australia, each stay at the retreat will contribute to helping the zoo caring for its animals, as well as contributing to conservation and education programs across Australia.
The retreat will no doubt be a drawcard for international tourists, but would make for a great night away for a special occasion where you really want to splash out.
The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is now open at Taronga Zoo Bradleys Head Road, Mosman. You can book now here.