Ten Sydney Excursions You Won't Need a Permission Slip For Anymore

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Uniforms, worksheets and bumpy bus rides, be gone. Now you're all grown up (sort of), you can reclaim the joy and wonder of school excursions as a kidult, wearing whatever you want, choosing to learn if you're interested, ditching the muesli bar for a cheeky wine, and travelling on your own wheels.

Channel that sweet sweet nostalgia into revisiting Sydney's go-to excursion destinations. While Old Sydney Town is only open for weddings and film shoots these days, these ten are open and ready to deliver on your hard earned pocket money. Prepare to pat koalas and hand-feed kangaroos without having to prepare a speech afterwards. Face up to sharks without having to put together a cardboard project on their breeding habits. Ride rollercoasters without having to write a physics essay on them. Cruise in a cable car 270 metres above the ground and Instagram the whole ride. Yeah, that wasn't around back in the day.

Feel free to take recess whenever you damn well please.

JENOLAN CAVES

If you got through the Australian education system without an excursion to the Blue Mountains, let's rectify this right here, right now. For those who managed to weave their way down, down, down through the windy mountain pass (with or without getting delightful motion sickness), one of the most memorable stops was, of course, Jenolan Caves, which made our Ten Best Caves To Visit Near Sydney list. Wandering through its nine-cave-strong network, you'll come across Gollum-esque undergound rivers, secret chambers and beautiful limestone formations, which, as your geology teacher would've told you, are officially known as stalactites and stalagmites — if you manage to memorise the difference successfully, let us know. We've been trying since Year Five. For an adrenaline kick, visit at night for the Legends, Mysteries and Ghosts Tour.

SCENIC WORLD

On top of Jenolan Caves, Scenic World is a crucial part of any Blue Mountains school excursion itinerary. The original 1958 Scenic Skyway was replaced with a modern, high-tech vessel in 2004. Its liquid, crystal glass floor lets you watch the floor of the stunning Katoomba Gorge, 270 metres below, as you travel 720 metres, from one point to the other. You can opt for a return ride, or jump off at the far side to conquer the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, taking you past incredible views of Jamison Valley, leading to Echo Point and the Three Sisters, before descending the Giant Staircase into lush rainforest and returning to Scenic World's base. Luckily, there's an alternative to the steep climb back — the Scenic Railway, which, with its hair-raising 52 degree incline, is the steepest passenger railway in the world. And it goes backwards. Just sayin'. Pair your excursion with a bushwalk, or make a weekend of it with your favourite.

SEA LIFE SYDNEY AQUARIUM

As a kid, taking a stroll through Sydney Aquarium's Shark Walk and Shark Valley ranked alongside watching Nightmare on Elm Street and attending your first blue light disco as one of life's most terrifying, thrilling rites of passage. As a kidult, armed with the handy knowledge that Grey Nurse sharks only eat fish, not people, it's way more relaxing. In fact, Sydney Aquarium's cool, gentle, watery wonders are a dreamy escape on a busy day (if you go on a weekday. Weekend? Forget it). The aquarium's now divided into nine sections, including 'Jurassic Seas', 'South Coast Shipwreck' and 'Great Barrier Reef', and there are more than 700 species to stare at. A new exhibit, starring King and Gentoo penguins in sub-Antarctic conditions, is coming soon.

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PARK

Although your mate Eric the crocodile sadly passed away in 2007 (RIP Eric), the Australian Reptile Park is still a top notch excursion for grown ups who love a good python. It's just a one-hour drive north of Sydney in Somersby, just west of Gosford. As you might've guessed from the name, it's a paradise for future Steve Irwins, snake charmers and herpetologists (people who study reptiles and amphibians). But what's lesser known is it's the only zoo in the whole country with a life-saving agenda. Killer slitherers and creepy-crawlies are milked for their venom, which is sent to hospitals. You can even watch this process in action at a 'funnel web-milking show', because everyone should really see a funnel web milked once in their life. Other experiences include reptile shows, koala feeding and walking with Hugo the Galapagos tortoise. The Galapagos is of the biggest tortoises in the world, being over 1.5 metres long and weighing in at 250 kilograms.

TARONGA ZOO

Just a ferry ride away from Sydney's CBD, a fur-, feather- and fin-filled day is to be had at Taronga Zoo. Among its 4000 animals and 350 species, you'll find all sorts of exotic life forms, including endangered and vulnerable creatures, like Corroboree frogs, black rhinos, Sumatran tigers and snow leopards. Plan your visit at the right hour to meet meerkats, koalas, giraffes, penguins or owls in person, catch a seal show or hear a spider keeper talk. And make sure you leave enough time to conquer the new Wild Ropes courses, which cover 40 obstacles, while giving you epic Sydney Harbour views. Plus, the zoo has a straight-up incredible new lemur enclosure with NO BARRIERS. You're not allowed to pat them, but you can hang out in their space. Pretty awesome.

FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK

Featherdale isn't only about looking at cute, furry creatures, it's also about getting your hands on them. In one day, you can cuddle a koala (and get your photo taken with him/her) and feed kangaroos by hand (no hot chips, people). And they have quokkas. Quokkas. There's also a busy show program, starring animals you probably don't want to touch, like crocs, dingos and Tassie devils. But all in all, more than 1700 critters call the park home, many of whom wander around in the open air, fence-free. You'll find Featherdale in Doonside, so it's a happy rest stop on the way to the Blue Mountains.

POWERHOUSE MUSEUM

No place was better at turning your science textbook into fun than the mighty Powerhouse Museum. These days, the permanent exhibitions are divided into four sections: experimentations, where you get to see lightning and electricity and magnets in action; the art deco Kings Cinema, home to an old-school Fotoplayer, a mechanical music maker that added sound to silent films; Locomotive No. 1, which lets you travel through time to the steam train era; and Ecologic, where you take an interactive journey through the scary possibilities of climate change. Meanwhile, temporary shows tackle everything from fashion designers, like Isabella Blow and Collette Dinnigan, to glimpses of the future with the Good Design Awards. It's officially moving to Western Sydney under the NSW government's plan, so visit Ultimo before the new site gets started — then you'll have a new excursion to take.

Jurriaan Persyn.

LUNA PARK

At school, there was no better 'physics lesson' than a day at Luna Park. As a kidult, though, you don't have to worry about what sums keep the Moon Ranger in the air or the Tumble Bug a-spinning. All you have to do is strap in and hope against hope that any former fellow students now working as engineers learned more than you did. There are more than 20 rides to get your kicks on. Hardcore carnival-goers should climb aboard the Hair Raiser, which lifts you 50 metres in the air before dropping you back to Earth at a speed of 80 kilometres an hour, or the Wild Mouse Roller Coaster. Not quite your scene? Go for the more sedate Ferris Wheel, Carousel or Dodgem City. Just remember, growing up does not stop you throwing up.

IMAX

School excursions to IMAX were usually restricted to 'educational' films, like Humpback Whales 3D, America Wild: National Parks Adventure 3D or Hidden Universe 3D. All that scenery is undoubtedly spectacular on an eight-storey-high screen, while being blasted by 15,000 watts of digital surround sound. But, it's nice to have the freedom to choose Warcraft 3D or Finding Dory 3D, and sink into 45 minutes of pure escapism, equipped with a behemoth box of popcorn and a big wine, without considering whether or not you're learning a bloody thing.

HONOURABLE MENTION: QUESTACON

We know it's in Canberra, but the memories! The memories! That anti-gravity slide thing! We couldn't leave it out. Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, is where most Aussie kids first learn the impact of drumming on their heartbeat and discover that perception is the only factor making them shorter than adults. An ever-evolving events program offers such varied experiences as watching chickens hatch, learning about Space Missions and seeing music as sound waves.