Koala Park Sanctuary
The Koala Park Sanctuary offers visitors the opportunity to see and photograph Australian wildlife up close in natural surroundings
Located north of Sydney in the West Pennant Hills The Koala Park Sanctuary is a family run sanctuary that was first created back in the 1920's. The sanctuary was created out of the concern of Noel Burnet that the Koala Bear may become extinct if it continued to be hunted by the fur trade in such large numbers. It officially opened to the public in October of 1930.
Still being operated by Noel's daughter this sanctuary is one of only a few places in the world where you can see Koalas living in their natural surroundings. Today, however, you can also see Peacocks, Cockatoos, Emus, Kangaroos, Wombats, Echidna, Rainbow Lorrikeet, Wedge-Tailed Eagles, Dingoes and more here.
The Koala Park Sanctuary has a kiosk serving a selection of snacks and beverages and a restaurant serving BBQ lunches.
There are numerous options for getting to the park from Sydney, however, our directions below will get you there with just one train followed by one bus which will drop you off right by the park entrance. The entire journey will take a little over one hour varying according to the time of day.
Nearby attraction: Lane Cove National Park
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: YesKoala Park Sanctuary Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Address: 84 Castle Hill Rd, West Pennant Hills NSW 2125, Australia
Phone: (02) 9484 3141
Official Website: Koala Park Sanctuary
Koala Park Sanctuary Reviews
Rated out of 5
Koala Park is an okay place to spend a couple of hours, but it’s not something I’d call a must-visit. The koala show was definitely the best part—the presenter explained everything very clearly and made it easy to understand, which was enjoyable.
Apart from that, the park felt quite limited. There weren’t many other animals or activities to keep things exciting, so after the show, there wasn’t much to explore. It’s fine if you’re already in the area and want a short outing, but I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip just for this.
Overall, a decent experience mainly for the koala show, but not much beyond that.
T J - 3 weeks ago
Cannot believe how amazing this place is. From outside it looks quite unassuming so we drove past it numerous times and didn’t visit until now. The animals are so lovely and interactions are simply magical memory. Even the cafe food are nice. Easily had a great relaxing time with animals in a natural setting.
Lei Xu - a month ago
I had a lovely time, went by myself and stayed ~4 hours. The part that surprised me most was the staff, they were so very human. I've been to many wildlife sanctuaries where the staff are just worker drones, but here EVERY staff member will happily talk. Especially enjoyed the fact that they didn't "pretend to know" things, one lady even told me she wasn't sure of an answer to my question so she wrote it down on a notepad so she could research and know for future reference. I'm so happy to see young, passionate people in fields like this.
James Dower - a month ago
Much better than expected, great value. They have a good range of animals and several places you can pet the animals at no extra cost. Informative keeper talks and you can get up close to almost all the animals.
The one star lost is that this place is not disability friendly. The pavement is old and uneven so wheelchairs and anyone unsteady on their feet may have a hard time getting around.
The established trees name this place feel like you are in the remote bush with these animals, a great experience.
upgrtan glancalsmith - 4 months ago
A lovely small wildlife sanctuary. We were surprised at how much there was, and it was a really nice trip out for the afternoon.
It was so incredible to get up close to the kangaroos, they were all so gentle and friendly. The sheep and goats are a lot more rowdy (they ate our entire bag of food and covered us in mud) but that being said they did give us a good laugh.
The koala talk was also amazing, I appreciated the way we were able to get up close to the koalas but were told not to touch them which reassures me that they care for the animals first and foremost.
Harmony Skingle - 5 months ago
Directions
| Train and Bus Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Pennant Hills + Bus #632 | 0 minutes |
How to get to Koala Park Sanctuary by Train and Bus
By Train and Bus: From Monday thru Saturday take the T1 North Shore & Northern Line train from either Wynyard, Town Hall or Central Station to Pennant Hills Station. On Sundays take any train going to Central Station first and transfer to the T1 North Shore & Northern Line train to Pennent Hills there. Exit and cross over the tracks and catch Bus #632 for the 8 minute ride to the park.
Note: that some T1 trains don't go straight through but require a transfer at Chatswood or at Epping Station. This works fine, but you may want to make sure you take a straight through train to keep things simple and avoid the need to transfer. Use the real-time directions link below to view all the options including platform numbers.
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Accommodations near Koala Park Sanctuary:
Photo Gallery
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Kangaroos at the Koala Park Sanctuary cc licensed photo by Dushan and Miae -
Photo Credit: Yves Celebi -
Photo Credit: George DrChip -
Photo Credit: Oscar Verano -
Photo Credit: yuthasak rattanapong -
Photo Credit: Mariya Ollin
