CREATURE COMFORTS
Koalas by day, aperitivos by night – Taronga Zoo’s newest accommodation doesn’t miss a trick, writes Kirsten Galliott.
It’s immediately clear that the two boys are very different. Barry is something of a flirt, giving us a shimmy and a come-hither gaze. But Gary? Bordering on comatose.
The truth is that I don’t bother to find out the actual names of the two koalas outside our window at the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga – this is just what my daughters dub them. And it sticks. Barry and Gary are there when we go to sleep and when we wake up. For a couple of days, it’s like having two of Australia’s most beloved marsupials as pets.
Opened at the end of 2019, the Wildlife Retreat (taronga.org.au) is, to quote the zoo’s PR machine, a “luxury sleepover with Australia’s unique wildlife” – and the description is spot-on. The eco-retreat’s 62 rooms and suites are serene spaces that tastefully nod to the landscape without veering into “Australiana” territory. But it’s what’s outside that truly captivates. The accommodation is clustered around the Sanctuary, a 1900-square-metre habitat that’s home to frogs and freshwater eels, pademelons and potoroos – and, of course, Barry, Gary and members of their extended “family”.
An afternoon tour around the Sanctuary – led by Viv, a former volunteer who’s been employed by the zoo for six years – is a chance to see these animals unencumbered by fences. “Stick to the path,” she advises at the beginning of the 45-minute amble. “It’s quite possible the animals will be on it at the same time. Please stand still and don’t touch them or feed them.” And just like that, an echidna shuffles across the path in front of us.
The only tammar wallabies in the zoo are here, including Flynn, who is just three months out of his mother’s pouch. There’s also a cluster of rufous bettongs (rat kangaroos), who use their long claws to pick up their favourite food – sweet corn. “They all coexist quite well,” says Viv, “except when they argue over food.”
It’s the behind-the-scenes activities – and all the tidbits of information we gather along the way – that make the Wildlife Retreat such a rich experience, as well as the chance to duck in and out of the zoo at will. The Family Escape Package that we’re on also includes a guided night walk of the zoo – dropping in to see the Asian elephants and Sumatran tigers after dark feels very VIP.
As does the location. The retreat is on the edge of Taronga and, like the zoo itself, has million-dollar views. An early evening drink at the in-house bar, N’gurra Lounge, features a 180-degree panorama of Sydney Harbour. We time our meal at the retreat’s fine-diner, Me-Gal, so we can watch the sun set and the light change. As Viv reminds us, Taronga Zoo is a not-forprofit institution “and all the money you spend goes back to the animals. So feel free to have that extra glass of wine or piece of cake tonight.”
We do. Barry would be proud. Gary? Not so much.