Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is another Sydney attraction I recommend if you’re into zoos and want to see some Aussie wildlife, although I do have to recommend Healseville Sanctuary in Melbourne over it (http://myadtravels.blogspot.com/2012/12/experiencing-healesville-and-phillip.html). The truly special park about Taronga Zoo is the view you have overlooking the city and the harbor. I recommend taking a ferry to get to the zoo because it is very scenic. When visiting the zoo I became a seal trainer. We went to the seal show and I was pulled from the audience to command a seal to do a big jump. It was very fun getting splashed and soaked in the heat.

Bridge Climb Sydney

The Bridge Climb! This was one of my opportunities to not only make my mom incredibly scared, but also to show her something new that she hadn’t experienced on previous trips to Sydney. Growing up I probably watched Our Lips Are Sealed a hundred times. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen films this one involves the girls being put in the witness protection program and moving to Sydney. In the movie the girls do the Bridge Climb and visit Luna Park. I knew that these were two sites I could not miss when I was in Sydney since I was very young.

When we arrived at the Bridge Climb office you have to sign your life away and do a few simulators for climbing the bridge. It is all really easy, fun and enjoyable. I can honestly say that since we stepped off of the Sydney Harbor Bridge my mom has told all of her friends and all the tourists we met in Australia that it is a must-do! It is an incredible way to see all of the beauty Sydney has to offer.

When we finished our Bridge Climb and my mom bought all of her souvenirs as proof that she actually did the climb we headed to the ferries station to check out Luna Park. I called this whole day, “My day as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen,” a childhood dream come true. At Luna Park we walked around and enjoyed the views of the harbor and bright colors the amusement park had to offer.

Sydney Sea Life Aquarium

Our next stop was to the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium where I looked at all the fish with my nose pressed to the glass, amazed by some of the crazy sea life and amazing colors. Let me tell you a little bit about some of the sea life we saw.

The first time we saw the Little Penguins was in the aquarium, but Ill tell you more about the penguin parade in Melbourne at this link (http://myadtravels.blogspot.com/2012/12/experiencing-healesville-and-phillip.html). Little Penguins can grow up to 43cm in height and eat small schooling fish, squid and krill. They live in rocky shorelines that are suitable for breeding.

My photos absolutely do not do them justice but the Moon Jellyfish probably tie the Dugongs for the coolest sea life in the aquarium. Moon Jellyfish can be as long as 50cm in diameter and eat a variety of plankton. They live in inshore waters and are interestingly too weak to sting humans. Some people even eat them.

Dugongs can grow to be up to 3.5 meters in length and eat seagrass. They live in seagrass beds in estuaries, bays and shallow waters. It is important that we pay attention to water pollution as these animals are in a vulnerable extinction status.

Lastly, Ill tell you about the Grey Nurse Shark that can grow to be Justas long as the Dugongs. They eat bony fish, young sharks, crustaceans and squid. They live in sandy coastal waters, estuaries, shallow bays and tropical reefs no deeper than 19 meters. These animals are also in a vulnerable status.