Taronga celebrates 95 years in style

Taronga celebrates 95 years in style

Taronga Zoo celebrates its 95th birthday this


month, with the official opening of the famous Edwardian Entrance building and


a new visitors’ plaza.



The new entry is a Taronga Master Plan project and includes


a heritage renovation of the copper-domed entrance building, brand new


admissions offices and new visitor facilities incorporating a café and shop.



Taronga Director, Cameron Kerr, said: “The


completion of this wonderful joint project between the NSW Government and the


Zoo just adds to this world class facility. If people don’t have time to spend


exploring the Zoo they can pop in for a coffee and see some wildlife without


paying to enter.”



“The Plaza and the renovation were completed


earlier this year after about 20 months of construction enabling the Zoo to


gradually introduce the computerised admission systems.”The whole project was designed to make the Main


Entrance easy for everyone to use. The new development also incorporates a bus


interchange to bring visitors quickly and easily from the Zoo Ferry or from the


North Sydney transport hubs.



The project is very green incorporating recycled or


plantation-grown timbers, an underground water catchment system in the green


park around the car park to utilise rainwater at the top of the Zoo’s hillside


site, and careful location of the car park to avoid the need for electrical


ventilation.



Visitors can now stroll through a green park to the


Main Entrance, which also houses the upper Sky Safari Cable Car terminal and is


close to many of the Zoo’s popular Australian wildlife exhibits, including


koalas, the recently refurbished Rainforest Aviary, the Australian Walkthrough


with its wallabies, kangaroos and emu, the Platypus exhibit and the Australia’s


Nightlife nocturnal exhibit.



Mr Kerr said: “The renovation of the


heritage-listed Main Entrance has really returned the building to its original


1916 glory. It includes accurate period colour schemes and magnificent statuary


on the Edwardian Entrance building, which was completely recast, the original


copper dome was replaced and the balcony at the rear was re-opened.



“The construction of the $16 million project was jointly


funded by the NSW Government and the Taronga Foundation under the Zoo’s 12 year


redevelopment Master Plan. The Zoo has already completed the children’s


environmental adventure exhibit, Backyard to Bush, the Rainforest Trail exhibit


which is home to Taronga’s successful Asian Elephant conservation breeding


program and the Great Southern Oceans mega-exhibit.”