Koala Park Sanctuary is a family-run wildlife sanctuary tucked into 10 acres of rainforest and eucalyptus groves in West Pennant Hills, about 30 minutes north-west of the Sydney CBD. Open since 1930, it remains one of the only places in Sydney where kids can stand right beside a koala for a free photo (NSW law means no holding) and hand-feed kangaroos roaming freely across the lawns. It's intimate and old-school rather than Taronga-slick — and that's exactly the appeal.

Why We Love It

• Free koala up close encounter and photo included with entry — visitors can stand right next to a koala while a keeper takes the shot on your own phone, no upsell or extra booking fee.

• Free-roaming kangaroos kids can hand-feed with $2–$3 paper bags of feed, which is consistently the highlight for under-10s.

• Four koala presentations a day plus farmyard and reptile encounters, all included in the ticket and clustered around the central picnic lawn so you're never far from the action.

• Sheep shearing and farmyard experiences alongside wombats, dingoes, emus, cassowaries, echidnas and a small lamb-and-sheep yard — a proper Aussie wildlife and farm mash-up in one easy visit.

• Small, calm and pram-friendly compared to the bigger zoos — mostly flat paths, no queueing system and no need to book, which suits toddlers, grandparents and visiting overseas relatives.

• Honest expectation-setter — the grounds are genuinely old and reviews note enclosures show their age, so come for an intimate family-run sanctuary rather than a big-budget zoo and you'll leave happy.