The Obliging Lion Roars at Night
The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo
After three sleep-overs on three different occasions at Taronga’s Wildlife Retreat, I’d go back in a twinkling. It’s only a 20-minute drive from my house, but the moment I step in to the sensational circular bar and lounge I’m on holiday. Aperol Spritz? Yes please. You need a fancy drink to match the breathtaking view from the Retreat’s broad deck: Sydney harbour is just so damn glorious on a sunny day with the Opera House shimmering under the iconic Bridge. But the heady feeling you get on walking in to Reception is also inspired by the interior design of the space.
Maybe I’m just a circular kind of woman, but I love the two semi-circular grand banquettes in the centre of the room under the round skylight from which hang golden flying birds. And the neutral colours with pops of orange and green and black. And the range of textiles. And the huge lamps made of intertwined twigs. The design suggests both luxe and earthiness, which is a perfect combo for a retreat at the Zoo. An extra treat is the birdsong soundtrack coming from the adjacent aviary, which houses an intoxicating assortment of native birds, including galahs, parrots and cockatoos. Surprisingly, the repetitive throaty trill of the spotted dove is loudest, a sound that instantly transports me to savannahs I have known.
Sydney-based firm Cox Architecture designed the Retreat with the brief of making it the first “5-star, Greenstar Hotel in Australia”. Check their website for fantastic photographs of the Retreat being built: https://www.coxarchitecture.com.au/project/the-wildlife-retreat-at-taronga Sixty-two rooms in five lodges surround a garden sanctuary space for small mammals, including potoroos, red-necked wallabies, a pair of Cape Barren geese and three echidnas, the largest of whom goes by the name of Rex. You stay in rooms that either face this leafy sanctuary or the bush, in which case you get to look out over the big red roos (with the harbour in the distance).
I’ve stayed in both and they are lovely. As in the lobby, the room décor emphasizes indigenous art, animals and flora. The custom bird pendant lights are particularly cute. Sliding louvres separate the generous bathroom. Towels are large, toiletries come in refillable bottles. Rooms are big enough to include either two chairs or a sofa (which can be turned in to a single bed). The ceiling-to-floor windows can be opened to catch the harbour breeze. You really don’t need the air conditioner; overhead fans keep things cool too. The melding of internal and external spaces is one of the special features of the Retreat. As are the various textures: of tiles, textiles, ceramics and cushions.
My first visit was in 2020 for a Twilight Concert wherein for a very reasonable fee we got tickets to a Sunny Boys concert (so much fun), a picnic dinner, a bottle of wine, and bed and breakfast. After the concert, we felt very blessed at being able to stagger up the hill to bed, with a stopover for a nightcap at the bar. Breakfast is in the Me Gal restaurant at the highest level of the Retreat with a sheer view over the harbour. This area, too, has been beautifully designed with divine cushions that showcase gumnuts and galahs. Back then, before the first Covid lockdown, breakfast was a sumptuous buffet.
When I returned to celebrate my sister’s birthday this June (just before lockdown No 2), breakfast had changed to plated up fruit salads, yoghurt pots and eggs to order. But it was just as good (though the coffee is a work in progress). A 3-course dinner was included in that visit, and the options are sophisticated, highlighting indigenous flavours such as lemon myrtle and pepperberry. We were lucky to score a table directly in front of the view. If you can, time your meal to catch the sun sinking underneath the Bridge. It’s just glorious.
We dined early during my recent stay with the whole family, which included a night walk in the Zoo that kicks off at 7.30. The lion obliged us by roaring at the stars, a deep guttural sound that is even more extraordinary when you can see the city skyline at the same time. We also spied the nocturnal enormous-eared Fenec fox using infra-red torches. There is something magical about wandering through Taronga at night with your own guide.
I’m afraid I couldn’t photograph the lion roaring at night, so here is one of the sanctuary after our night walk
A stay at the Retreat includes entrance to the Zoo, both before and after if you wish. In the morning, we scooted in early before the crowds arrived, and got to see the gorillas having their breakfast. With great dignity, the big silverback told us what he thought by mooning us. The elderly female zoo volunteer said to me that she’d known him since he was a kid. He was so handsome. If you’re very lucky, as we were, you might also get to see a session wherein people pay for a private feeding session with an animal, in this case, the meerkats. These tiny bandits are so endearing, we could barely contain our squeals of delight as they scampered up and down knees popping fly larvae in to their mouths
Taronga’s Wildlife Retreat may be a triumph of design and ethos, but it is the guides, the keepers, the volunteers, the receptionists and wait staff, in short, the entire workforce, who make a visit here and to the Zoo itself such a pleasure. Sophie, our Wiradjuri guide to the animals of the Sanctuary this time round (a tour included in every visit), clearly loved her job and did her best to impress upon us the importance of showing respect to the land and its creatures. The Zoo is a non-for-profit organisation. By staying there, whether at the Retreat or glamping on a Roar and Snore adventure, you are helping “to achieve a shared future for wildlife and people”. It’s a win-win for everyone, including the trio of echnidas, Rex, Rosie and Blondie, whose lovely sanctuary is also yours during your sleep over.
EXTRA
The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga offers a variety of packages. It can be confusing navigating them all on their website. I suggest you check it out first at www.taronga.org.au Then give their super helpful reservations team a call. Get in quick for the Twilight Concert deals.