Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo is the sister zoo to Taronga Zoo Sydney, but the experience here is completely different. Instead of a compact city site, this is a safari-style park with large open-range exhibits spread across a five-kilometre circuit. There’s plenty of space, which makes it a good option even during busy school holiday periods.
Getting around the zoo is part of the fun, and there are several ways to do it depending on the age of your kids and how much time you have.
Getting Around the Zoo
Families can explore the circuit on foot, by car, on a hired bike, or in an electric cart. Bringing bikes from home is also an option if you’d rather skip the hire fee.
Bikes are a good choice for families who want to get closer to the animals, since smaller paths and trails branch off the main circuit that cars can’t access. Standard ungeared bikes hire for $17 a day and geared bikes for $24 a day, with a bike-and-caboose or bike-and-baby-seat option available for $30. Helmets are provided, though bringing your own is worth considering.
Tip: We recommend that you can fully inspect and test ride the hire bike at the Hire Centre as some bikes can be a bit dodgy. You’ll want to make sure the bike is fully operational before setting off on a 5-kilometre circuit.
Electric carts suit families with younger kids or anyone short on time. A four-hour session costs $80 and an all-day hire is $120, with each cart seating up to six people. Drivers need to be over 18 with a full licence, and children under three must be in their own car seat, which the zoo does not supply.
There’s also a newer option: 30-minute pedal boats on Savannah Lake for $20, taking up to two adults and two children. These run on weekends outside school holidays and Thursday to Sunday during NSW school holidays, and need to be booked at the Boat Hire Shed on arrival.
Driving your own car around the one-way, sealed circuit is straightforward too, though some animal enclosures need a short walk from the road to view properly. (Driving your car is a great option if you’re short on time or have young kids).
Because the zoo is an open-range zoo, the animal enclosures are larger. Sometimes it might be necessary to search for an animal over a large area. You might need to walk or bike around the enclosure to spot them.
If you want to get up close to animals, exploring the zoo by bike is recommended as you can venture off onto smaller paths and trails off the main circuit.
Plan your day around the Keeper Talks for the best chance to see your favourite animals up close at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo.
You can check out Virtual Keeper Talks via your own device. Simply scan the QR code signage located at various animal exhibits and learn more about a specific creature.
Ticket Tips
Zoo admission covers two consecutive days, so there’s no need to rush through everything in one visit. This is especially handy for families with younger kids who might not manage a full day at the zoo in one go.
Booking online ahead of time brings a discount on individual and family tickets compared to buying at the gate. Families planning to visit both Taronga Zoo Sydney and the Dubbo zoo within the same year should look at the Zoo Friends Family Flex Membership, which gives 365 days of access to both zoos for $130 a year and includes free entry for kids under 16 from the same household. A one-off $20 joining fee applies to new memberships.
On payment, cash is accepted at the Ticketing Desk, Cafe Wild and the Zoo Shop, but everywhere else in the zoo is card only. Worth keeping in mind if you’re planning to pay cash at a vending machine partway around the circuit.
What to See Along the Circuit
The zoo is organised around kilometre markers, which makes it easy to plan a loop based on what your family wants to see. Be sure to pick up a map on entry or print it off at home.
Near the start of the circuit, in the Gateway to Africa section, you’ll find black and white rhinoceros, zebras, giraffes and cheetahs.
Spring visits often bring a chance to spot newborns among the giraffes, rhinos, hippos and elephants.
Further around, the Asian elephants are a highlight, particularly around bathing and feeding times.
The Observation Tower gives a good vantage point over the enclosure.
At Kilometre 2, The Waterhole is worth building time into your visit for.
It has a water play area, cafe seating and meerkat and Barbary sheep enclosures nearby, and it’s a good spot to let kids cool off before continuing on.
If you’ve packed your own lunch, venture to the Bushland Picnic Grounds or Wild Asia Wetlands Picnic Grounds located near Kilometre 3.
Around Kilometre 3, the Wild Herds area features Takhi horses from Mongolia and fallow deer, viewed from inside traditional yurts with information on conservation efforts to save the Takhi from extinction.
Inside the various yurts are information about the successful program to save the Takhi, Mongolian horses from extinction. You can also spot the horses from inside the yurt.
Inside the Wild Herds area, you’ll also find Fallow Deer which don’t seem to mind you getting up close.
The Australian section near Kilometre 4 includes dingoes, kangaroos, wallabies, emus, echidnas and koalas, with a boardwalk giving better views of the koalas and wallabies below.
Nearby, Lion Pride Lands is built to resemble a Masai village, complete with pygmy goats to pat and a lion sculpture that roars as you walk in, which tends to catch younger kids off guard.
Wander through the lion exhibit and see if you can spot any lions. On the day we visited we saw three lionesses in the enclosure.
Occasionally they would roar, trying to communicate with the male lion next door.
You can either get up close for a look near their enclosure or walk up the hill for a distant view. At the bottom of the hill, you’ll find some kids play activities like crawling underneath like a lioness or balancing on a beam.
As you approach Kilometre 5, you’ll see an additional enclosure containing cheetahs. This is a great spot to see cheetahs especially if you didn’t see them earlier at Kilometre 1.
Next door is the Galapagos Tortoises.
At first, these enormous silent creatures appear to be statues but stand there long enough and you’ll see them moving their heads.
The Safari Park Playground is located at the end of the route. If your kids still have energy, let them run around and explore the play equipment. There is a flying fox and numerous things they can climb and crawl on.
While you watch your kids play, you can look across and watch the Spider Monkeys and Lemurs climb and play on the exhibits located in nearby Savannah Lake.
Also at the end of the circuit is Platypus Rescue HQ, the largest purpose-built platypus conservation centre in the world. It’s home to Mackenzie, a resident male platypus, viewable in a specially designed habitat, along with rescue, research and rehabilitation facilities working to protect wild platypus populations. Viewing sessions run at 2.45pm on weekends and daily during school holidays, so it’s worth timing a visit around that if seeing the platypus is a priority.
Food, Drink and Picnic Areas
Cafe Wild in the Welcome Plaza is the main dining option, with The Waterhole at Kilometre 2 as a second spot for a snack or drink partway around.
Bring lots of water especially on a hot day. Either bring water from home or buy bottled water from the vending machines which are located around the circuit.
Note that barbecues are no longer available on the zoo circuit, so packing a picnic is a better option than planning to cook on site. There are still picnic tables and shaded areas at several points along the route for families bringing their own food.
Best Time to Visit
Taronga Western Plains Zoo is located just outside Dubbo, about a 5 kilometre drive. There’s free parking for cars and campervans.
The Savannah Visitor Plaza opens at 8:30am, while the zoo circuit itself opens at 9am and runs through to 4pm, every day of the year. Arriving close to opening can mean a short wait for the carpark gates to open, especially during school holidays, so building in a little extra time is worth it.
Your admission ticket is good for two consecutive days. We arrived on the first day at 9am and the zoo was busy. However, on the next day, we arrived at 1pm and the zoo was much quieter.
Keeper talks run throughout the day and are worth planning around if there are particular animals your family wants to see up close. Some keeper activities are weather dependent, so it’s worth checking the day’s schedule after arrival or via the free zoo app.
Accessibility and Facilities
The zoo offers accessible parking, free wheelchair hire, and public bathrooms at multiple points around the circuit. Pets aren’t permitted inside the zoo, though pet minding options are available in Dubbo, and guide dogs or assistance animals can attend with advance arrangement.
Accommmodation
If you want to stay right at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, there are a few options. Zoofari Lodge is the all-inclusive safari experience, with accommodation in tented lodges, dinner, breakfast, exclusive tours and zoo entry all included. Book an Animal View Lodge if you want giraffes and rhinos wandering past your tent, since the more affordable Bushland Lodges don’t have that outlook.
Savannah Cabins offer a self-contained, self-catered option just outside the zoo grounds, which suits families wanting more flexibility to come and go. Billabong Camp is the tented camping option near Lion Pride Lands, with the lions roaring nearby after dark. All three get booked out early during school holidays, so it pays to lock in dates well ahead. Plenty of accommodation options exist in Dubbo itself if staying inside the zoo isn’t the plan.
For more information, visit the Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo website.
Coming Soon: Serengeti Resort
Construction is underway on the Serengeti Resort, a major expansion set to open in the second half of 2026. The new precinct will cover 55 hectares of grassland, five times the size of the current African Savannah habitat, with free-roaming giraffes, rhinos, zebras and antelope. It’s set to include a function and events centre, a café-restaurant, an infinity-edge pool, and 35 accommodation cabins including new two-bedroom family suites. An exact opening date hasn’t been confirmed yet, so it’s worth checking directly with the zoo closer to a planned visit if this is part of the appeal, particularly for anyone considering an overnight stay later in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most families need at least half a day for a solid look around, and a full day if you’re combining animal spotting with the Waterhole and playground. The two-day ticket means you can split the visit if that suits your group better.
Yes, bringing bikes from home is fine if you’d rather not pay the hire fee, and it can be a good option for families who already have kid-friendly bikes and seats set up. At the very least, bring helmets so you can save time instead of searching for helmets that fit.
It can be, particularly if you plan around The Waterhole and the playground at the end of the circuit, and take advantage of the two-day ticket to split the visit rather than pushing through the whole five kilometres in one go.
Carts can be pre-booked online, which is worth doing during busy periods, while bikes are booked at the Hire Centre on arrival.
More Family Day Trips from Newcastle and the Hunter
Dubbo makes a solid multi-day family trip if you’re combining it with other regional stops. Have a look at our full guide to things to do in Dubbo with kids for the rest of the attractions worth building into a visit, including Wellington Caves and the Dubbo Regional Adventure Playground. For other family holiday ideas within a few hours of Newcastle, check out our guides to Port Macquarie and the Blue Mountains.