We went to Cherrybrook to see the cherry blossoms near the station. Nice, but honestly a bit boring once you’ve taken the photos — there’s only so long you can stand under a row of trees before the kids start asking what’s next. So we kept walking. About half an hour down Castle Hill Road, past a spot where the road opens up and you get a skyline view (no idea whose skyline, we never worked it out, but it made for a decent photo), you hit Koala Park.
It’s a small zoo, and that’s the point
There’s a bus stop and a car park right at the front, then the entrance itself — ticket window, a small café selling coffee and snacks, and a gift shop, all in the one building. Once you’re through the gate it’s a proper little zoo, not a “wildlife experience” dressed up with a gift shop attached. You get the animals you’d expect from an Australian park like this: koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, plus alpacas and a reptile section. It’s not enormous — you could probably see the whole thing in a couple of hours — but nothing about it felt rushed or thin.
They also run scheduled talks throughout the day where staff bring out different animals and explain a bit about them. We caught one of these by accident rather than planning around it, and it was worth timing better if you can.
The kangaroo feed is most of the value
Adult admission was $38 when we went, which isn’t nothing for a park this size. But buy a $3 bag of feed at the entrance — and it’s a proper handful, not a stingy scoop — and you can hand-feed the kangaroos and sheep yourself. That’s the bit that made the ticket price feel fair rather than steep. The kangaroos here are relaxed around people; nobody needs to worry about a kid getting nipped.
I went in expecting to feel a bit ripped off at $38 for a park this size, and came out thinking about it differently — running regular animal talks, keeping staff on, and maintaining the animals in a small footprint like this isn’t cheap either. It’s a fair price rather than a bargain, but I didn’t feel stung.
Getting there
Cherrybrook Station has a car park if you’re driving in, and it’s an easy walk from there to Koala Park along Castle Hill Road — flat the whole way, footpath, nothing technical, just plan on around 30 minutes if you’ve got small legs with you. If you’d rather not walk it, check the official site for admission details and current opening hours before you go, since we’re only one visit’s worth of data on pricing.
Would we go back?
Yes, though probably for the kangaroo feed more than the koalas. If you’re already planning a trip out to see the Cherrybrook blossoms, don’t turn around once you’ve got your photos — the better half of the morning is another thirty minutes down the road.
If small, hands-on zoos like this are your thing, we’ve also written up Amazement Farm & Fun Park, and you can browse more zoo write-ups here.