Featherdale Wildlife Park is a zoo located in Doonside, Sydney, Australia. The park is located in Sydney's west, approximately from Sydney's CBD. The park contains various species native to Australia, and is known to be one of the world's largest collections of Australian fauna. The facility provides displays, events and interactive experiences. The site covers , ranging from animal enclosures and display areas to visitor facilities, including picnic spaces, shops and basic amenities. It specialises in Australian native wildlife and birds, as well as reptiles and marsupials. The premises is accredited by the Zoo Aquarium Association Australia.
History
Featherdale is located on what was originally a plot of land owned by Charles and Marjorie Wigg, which they purchased in 1953, in what was then a poultry farm. It was opened in 1972, by their son-in-law Bruce Kubbere, who had studied fauna. The park initially opened as a nursery, lined with Australian native trees and plants, in conjunction with a wildlife park. It was threatened with closure in 1975 by rezoning and development for public housing, but the decision was reversed by premier Sir Robert Askin. In 1996 the park won in the category of significant tourist attraction at the Australian Tourism Awards.
In December 2016, the NSW Government's Planning Assessment Commission visited the premises for a tour and meeting. The involved parties gathered to assess the functions of Featherdale Wildlife Park with regards to a proposed development of Sydney Zoo.
Featherdale won the best NSW Major Tourist Attraction award in 2005 and 2009. Many celebrities have visited Featherdale, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Gwen Stefani, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Dave Grohl and Smokey Robinson.
In November 2019, Featherdale Wildlife Park management bought Mogo Zoo from Sally Padey (Mogo's owner for over 30 years), and commenced management from the end of the month. Since the new ownership, the park closed on two occasions. Closures occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and fires that occurred on the south east coast of NSW. Featherdale Wildlife Park stated that the closures had significant impacts on the animals that were conditioned to constant attention from visitors.
Visitation
In 2016 the park estimated that it had served 11.5 million visitors since its opening.
Sources of visitors
The rates of domestic and international visitors vary on the global environment. Upon the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, around half of visitors were thought to be international. The tight restrictions on international travel into Australia thus led to a significant reduction in visitation numbers. However, the Mogo Wildlife Park, which was not a significant international tourism destination, was not as affected. Around 2014, domestic and International visitors were relatively similar, with 47 per cent international visitors. In 2016, of its 400,000 annual visitors, 180,000 were from Australia, including 65,000 from Western Sydney.
Facilities and amenities
Featherdale is located in Doonside, part of Western Sydney, approximately 40 kilometres from the CBD. Its include animal enclosures and display areas, as well as visitor facilities such as picnic spaces, shops, and basic amenities.
Featherdale Wildlife Park provides various facilities that cater to the convenience of visitors, the assistance of those with impairments and basic essential amenities.
The premises is a ZAA-accredited (Zoo Aquarium Association Australasia) facility, ensuring that the wildlife park cooperates with state and federal government standards and legislation.
Basic facilities
Featherdale Wildlife Park includes a variety of facilities and amenities aside from the animal attractions. These are for the use of visitors, extending to tourists, businesses events and school trips. The facilities include:
Car park near premises entrance with 100–120 spaces
Two picnic area
Three bathrooms
A two-story café
An information centre
Gift shop
Function centre
First aid
And a school assembly point.
Disability amenities
Wheelchair access
Companion Card – allows for the carers of disabled people to gain free entry into the premises and related events And supports programs for disabled and disadvantaged people.