WildlifeRetreatis peggedas an
eco-lodge,whichinlesserhands
could have meant glorified
glamping,butwiththeesteemed
Cox Architecture behind the
buildinganddesignstudioChada
onthefitout(whichalsohelped
bring to life Emirates One &
OnlyWolganValleyandTassie’s
SaffireFreycinet),theroomshere
couldeasily slotintooneof the
high-rise hotels that sit on the
CBDskylineopposite.Whilesomesuiteshavefour-posterbeds
and freestanding tubs, all have been appointed with floor-to-
ceilingwindowstomaximisetheview,eitheroverthetreetopsto
theharbourbeyondortobringyoueyelevelwitha koalaperched
ona branchoutside,dependingonyouroutlook.
Tuckedjustbeyondtheconfinesofthepublicareaofthezoo,
theRetreatsitsonCammeraigalland,a considerationthatfeels
ever-presentduringa stayhere.I learnthatthetraditionalwomen
occupantsofthislandwererenownedinthearea
for their hunting and fishing prowess. One name
thatcomesupseveral timesduringmystayis thatofProfessor
DennisFoley(or“UncleDennis”),anelderof theareawhoactsas
thechairofTaronga’sAboriginalAdvisoryGroup,Cammeraigal
Country,andwhoconsultedthroughoutthedevelopmentofthe
newRetreat.Foley’sartworklinesthewallsoftherooms,which
arealsopepperedwithaerialphotographsandhandillustrations
byYanyuwaartistTimMoriarty.Onanyofseveralguidedwalks
availableoverthecourseofyourstay,guidesweaveinDreaming
storiesto helpgivea fullpictureof thearea,theharbourbelowand
itshistory.Thenameofthein-houserestaurant,Me-Gal, roughly
translatedfromthetraditionallanguageofthe
areameans‘tear’,as inteardrop.
Me-Gal has a focus on sustainability that
is far from tokenistic; executive chef Gursu
Mertel and his team have gone to pained
lengthsto ensureseasonallocalproduce(largely
fromNewSouthWalesandQueensland),and
MSCandASCcertification.TheCoralCoast
barramundiis a highlight,butforsomethinga
little closerto home,the Sydney-madesour-
doughis allthebetterfora
slatheringoflemonmyrtle
butterontop,witha sprin-
klingofMurrayRiverpink
salt. Me-Gal boasts what
could be one of the best
views inthe city,and the
restaurantis openonly to
Retreatguests,butit’salsowellworthcarving
outtime fora sundownerinThe Nest(aka
N’GurraLounge),whichalsohasenviableviewsoftheharbour.
BecauseTarongaConservationSocietyis a not-for-profitorgan-
isation, a stayheredirectlybenefits theworkdoneby thezoo,
includingthatbyTaronga’sownInstituteofScience&Learning,
establishedlastyeartofurtherconservationeducationandscien-
tificinvestigationbothlocallyandfurtherafield.I’mremindedof
the crucialneedforsucha body thenextmorning asI takea
meditativewanderthroughthezoobeforeit’sopentothepublic
(read:sansanyofthethousandsofpeoplewhocanwalkthrough
itsgatesonanygivenday),as manyofits 4000 animaloccupants,
across 350 species,arejuststirring.
Mycompany is HaydenTurner, a passionateconservationist,
televisionpresenterandformerkeeperwhonowheadsupguest
experience forTaronga, and between the calls of a migratory
commonkoelbird(which,heexplains,is a signthatsummeris
imminent), wetalk aboutthe waysin whichthe workheand
otherslikehimdocansometimesfeeloverwhelminginthefaceof
a climatecrisisandtherelentlessrateat whichspeciesfaceextinc-
tion,amongotherthreatstoanimalwelfare.Whilerealistic,he
remainsstaunchlypositive, andis adamanttherearetoomany
people working for good to be defeated. Because, as Turner
remindsme,foreverythingthatgoesonhereatthezoo,“there’s
a scientistwho’swokenupinmiddle-of-nowhereAustraliaforthe
tenth day straight,havingbeenattackedbymosquitoesthrough
thenight,butthey’reouttherecollectingdata
aboutanimalpopulations”.
Whileit mightfeela worldaway,perhapsthe
biggest takeaway from a hotel stay among
Taronga’sresidentsis howa nightspentintheir
midstcanbenefitthemfordecadestocome.
WildlifeRetreatat Taronga,BradleysHead
Road,Mosman,Sydney, taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/
wildlife-retreat“TheRetreatsitson
Cammeraigalland,
a considerationthatfeelsever-present
during a stay here.”ESCAPE