Mosman Parks & Bushland is very concerned about Taronga Zoo's Sky Safari proposal.
Sydney Harbour is an icon for all of Australia. Taronga Zoo's Sky Safari development proposal must be amended to protect the views from Sydney Harbour.
ABOVE: Our impression of the proposed Sky Safari at dusk. Note the red colouring is ours so that you can imagine the height and size of the circulating cabins.
Please write a submission to the NSW Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure to let them know how concerned you are and that you oppose the proposal.
We have until 5 pm Tuesday 10 June 2025 to lodge our objections to Taronga's Sky Safari.
Head what you say with OBJECTION
When making your submission, please don't just copy the key points listed here; express your feelings about them and clearly state that you are registering your objection to the proposal.
Key Points:
The Sky Safari is too high and intrusive.
Operating hours can be from as early as 5 am to as late as midnight.
It can and should be reduced in height.
We can have a new Sky Safari that includes cable cars, allowing access for prams and wheelchairs, but does not overwhelm or destroy views from the harbour.
The proposal aims to be a tourist attraction. It is not just a means of transporting people around the zoo.
To achieve fleeting views from the highest points on the sky safari, the proposal will be a permanent scar on Sydney Harbour.
The harbor is the jewel in the crown of Sydney, and its significance is national. Its pre-eminence should not be usurped.
The design of the 'Sky Safari' extends beyond building a useful transportation link within the zoo.
The proposed design is based on the zoo's desire to attract patrons for a tourist experience. Views of the mountains and the heads are promoted in the report as an attraction. This goes beyond its role as a useful transportation link.
It's a Disney-style ride on what is a modest-sized site.
The height of Sky Safari is of greatest concern. The visual impact is a matter of national significance.
The impact on views from the harbor is significant and adverse. It will be seen from many parts of the Harbour. It will have an impact on the World Heritage Listed Opera House.
The visual impact of the proposed height will not only include the pylons and cables. There will be 25 large gondolas, designed for wheelchair and pram access, that will continually move up and down the hillside. This will be a very ugly and intrusive development.
The increase in the footprint of the lower station and the associated loss of vegetation is of concern.
The lower station will have a significant impact on views from the harbour. It will be obtrusive and very visible. It is proposed to be so close to the harbour that the impact will never be mitigated by trees.
The loss of trees is regrettable.
The impact of light on the harbour, given its hours of operation, is a loss to both the harbour and its residents.
If you would like to be extra forthright, you could talk about:
The pylons, up to the height of a 10 storey building, towering over the tree canopy and destroying the bushland look from vantage points all around the harbour.
The Loss of more than 60 trees and impact to up to 100
Proposed operating hours – from 5 am to 12 midnight
Lights and movement over the canopy all day and half the night – from 5 am to 12 midnight.
A massive new building at the bottom entrance – necessitating removal of many trees.
Noise - this will increase into the night on a regular basis.
Traffic through already clogged Mosman streets.
How to make your submission
The Department has adamantly refused to allow emails and letters, but if you are stuck, Janith De Silva has promised to help if you phone 9274 6127.
Write your submission and save it as a word document or a pdf. This is so that you have a record of what you have submitted
Go to this Site https: //www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/taronga-zoo-sky-safari
Ignore the advice on the page that Submissions are closing in 20 days. The closing date is 5 pm Tuesday 10 June 2025.
Click on “My Account” in the top right-hand corner.
If you already have an account, log in. If you don’t have an account, click “Create account” and follow the registration process.
Then Find the relevant application on the planning portal.
Or you can find the application on the list of applications currently on exhibition
Make your submission by clicking the button next to the application you found
Follow the instructions to complete your submission.
We would love you to send your submission to us, for our records.
Please remember this is our last chance!
Sincerely,
Kate Eccles and Committee
