Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park.
On this page
Farm, park and koala habitats
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1953
A poultry farm
Charles and Marjorie Wigg buy the 7-acre plot in Doonside and run it as a poultry farm.
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1972
The wildlife park opens
Their son-in-law, Bruce Kubbere, opens Featherdale as a wildlife park.
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1975
A close call
Plans to rezone the area for public housing threaten the park; the decision is reversed by Premier Sir Robert Askin.
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1996
An award and a new owner
Featherdale wins the significant tourist attraction category of the Australian Tourism Awards and is sold for the first time.
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2005 and 2009
More recognition
The park is named the best major tourist attraction in New South Wales.
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2013
Another change of hands
The park is sold again; today it is part of the Australian Wildlife Parks group.
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Today
Koalas and more
Around 50 koalas live across six habitat areas, alongside many other Australian animals.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and the place; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
