Sydney Zoo has been approved to be built at Bungarribee Park in Western Sydney Parklands.

The new zoo will feature 30 exotic and native animals to be exhibited across the 16.5-hectare facility. The exotic animals will include lions, tigers and elephants. 

The construction is set to start later this year, creating 160 full-time jobs and 120 full-time jobs after the construction, once in operation. 

“Sydney Zoo will set a new standard in visitor experience and have people coming back time and time again,” Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said. 

The zoo is set to be Australia’s most technologically advanced and innovative zoo with amphitheatres, native fish aquarium, insectarium and nocturnal houses.

It will have other amenities such as a show arena, picnic areas, wetlands, waterways and gardens. 
In addition, educational programs that focuses on the Aboriginal and natural heritage and Indigenous history of Western Sydney will also be featured. 

The zoo will be located on the Great Western Highway, near Blacktown and Quakers Hill. 

It will be 45 minutes from Sydney CBD, 25 minutes from Castle Hill, 25 minutes from Richmond, 35 minutes from Campbelltown and 20 minutes from Penrith. 

With construction plans later this year, it is set to open before the 2018 summer school holidays. 

Once in operation, its total contribution to the NSW economy is estimated at $45 million per year, with almost 745,000 people per year expected to visit the zoo and 35,000 interstate and overseas visitors per year.