By ANNA USHER

Taronga Zoo’s Sky Safari is set for a multi-million-dollar revival, with the NSW Government approving plans for a new cable car system that has divided Mosman locals.

Six pylons, the tallest at 36.5 metres, will be built within the zoo grounds as part of a $105 million project connecting visitors arriving from Sydney Harbour to the entrance of the iconic 28 hectare site.

A Notice of Decision issued on September 19 confirms the Minister for Planning has granted consent, stating the development is “in the public interest” and will replace the zoo’s retired Sky Safari which closed in 2023.

Two new stations – one near the Taronga ferry wharf and another at the main entrance – will form part of a 916-metre aerial route through the zoo. Supporters, including Destination Australia’s Phillipa Harrison, say the project will “deliver substantial” tourism benefits and enhance the zoo’s “global reputation”.

But critics are furious. Mosman parks and Bushland Association president Kate Eccles has described the new towers as “a visual blight” and a “scar on the landscape”.

“The headlands should be the prominent feature of the harbour displaying the lovely green bush, and instead we’ll have this cable car monstrosity which will be the equivalent height of a 10-storey building,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“The primary purpose of it in my view isn’t about educating the public about wildlife. It’s about creating a fun ride.”

Taronga’s rival, Sydney Zoo, also weighed in, with managing director Jake Burgess warning the project was “designed to improve the competitive advantage of Taronga’s overall customer experience” and could “reduce the viability” of his privately owned attraction.

Despite the outcry, the Planning Department concluded impacts had been “adequately addressed” and determined the Gondola project “will provide a range of benefits for the region and the State as a whole”

Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with the new gondolas opening in 2028. Plans confirm the removal of 62 trees, which will be offset by planting 124 new saplings.