The beauty of families is that everyone’s idea of fun is different, which means family outings can be just as eclectic! And we’ve discovered that with Merlin’s Sydney Big Ticket, the four-attraction pass gives locals and tourists the key to the city’s four best attractions – where there’s something for everyone!

Finding fun for the whole family has never been easier, whether you’ve got little adventurers, mini explorers, celebrity tragics or pint-sized wildlife lovers. So we decided to take the Sydney Big Ticket for a spin, with two tiny reviewers (because we know they love to give their opinions!).

Sydney Big Ticket Review

If you live in or are visiting Sydney and looking to entertain kids of any age, Merlin’s 4 Attraction Pass is fabulous value for money that will keep the kids entertained ALL day (or alternatively over a series of days).

The pass covers SEA LIFE aquarium, WILD LIFE Zoo, Madame Tussauds wax museum and the iconic Sydney Tower Eye, and there’s something for kids (and parents!) of all ages. I loved that the attractions were suitable for both my three-year- old Lily and my eight-year-old Max, with activities that could entertain both, and all located so close together in a convenient location in the middle of the city.

SEA LIFE Sydney

An underwater journey of amazing discovery with nine extraordinary themed zones.

SEA LIFE is a beautiful aquarium experience in Darling Harbour, with all the usual crowd pleasers: sharks, stingrays and dugongs, viewed through the awe inspiring shark tunnel and giant glass walls.

Max’s favourites were the penguins – you are literally one centimetre away from their faces in the glass and their antics are hilarious.

We also all loved the Penguin Expedition Boat Ride, which is free with your general admission ticket. The raft boat takes you on a journey along a river and through the heart of our penguin colony, where you can watch them up close slide across the ice and dive into the water!

Lily’s favourites were the ‘jellyfishes’ (a very cool glow in the dark exhibition).

SEA LIFE had a lot of interactive experiences and opportunities to touch, feel and interact with the exhibits – from the Discovery Rockpool to the interactive light show that showcases the rare phenomenon of bioluminescence. In this motion-sense display the kids walk through the ‘waves’ and the bioluminescence splashes under their feet – my kids ran back and forth with delight for about 20 minutes before I had to move them on to give other kids a turn.

WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo

A day spent at this iconic attraction offers incredible experiences with monstrous crocs, cuddly koalas and waddling wombats.

A zoo in the middle of the city, this attraction lets kids get up and close with Australian animals minus the long drive or commitment of a full day.

With koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles and snakes galore, you get a really great window into the depth of Australian wildlife across different ecosystems. There are 10 interactive ‘zones’, including a nocturnal habitat, Wallaby Cliffs, Daintree rainforest, Koala Rooftop and Crocodile Billabong.

Max’s favourites were the Tasmanian Devils, and they both squealed with delight at getting to pat a Kangaroo while he munched on sweet potato. The underwater crocodile dome was amazing, and the kids loved they were literally centimetres away from the fierce man eaters.

I love how both SEA LIFE and WILD LIFE are not only entertaining, but educational, as it’s important for us as a family to teach our children to be eco conscious and environmentally friendly. My son thought it was the funniest thing ever that Jellyfish eat and poo from the same opening (!).

Madame Tussauds

An unmissable experience, from superheroes to sporting legends to icons of the screen.

I was surprised just how much we all enjoyed Madame Tussauds – we had never taken the kids before as we thought they would have no idea who most of the people are, and we figured they were too young to appreciate it. How wrong we were! The incredibly lifelike wax figures are fascinating for adults and kids alike – the skill going into creating them is just phenomenal.

Lily, my three-year-old little girl LOVED the new PRIDE experience – the Mardi Gras inspired disco floor, giant 3D rainbow and giant unicorn dancing her little heart out, followed by signing her little heart out on stage with Beyonce (complete with stage smoke, lights and microphone).

Max loved the Marvel Zone and the favourite was the multi-user AR experience – kids can be Super Heroes themselves using body-tracking sensors. My kids loved seeing themselves on the giant screen with the fiery glow of their powers radiating from their arms.

So many famous faces that the kids loved – the Queen, Einstein and E.T (and Brad Pitt for the mamas, of course) and it turned into a mini history lesson as we explained who Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Eddie Mabo are, and what they stood for (…and they were actually interested!).

Endless selfie opportunities and everything is interactive – I didn’t have to keep telling them to stop touching everything and we had loads of fun posing and taking photos.

Sydney Tower Eye

Explore the wonders of the city from above with our observation deck.

My little boy has been obsessed with Sydney Tower since he was a toddler, so we are regular visitors – and it never gets old or fails to delight. It’s such a beautiful, tranquil way to while away an hour or two while enjoying a coffee and taking in the stunning birds eye views across Sydney. We always buy the kids an ice-cream and they’ll sit happily for ages eating ice-cream while you point out landmarks and the ‘tiny ant people’ way down below.

Before you enter the tower, there is a very cool 4D cinema experience (included in the ticket price), complete with shaking ground, (light) water mist and bubbles as it takes you on a 4D journey around Australia and Sydney, which the kids absolutely love. My son also loves the Virtual Reality Tower Coaster Experience (an optional extra).

No matter what the weather, it’s a great view, and even though they have a ‘Weather Promise’ for another visit within 7 days in the event of bad weather, we loved watching the shifting clouds and rain pass over.

Save 50% Off Tickets!

Looking for a day jam packed with family fun that’s delightfully exciting and interactive to take the pressure off keeping the kids entertained? Get yourself the 4 Attraction Pass (Sydney Big Ticket), which saves you over 50% from buying the tickets individually. Tickets are super easy to buy online, and you can book in time slots to dodge the long queues. Too easy!

Literally every member of the family will have something for them; from cute and/or scary animals WILD LIFE Zoo, beautiful sea creatures at SEA LIFE, endless celebrity selfie opportunities at Madame Tussauds and stunning views with ice-cream for kids and a coffee for mum at Sydney’s Tower Eye.

I recommend doing SEA LIFE, followed by WILD LIFE and then Madame Tussauds first thing in the morning if you have young children, as they are all in the same complex in Darling Harbour, and you get the most active things out of the way early. We then walked up to Sydney Tower and had lunch in the Westfield’s under the tower before heading up. Then everyone can sit and enjoy an ice cream (and you a coffee!) while taking in the views at Sydney Tower.

Sydney Tower is also right on top of Sydney’s best food court and shopping centre (we always drop by the David Jones toy section which has amazing interactive Star Wars and Lego areas), so a great location for a day out with the kids.

You can also spread your visits over a few days – you can book and use your first ticket and then the other three tickets are valid for 60 days.

Mouths of Mums is proudly working with Merlin Entertainments to bring you this article. Merlin Entertainment is one of the world’s largest attractions operators, creating magical and memorable experiences for the whole family.