Dubbo's Margaret Bourne has walked the Taronga Western Plains Zoo circuit "almost every day" for the past eight years, and a forced break couldn't dim her appreciation for the spot.
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She was ready at the gates on Monday when they were swung wide for the first time since the attraction temporarily closed due to COVID-19 in March.
The keen walker and Zoo Friend said it was just a lovely place to walk.
"I started in 2012 as a way to lose weight," she said.
"I go almost every day around the zoo, unless I'm away. Some days I go with friends, sometimes I go by myself."
Mrs Bourne continued walking six or seven kilometres a day while the zoo was closed, but the scenery was not the same.
She was pleased to explore the zoo and gave a big tick of approval to The Waterhole, the cafe at the half-way point completed while the gates were closed.
"[The zoo] is looking beautiful," she said.
"I stopped for a coffee at The Waterhole, it's a lovely spot, the meerkats are there and you can sit and watch."
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Zoo director Steve Hinks recommended the new area.
"Right next to the cafe... we've got a beautiful new meerkat exhibit so you can sit there and eat your burger and chips, and your coffee... and have the meerkats greedily watching on," he said.