Britain's Prince George stepped out in public with his parents Sunday for the first time in Australia, for an encounter with wildlife at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

George, 8 months old and third in line to the throne after grandfather Princes Charles and father William, stole the show as his parents toured the harbourfront zoo overlooking the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The royal family were at the zoo to visit an enclosure for bilbies and meet one of the rabbit-eared native marsupials who was named in George's honor.

Propped up by his mother, George bobbed jubilantly up and down and waved his arms as the inquisitive bilby, previously known as Boy, crouched up on its hind legs and peered over the edge at him.

He grinned and giggled for the cameras as William bounced him in his arms and kissed him on the head, beaming as he was presented with a stuffed toy bilby which he promptly tossed to the ground, setting off ripples of laughter in the capacity crowd.

George held fast to the ear of a silver bilby statuette as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge unveiled a plaque in his honor. The enclosure was paid for by the Australian government as a gift on behalf of the nation to celebrate George's birth.

The zoo had to close its gates at 1:30 pm due to the huge crowds gathering to await the royals' arrival.

It was George's first public appearance in Australia, five days into the family's 10-day tour of the nation of which William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II is head of state.

George had just one formal engagement during their visit to New Zealand last week, at a play date with a group of local toddlers.

AFP