A few excited children and a large media throng gathered at the pachyderms' new enclosure, where the four female elephants celebrated their long-awaited arrival with a roll in the dirt.
The animals are among eight elephants that began a controversial journey from Thailand in June and have been held in quarantine on the Cocos Islands, 2,750km northwest of Perth in the Indian Ocean.
Two years of court battles, animal rights protests and long periods in quarantine delayed their arrival, but the elephants showed no signs of worry as they explored their new surroundings.
After enjoying a bath, Pornthip, Pak Boong, Tang Mo and Tong Dee happily doused themselves in red dirt.
They ate vegetable treats and emitted excited squeaks as they took a dip in the wading pool.
The new enclosure - part of a A$25 million project to bring the elephants from Thailand - consists of several paddocks, an elephant barn and two wading pools, one with its own waterfall.
Elephant manager Ben Britton said their introduction to the enclosure couldn't have gone better.
"They're doing extremely well," he said.
"It's very emotional seeing them all here for the first time, it's a really special moment after all this time."
Mr Britton, who has been caring for the animals since they first began quarantine in Thailand, said the elephants were already a show stopper.
"We came across (to the zoo) via police escort and watching the people lining the streets, stopping their cars watching us go past, people just smiling, waving, cheering us, that's what it's all about," he said.
But some people say the money could have been better spent.
"Forty million dollars could have done an awful lot in Thailand to actually address some of the threats facing this endangered species," animal activist Rebecca Keeble told SBS.
NSW Environment Minister Bob Debus, who was on hand to greet the creatures, said they were an important addition to the popular zoo.
The long process getting the animals to Sydney would only increase their popularity, he said.
"We've been through a lot for these elephants, court cases, long periods of quarantine," he said.
"But I think all of Sydney will very soon find that these animals have achieved an iconic status."
Six year old male Goong will join his female mates at Taronga this weekend, as part of the zoo's conservation program which will be Australia's first Asian elephants breeding program.