Australia may be best known for its koalas, but there is a lot of other extraordinary wildlife to see and interact with, whether you’re swimming alongside a whale shark, spot kangaroos hopping along the beach or taking a selfie with a quokka on Rottnest Island. Many species are found nowhere else in the world, and you don’t have to visit zoos or wildlife parks, there are countless places where animals can be spotted in their natural environment as well.
Below is a list of our favourite wildlife experiences in Australia.
1. Watch turtles hatch
The tiny Heron Island, just 800metres long and 300 metres wide, is home to around 4,000 turtles living on the reef all year round. Nesting season occurs from October to March each year, with hatchlings beginning to emerge in early January, until May. Most nesting turtles will begin to come up on the beaches around the high tide of a night time. The best time to view turtles is at night, two hours each side of the high tide. As guests to the island you’re welcome to walk the beaches at night to view the nesting process at your leisure.
2. Swim with dolphins
It’s only in Australia that you can swim with dolphins a 15 minutes drive away from the CBD of a major city. Glenelg, just outside of Adelaide is famous for its dolphin tours. Visitors can choose to just watch dolphins from the boat, or to hop in to play in the water with them. On an Adelaide dolphin cruise, guests can spot on average 40+ dolphins per trip and during some trips even over 200 dolphins. Because there are so many dolphins along Adelaide’s coastline, it is pretty much guaranteed to spot dolphins.
3. Snuggle a koala
For a lot of visitors of Australia, snuggling a koala is on top of their bucket list. This special experience is only available in a few selected sanctuaries and wildlife parks where visits are strictly monitored and the koalas are well cared for. You can only cuddle a koala in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The world’s first koala sanctuary is just outside Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary houses over 130 koalas, and visitors can hold one at any time from 10am – 4pm. Other Queensland koala-cuddling opportunities (as well as encounters with other Aussie animals) can be found at wildlife parks including the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast, Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas and Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast.
At Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park on Kangaroo Island, off the South Australian coast, you can hold koalas — and snakes if that’s more your cup of tea. At Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills, you can handfeed kangaroos, emus and wallabies, as well as cuddle a koala. And so you can at Gorge Wildlife Park – one of the few places that doesn’t charge for koala cuddles.
The Cohunu Koala Park near Perth is the only place in Western Australia where cuddling a koala is an option.
You can also spot them in trees if you are lucky, e.g. along the Great Ocean Road. The best place to find them is along Lighthouse Road, Cape Otway, which diverts off the scenic route about 20 kilometres from the town of Apollo Bay.
4. Swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef
This wildlife encounter is sure to take your breath away. Ningaloo Marine Park on the Western Australian coast is the only place in the world where large numbers of whale sharks are known to reliably visit so close to land. You can join a one day whale shark tour in Exmouth or Coral Bay from April to July and snorkel alongside these 14 metre harmless vegetarians. Once you jump into the water and get up close and personal to the world’s biggest shark, marvel at the size and grace and elegance of the biggest fish in the world. Whale sharks of the Ningaloo vary between 2.5m and 10.5m, with most being around 4-6m in length.
From July to October, you can also swim with migrating humpback whales off Ningaloo Reef.
5. Get close to sea lions on Kangaroo Island
Seal Bay on Kangaroos Island’s south coast is home to the Seal Bay Conservation Park where you can view the largest colony of Australian sea lions and watch them sunbathe, play on the beach and swim in the ocean. There are no enclosures or cages at Seal Bay. Instead, the animals are free to do as they please, giving visitors the chance to venture right into the heart of the colony and watch them from close up. Experienced guides are on hand to tell visitors about the unique behaviour and history of the sea lions, and offer insights into the endangered species’ feeding habits and lifestyle. This all comes with an incredible backdrop of the ocean – a must-do for anyone visiting Australia.
6. Observe the Penguin Parade of Philip Island
Philip Island, a 90 minutes drive away from Melbourne, hosts a show every day at sunset, and the world’s smallest penguins are the stars of the show. As the sun goes down, Little Penguins waddle up to the beach to their homes in the sand dunes. There is an elevated seating area offering 180 degrees views of the parade, and an underground viewing area giving visitors a chance to observe this magical experience at eye-level.
7. Watch saltwater crocodiles swim by
The Australian saltwater crocodile is the largest and most dangerous, reaching up to six metres of length. The massive, world-renowned wilderness of Kakadu National Park is home to over 10,000 crocodiles. Stay croc safe by going crocodile spotting with a guided cruise at either the Mary River wetlands and floodplain (just west of Kakadu’s border), home to the world’s highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles, or the Yellow Water billabong.
8. Take a selfie with a Quokka
Rottnest Island’s quokkas are among the cutest animals you will ever see. Just off the coast of Perth, they hop around cheerfully, stopping to watch as people have a drink at the pub or cycle on the car-free island. Rarely seen anywhere else, they have a social nature and those in the settlement area are happy to pose for selfies, something that’s become a trend after numerous celebrities, including Hugh Jackman and Martin Clunes, posted their snaps online.
9. Dine with the Tasmanian Devil
Devils@cradle is a conversation facility at Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania where visitors can enjoy a special dining experience with these animals that are only to be found in Tasmania. Once darkness falls, enjoy delicious Tasmanian salmon, cheese, wine and beer whilst wandering through an ancient Cradle Mountain rainforest, home to the iconic and mysterious Tasmanian devil. You will even get the opportunity to roast marshmallows around a campfire, to the sound of screaming Tasmanian devils, as the sun sets over Cradle Mountain.
The Saffire Freycinet hotel also runs a retirement home for Tasmanian devils, where guests can observe these endangered animals enjoy their daily feed in a one hectare enclosure that mimics their natural surrounds.
10. Spot kangaroos lazing on the beach
There are several beaches in Australia that are known to get friendly visitors relaxing and sunbathing. You can spot them soaking up some sun at Pebbly Beach on the South Coast of New South Wales, about 270 kilometres south of Sydney.
Another popular spot is Lucky Bay at the Cape Le Grand National Park close to Esperance in Western Australia, which proves that kangaroos love a good backdrop too.
