Feature

Forget the big rock, the reef and the harbour - for soft-centred types, Australia’s main attraction is its spectacular array of weird wildlife. Although the stereotype of kangaroos bounding down the street isn’t quite true, there are still plenty of spots across the country where it’s possible to have an awesome wildlife experience. And here are just ten of them…

Rottnest Island

The popular holiday island off the coast of Perth was so named by Dutch explorers because they thought it was full of rats. They were mistaken – the rats were actually quokkas.

The cat-sized marsupials roam around Rottnest with impunity, and can be rather audacious when it comes to rummaging around in bags for potential snacks. Visitors can be fined for touching the quokkas, but there are enough of them hopping around to provide plenty of entertainment. Just keep an eye on your sandwiches.

Tower Hill State Game Reserve

If Rottnest Island’s quokkas aren’t exactly shy, then the emus at Tower Hill are downright impudent. They show no fear whatsoever, and will come bounding up to visitors in the picnic area.

It’s also worth going for a walk around the reserve, near Warrnambool in Victoria. It’s an old volcanic crater that has been set aside to allow native trees and wildlife to flourish. Keep an eye out on the ground, as Tower Hill is one of the best places in the country to spot echidnas – they look rather like porcupines but are related to the platypus.

Bush golf courses

The one that pretty much everyone wants to see in the wild is a kangaroo. It’s not difficult once you head out of the cities, and golf courses in country areas are often sure-fire bets. The roos like mooching around on the fairways. A famous example is the Anglesea Golf Club just off Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. Local legend has it that a golfer once landed his tee shot in a kangaroo’s pouch.

Ningaloo Reef

Australia’s other great reef can be found on the west coast and, between April and July, the world’s biggest fish call it home. Whale sharks can weigh in at over 20 tonnes and, during the season, it’s possible to go swimming alongside them. Cruises head out from Exmouth in Western Australia. The whale sharks are the main focus, but turtles, rays and dolphins are often spotted as well.

Yellow Water

One cruise on which you most definitely don’t want to be getting into the water to swim with the wildlife takes place on Yellow Water in Kakadu National Park.

The boat floats along the billabong and through a spectacular flooded forest of paperbark trees. Part of the emphasis is on spotting the Northern Territory’s varied birdlife, but most passengers have their eyes firmly on the banks.

Sat on them, catching the sun, are some enormous saltwater crocodiles. Just occasionally, one will slide into the water and swim in front of the boat. At which point, anyone foolish enough to have brought their swimming costume quickly puts it back in their bag.

Monkey Mia

No, there aren’t any monkeys at Monkey Mia, but there sure are dolphins. This isolated spot on the west coast has become famous for its population of friendly bottlenoses, who come up to the beach two or three times a day for food. And tourists are allowed to hand-feed them.

The first feeding of the day can be a bit of a scrum – that’s when all the tour buses arrive. Turn out for the second and third feedings, however, and you’ve got an excellent chance of being picked from the crowd to give a fish to Flipper.

Rangers have strict limits to ensure that the dolphins don’t become dependent on the hand-outs.

Magnetic Island

Even though they sleep for most of the day and can do some serious damage with their claws, koalas are usually thought of as the cutest things in the world.

So it’s no wonder that so many people wander around Magnetic Island not looking where they’re going and peering into trees. The island, off the coast of Townsville in northern Queensland, is home to plenty of the sleepy furballs.

The best place to spot them is on the Forts Walk, which heads up to a World War II defence complex with postcard views of the island. Koalas can regularly be found having a snooze in a gum tree on the way – just don’t expect them to put on a show.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The best way to get a guaranteed koala sighting, however, is to head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. It’s the biggest koala sanctuary in the world (admittedly not much of a boast) and features over 100 of them.

What’s more, it’s one of the few places in the world where you’re allowed to ‘cuddle’ a koala. You can hold one while you pose for the ultimate cheesy photo.

But Lone Pine isn’t all about the koalas. It’s also possible to hand-feed kangaroos and watch the greatest and most amusingly clumsy creatures on earth in action. Dozer and her fellow wombats rock.

Taronga Zoo

The zoo with a harbour view is amongst the best in the world anyway, but the Wild Australia experience is truly superb. It involves a keeper taking you behind the scenes of Sydney’s top wildlife attraction, into the enclosures that ordinary visitors can’t get into. You also get a look at the animal kitchens, feed the Aussie wildlife, get up close to echidnas and meet some of the zoo’s special hand-raised inhabitants.

Australian Venom Zoo

If you prefer your creatures naughty rather than nice, then this small collection of nasties in Kuranda near Cairns is a winner. The owners have collected vicious and venomous creatures from across the country. Amongst the snakes, spiders and scorpions is the most venomous land snake in the world – the Inland Taipan.

On a less deadly note, visitors are also given the chance to have an enormous python draped around their neck.

For more information on Australia, visit our destination guide

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About the writer

Since winning the Guardian Student Travel Writer of the Year award in 2001, David has been published in newspapers and magazines across the world, including the Sunday Times, Sydney Morning Herald and the Boston Globe.