The species

Australia is most famous for its marsupials, the largest of which are kangaroos. With few natural predators, they outnumber people in Australia. Tasmanian devils are carnivorous marsupials, known for baring their teeth and growling when they feel threatened. Koalas couldn’t be more different. These sleepy arboreal marsupials consume up to a kilo of eucalyptus leaves every day; this diet explains why they have so little energy. Wombats are the koala’s closest relative; stout diggers, they’re the largest burrowing mammals on the planet.

Where to spot them

Kangaroos aren’t fussy where they hop: golf courses, vineyards and beaches are all fair game. For reliable sightings in the wild, try Namadgi National Park near Canberra, Sydney’s Pebble Beach or the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. For a close-up koala encounter, visit a wildlife rescue like Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane or spy them hiding among the rugged national parks of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. Tasmania’s Maria Island has sizeable populations of wombats, Forester kangaroos and Tasmanian devils. Although, you’ll improve your chances of an encounter with the latter if you visit sanctuaries such as Bonorong or Devils@Cradle.

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The species

Lesser-known species include quolls – feisty, furry marsupials that are often tree-climbing den dwellers. The tammar wallaby is similarly tricky to find. Nocturnal, these small wallabies hang out in groups to reduce the chance of being picked off by predators like dingoes and foxes. Quenda, also known as western brown bandicoots, are about the size of a small rabbit. They’re sometimes mistaken for rats, though they’re tubbier with shorter tails and brown fur. Meanwhile, water dragons are Australia’s largest dragon lizard.

Where to spot them

For spotted tail quolls try Tasmania, specifically Cradle Mountain National Park and the Arthur River area; eastern quolls inhabit Mount Field National Park. The tammar wallaby is native to South and Western Australia. Declining numbers make it hard to spot on the mainland, but you’ll find some on Kangaroo Island. Quenda are rarely seen outside parts of Western Australia. Usually, they’re found sniffing around in parks and gardens within urban and suburban areas. Another city-dweller is the water dragon. It’s active near healthy waterways in the Sydney area from September to June, retreating to burrows during the cooler winter months.

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The species

The term bush encompasses many habitats. Echidnas snuffle about in most of them, though they especially like hollow logs and holes among tree roots. These short-beaked creatures are monotremes, like platypuses, meaning they are mammals that lay eggs. Sugar gliders too prefer woodlands. These extraordinary possums, despite only being about as big as the palm of your hand, can fly up to 50 metres. Cockatoos also like to make their presence felt, conspicuous wherever there are trees.

Where to spot them

Echidnas are typically shy creatures. Nevertheless, follow Dove Lake’s boardwalk beneath Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and there’s a good chance you’ll encounter one. Find them in East Gippsland as well, sniffing out ants and termites from rotten tree stumps. You might also see sugar gliders here; they’re partial to the black wattles and eucalypts found in this part of Victoria. See these agile and graceful creatures in the Daintree Rainforest too, particularly close to sunset. Meanwhile, over in New South Wales, crackles of sulphur-crested cockatoos are frequently seen – and heard – in Sydney as you stroll through the city’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

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The species

Australia’s waters teem with marine life, such as orcas and southern right whales, as well as whale sharks. This gentle giant, with its distinctive white markings, is a voracious filter feeder that feasts on krill. Playful, intelligent dolphins venture into inlets and coastal bays; snubfin, Burranan bottlenose and Australian humpbacks are endemic. In tropical waters, colourful reef fish abound; meanwhile duck-billed platypuses, elegant in the water but awkward on land, prefer freshwater creeks and lakes. 

Where to spot them

Travel to Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef between March and August to swim with whale sharks. The state is also a good bet for whale watching; humpbacks, southern rights and orcas are the focus of boat trips out of Bremer Bay, Augusta and Fremantle. Port Stephens in New South Wales bills itself as Australia’s dolphin capital. A pod of 120 bottlenose dolphins chases boats here year-round. Across the state, ripples in Blue Lake at Jenolan Caves indicate platypuses are present, particularly early or late in the day. Further north, snorkel in the company of clownfish in the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays; they love Queensland’s warm shallows.

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The species

About 850 bird species live in Australia and unlike the commonly-sighted pelican, a little under half aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Among the most distinctive is the cassowary, Australia’s heaviest bird, with its statement blue head and neck, red wattle and inky-black plumage. Thanks to their spectacular tail feathers, ground-dwelling lyrebirds look a little like a brown pheasant. Orange-bellied parrots are mostly yellowy green, with a trademark splash of colour to warrant the name.

Where to spot them

Head to the Daintree Rainforest if you hope to find a cassowary, a flightless bird native to north eastern Australia. Consider yourself lucky if you succeed: they’re elusive loners, though if you hear a rumble or grunt one may be nearby. Listen out for the call of lyrebirds in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales or the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong Ranges and South Gippsland over the state line in Victoria. Orange-bellied parrots breed in the forests of western Tasmania but spend the winter over on the mainland. Meanwhile pelicans frequent most coastal towns especially if there’s fish around.

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The species

Australia’s islands are home to some remarkable wildlife species. Long-nosed fur seals weigh up to 250kg; you’ll recognise a male from its blonde mane. Australian sea lions are fewer in number yet equally entertaining to watch. During breeding season, bulls battle over territory; play-fighting youngsters mimic their elders. Quokkas are smiley, furry and exceptionally cute marsupials, perennially popular with visitors. Little penguins are the smallest type in the world. These nocturnal birds forage in groups knowing there’s safety in numbers.

Where to spot them

You’ll spot plenty of long-nosed fur seals at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island, where they play in the water and haul out on the rocks at Admirals Arch. The same island is also home to the third largest breeding colony of Australian sea lions; catch them at Seal Bay. Over in Western Australia, time your visit to Rottnest Island for the daily guided Quokka Walk. They’re the island’s only land mammal; largely free from predators, they thrive here. Watching the little penguins come ashore at Philip Island is a must for visitors to Victoria; it’s a two-hour drive from Melbourne.

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The species

Though there are a million of them, the camel isn’t an Australia native; they were imported from Arabia, India and Afghanistan in the 19th century. Dingoes have been around for longer; this wild dog was most likely introduced about 4,000 years ago by seafaring Asians. So what’s indigenous? The emu, for starters – the country’s biggest bird, which incidentally is so heavy it can’t fly. Saltwater crocodiles are another mighty specimen, the world’s largest living reptile.

Where to spot them

Camels can be seen in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, as well as the wider area, as they inhabit about 40% of the Northern Territory. Give yourself the best chance of seeing pure-bred dingoes on K’gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland. Upwards of 25 packs inhabit this protected national park. For emus, travel anywhere except Tasmania – try South Australia’s Gawler Ranges or salt shallows of Coorong National Park. Finally, Kakadu National Park is home to resident populations of both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. Boat tours of Yellow Water Billabong depart year-round while the boardwalk is accessible from July to November.

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The species

They say good things come in small packages, and when it comes to wildlife, that adage definitely holds true on land and in the water. Multiple species of bandicoots reside here; they look a little like rats. The long-nosed variety is the most common. Pademelons are a small macropod resembling a wallaby, greyish in colour with a fat backside. Curious-looking weedy sea dragons are related to the seahorse, though don’t have a pouch for carrying their young.

Where to spot them

Queensland is a good place to spot bandicoots. For long-nosed and northern brown varieties try the Fan Palm and Yourka reserves, managed by non-profit Bush Heritage Australia. Shy, solitary rufous-bellied pademelons are native to Australia’s southernmost state. Plan to spend some time at Narawntapu National Park on Tasmania’s north coast, where you might get a glimpse near to its Springlawn visitor centre alongside Forester kangaroos and Bennett’s wallabies. Weedy sea dragons work hard at camouflaging themselves on the kelp-strewn rocky reefs that surround the Australian shore. Nevertheless, look out for them in temperate coastal waters anywhere from New South Wales to Western Australia.

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