5 animals you need to see in the wild at least once

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
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How many of these cuties have you seen?

Australia’s top five animals might not be ‘big’ but they are mighty. And seeing these iconic animals in the wild on beautiful beaches or bush walks is as awe-inspiring as it gets.

1. Koala, Magnetic Island, Qld

Spot wild koalas high in the veil of branches against a blue sky in the gum trees lining the picturesque Forts Walk. Magnetic Island (Yunbenun) is home to northern Australia’s largest colony of wild koalas.

You can see them here curled up like rolls of carpet, asleep in the crooks of trees. Or moving slowly in single-minded grace to graze on gum leaves. While local star Rod the Cod is a draw for divers visiting Magnetic Island, fans of the Netflix series Izzy’s Koala World will be hoping it’s the herbivorous marsupials making cameos.

Koala in gum tree on Magnetic Island
Spot wild koalas high in the veil of gum tree branches. (Image: Tourism Australia)

2. Quokka, Rottnest Island, WA

It’s simply not possible to reach peak quokka. The world’s happiest animal remains a beacon for visitors to Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) who come for the cute marsupials and stay for the carefree (and car-free) Rotto vibes.

These adorable animals are only found off the coast of Perth and are best known for becoming a social media sensation, posing with a cute grin for the camera.

The ultimate main character move in 2024 is to go to Rotto and clock a quokka without posting it to your Insta feed. Go on, we dare ya.

Quokka on Rottnest Island
Meet the world’s happiest animal on Rottnest Island. (Image: Tourism Australia)

3. Wombat, Maria Island, Tas

Did you know that wombats can sprint up to 40 kilometres an hour? Or that they produce cube-shaped poo?

You will feel like you’re in an episode of BBC’s Planet Earth when wandering around Maria Island’s chiselled landscape looking for the endemic Tasmanian wombat. This species is smaller than its mainland mates and has a diverse habitat that stretches from the coast to the alpine areas of Australia’s most southern state.

Wombat eating grass on Maria Island in Tasmania
Wombat’s are faster than you think… (Image: Tourism Australia)

4. Kangaroo, Pebbly Beach, NSW

Spotting roos through the canvas mesh of your tent at Pebbly Beach Campground is as iconic as it gets. It’s easy to spot the resident herbivores hunched over the grass that encircles the beach in Murramarang National Park .

The best time to see kangaroos on NSW’s Pebbly Beach is at dawn and dusk when the sea and the sky become one. Sometimes you will see the macropods using their long muscular tails and hind legs to bound across the sand. Other times you will see a baby Joey cradled in a mother’s pouch.

Kangaroos on Pebbly Beach in NSW
It’s easy to spot the resident herbivores on Pebbly Beach. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Platypus, Great Otway National Park, Vic

When British scientists first saw the platypus in the late 18th century, some of them were said to have thought the specimen was a hoax. Yes, this native Australian monotreme appears most extraordinary, with the beak of a duck seemingly grafted onto the head of a four-legged animal.

It’s one of many reasons why spotting these endangered creatures in Victoria’s Great Otway National Park is such a thrill. While your ecologist guide at Otway Eco Tours can’t guarantee you will see platypuses in the wild on a canoeing tour, they have a 95 per cent success rate.

Platypus swimming in water
This native Australian monotreme appears most extraordinary. (Image: Getty Images/phototrip)
Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael TurtleBy Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.