Wildlifeof Australia
Places
Where to see Australia's wildlife, from tropical rainforest and the Top End to the red centre, Tasmania and the west.
Why the tropical north
The wet tropics of far north Queensland hold the oldest rainforest on Earth, the Daintree, and a remarkable run of species found nowhere else: southern cassowaries, tree-kangaroos, spectacled flying-foxes and the platypus. Cape York to the north adds palm cockatoos and tropical birds shared with New Guinea.
Why the east coast
From the Gondwana rainforests of the Queensland-New South Wales border to the escarpment forests of the Great Dividing Range, the east coast is where Australia's koalas, lyrebirds, bowerbirds, gliders and platypus are most readily found. Mountain parks sit within a few hours of Brisbane and Sydney.
Why the south-east and Tasmania
Cool-temperate forest, heath and coast: wombats, koalas, echidnas and penguins in Victoria, and in Tasmania the last healthy population of the Tasmanian devil, along with pademelons, Bennett's wallabies, quolls and a set of endemic birds.
Why the Top End
Monsoon wetlands, sandstone escarpments and tropical savanna across the Northern Territory and the Kimberley. Saltwater crocodiles, waterbirds in huge numbers, wallaroos, frilled lizards and the colourful Gouldian finch are the headline wildlife, and the dry season is the main time to visit.
Why the outback and South Australia
Desert country around Uluru and the MacDonnell Ranges holds red kangaroos, thorny devils, perenties and desert specialists, while South Australia adds Kangaroo Island, one of the best places in Australia to see koalas, sea lions, echidnas and wallabies in the wild.
Why Western Australia
The south-west corner is a biodiversity hotspot with species found nowhere else: quokkas on Rottnest Island, numbats in Dryandra Woodland and a spring wildflower season that draws specialist birds. On the north-west coast, Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range add marine life and rock-wallabies.