Wildlife
Over 80% of Australia’s mammals, reptiles and fish are endemic to the country, making wildlife one of Australia’s unique drawcards.
While national parks – among them Wilsons Promontory and the World Heritage-listed Daintree and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair – teem with unique species, wildlife encounters are possible closer to (or even within) urban areas. You can hold a koala at Brisbane’s Lone Pine Sanctuary and eye-up numerous native species at Healesville Sanctuary, a short drive northeast of Melbourne.
In the cities themselves, it’s not unusual to spot kaleidoscopically colourful rosellas or cheeky cockatoos. Wild kangaroos inhabit pockets of suburbia, including Westerfolds Park in Melbourne and Heirisson Island in Perth. Inner-city Melbourne is also home to a colony of Little Penguins, found at the end of St Kilda Pier.