Wildlife in Australia

The wildlife in Australia is stunning. Having lived in South Africa we are used to be able to drive a couple of miles to a nature reserve to see Rhino, Hippos, Zebras and Giraffes, but we rarely saw any wildlife outside of the nature reserves. We did have some interesting Rain spiders and Park Town Prawns and Geckos were common. Dual was similar but with Oryx and Camels in the desert and the odd Gecko in the house. Back now in the UK, it's been Spiders, Ants, Woodlice, Bees, Butterflies and Moths and fields of sheep and cows.

Many people have told us they wouldn't visit Australia because of the Spiders and Snakes and we've always been under the impression that to see them you needed to live in the outback, however we came across this beauty in the tree above the footpath walking in Manly just 35 minutes outside Sydney at a busy seaside resort.

A Diamond Python.

We also saw this one in Airlie up near the Great Barrier Reef, also on a coastal path in a busy seaside resort.

A Collared Whip Snake (mildly venomous)

Peter was starting to think that Kangaroos were a figment of our imagination and finally on his second trip to Australia he saw one and then several hundred more.

We saw a lot of Wallabies also which were really friendly.

The birds are stunning, such pretty colours and so friendly.

Rainbow Lorikeet.

The Pelicans are huge.

The cockatoos in volume are similar in numbers to the amount of pigeons we have in the UK.

Kookaburra visit.

There are random Turkeys walking on the beaches.

Herons just wandering around.

Galahs.

And Bin Chickens in the streets. Or the Australian Ibis.

The sea is crystal clear and we were fortunate enough to visit The Great Barrier Reef to go scuba diving and snorkelling.

We also saw an abundance of Whales and Dolphins from boat trips and out on coastal walks.

My favourites are the Koalas and Penguins that we visited in Philip Island near Melbourne.

Unfortunately it is rare to see Koalas outside of sanctuaries which aren't netted so the Koala can move around. Like the Penguins, the conservation fee you pay to visit them and The Great Barrier Reef also, helps to protect their habitat.

Flora and Fauna in Australia

The thing that strikes me the most about Australia is how colourful it is and the amount of wildlife, especially the birds.

We saw a lot of kangaroo and wombat road kill and it was actually over a week before I saw a live kangaroo, then they were everywhere, not many photos of them in the wild as they really do move fast.

It was winter time when I visited to see my son who lives out there. I've posted some random photos of the wildlife and in the sanctuary's we visited as well as views of the country side, the greenery and flowers.

An Ibis, affectionately known as a Bin Chicken

Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney at the wharf

The seagulls were small and beautifully clean everywhere

Sydney

A bird on the rocks on the beach

Succulents on the beach

The Blue Mountains

Cockatoo's in the wild, very friendly but also pestering people for food in the towns and cities

These Magpie Larks are also aggressive with food, in the parks there are signs warning people that they will dive bomb

Turkey on Manly beach

Open space and parks in Sydney

Not sure what this bird is called but it was very noisy

No bigger than a tea cup on the beach

Seaweed

Coast Road from Sydney to Melbourne

Shrub on the beach

Phillip Island Penguin homes

A Galah

Kookaburra 

Unable to identify the mushrooms, but they were big and lots of them

Koala

Look at his little hands holding on

Rear end view

Front view

Cultivated plants at a farmstead 

Sea bird

1st live kangaroo

Galah's

We visited a lot of waterfalls

Didn't spot any whales but we were informed some had been in the bays

Wallaby

Oyster Catchers

Greenery on the rocks

Walking through the bush

Open fields with kangaroos in the distance

Bird of prey, possible an eagle

No dogs, no picking flowers. But No Cats? Apparently people travel with their pets both cats and dogs

Emu at a wildlife park

Long necked turtle

Purple Swamphen

Brightly coloured parrots in the wild

Well camouflaged

Starfish

Jellyfish

Daffodils in the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne

Melbourne Botanical Gardens

Kanga and Roo

And finally a Fairy Penguin, hiding under the rocks on St Kilda Beach

A long weekend in Sydney

Our trip from Sydney to Phillips Island

Phillips Island

Phillips Island to Port Fairy

Port Fairy to Melbourne via the Grampians

A week in Melbourne

Flora and Fauna in Australia

Accommodation in Australia

Going Green in Australia

Australia 2019