Have you ever seen photos of tourists cuddling a cute, fluffy koala from their trip to Australia? It’s actually illegal to hold koalas in most parts of Australia, because they are wild, solitary animals that experience high stress when approached by humans, which can lead to decreased immunity and even premature death.
I’m appalled at how many “sanctuaries” still offer wildlife encounters in Australia, given the amount of research out there that shows that we should be leaving animals alone, especially endangered animals like koalas.
However, there are ethical places where you can see Australia’s famous animals, including koalas and kangaroos, from a respectful distance. During my trip there, I thoroughly researched where to see wildlife in Australia to ensure I was not contributing to unethical “sanctuaries” or zoos.
Below is a curated list of ethical and natural places to see endemic wildlife in Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales.
About 40 minutes north of Perth city centre, Yanchep National Park is a bushland and wetland home to a variety of endemic Australian wildlife, including kangaroos and koalas.
You can have picnics, explore the hiking trails, go camping, or explore the many caves in the national park, with Crystal Cave being a popular underground cavern with stalactites and stalagmites.
I did a day trip to Rottnest Island and wish I had stayed longer. On Rottnest, you can see the super cute quokkas and go snorkelling at the many beaches all over the island. Make sure to stay hydrated as it can get quite hot, and you won’t find water further inland or south (check out more practical tips for visiting Rottnest Island).
Insider tip: There are signs all over Rottnest to keep your distance from quokkas and not feed them, as it can be harmful to them (here are the official rules). If you do, you’ll incur huge fines.
Another fun activity in Perth is to kayak near Penguin Island and Seal Island to see penguins and seals in their natural habitat. Kayaking is best compared to motorboats because the islands aren’t far from the mainland, and motorboats are disruptive to the environment compared to kayaks.
Toohey Forest Park is a university-owned bushland where you can enjoy easy walking trails, and if you’re lucky, spot some koalas up in the trees.
Located within Daisy Hill Conservation Park, Daisy Hilly Koala Sanctuary is an educational centre where you can see a few rescued koalas from an observation deck (no petting or holding allowed) and learn everything there is to know about koalas.
Brisbane Koala Bushlands refers to a natural area from Belmont to Burbank and includes various parks. The bushlands is a protected area, ensuring the safety of koalas and other popular Australian animals like wallabies and wombats. You will find trails, picnic areas, and educational information about koalas here.
Located close to the Gold Coast south of Brisbane, Coombabah Lake Conservation Park is a wetland where you can spot a variety of endemic Australian wildlife, including kangaroos, koalas, owls, and flying foxes.
North of the Sunshine Coast, Noosa National Park is a wildlife sanctuary with absolutely stunning lookouts, remote beaches, hiking trails, everglades (subtropical wetlands), and even picnics and barbecues areas. You can spot koalas, possums, whales, and birds (including the endangered red goshawk).
Magnetic Island is home to a large colony of koalas, brought there in the 1930s for protection. The best time to visit is from May to September to avoid rain and heat, given that it has a subtropical climate.
Woodlands Historic Park is not only a nature park where you can spot echidnas, rare birds, kangaroos, and wallabies, but it’s also a cultural landscape preserving Australia’s First Nation heritage before European colonisation. It’s located close to the airport, north of Melbourne, about 30-minute drive from the city centre.
Located in Christmas Hills, north-east of Melbourne (about 1 1-hour drive from the city centre), Sugarloaf Reservoir Park is the perfect outdoor spot for nature lovers who want to stay close to the city. At the park, you can enjoy hiking trails and picnics, bird watching, and spot endemic animals like kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, and eagles.
A scenic island about 2 hours’ drive from Melbourne, Phillip Island is home to Australia’s penguins. In fact, a popular activity is to visit at sunset and watch what Australians call “the Penguin Parade”, where penguins return ashore. Head to the Nobbies outcrop to see fur seals. You can also spot whales, koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos. Activities include swimming, kayaking, snorkelling, and stargazing. If you’re lucky, you can even spot the Southern Lights.
You can choose to spend the night on Phillip Island, or book a day trip from Melbourne.
A 45-minute ferry ride from Adelaide, Kangaroo Island is one of the most renowned places to see animals in Australia. You can spot not only kangaroos but also koalas, sea lions, seals, penguins, and birds like eagles and cockatoos. You can also enjoy beaches, trails, and camping there.
Book your day trip to Kangaroo Island.
About an hour and 20 minutes drive from Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula is the best place in South Australia to see kangaroos, penguins, and Southern right whales (only in winter, from May to September). You can also take beautiful forest walks in Deep Creek Conservation Park.
Two hours south-west of Sydney, Guula Ngurra National Park is not only an important protected habitat for koalas, but a place where you can explore history and culture rooted in ancient traditions.
Known as Walawaani Njindiwan Njin Booderee in the local Dhurga language, Booderee is a 3-hour drive from Sydney and one of the most beautiful places to visit in Australia. Expect to find clear blue ocean, soft white-sand beaches, botanic gardens, and wildlife like kangaroos.
Look At Me Now Headland is a boardwalk offering an easy walking trail along the coast, with scenic views and a chance to see animals like kangaroos, whales, and eagles. This area is a culturally important area that has deep significance to the local Gumbaynggirr tribe, who fought to prevent its destruction.
The Bombala region is known as Platypus Country due to its abundance of platypuses, which you can see at the Platypus Reserve, 4.2 km (2.6 miles) from Bombala.
Insider tip: the best time to see platypuses is early morning or late afternoon when the sun is setting.
To ensure you’re not supporting unethical places that exploit animals for tourism, avoid any places that promote close interaction, feeding, petting, and photo ops with animals, especially wild animals that aren’t comfortable around humans, like koalas.
Here’s a list of places (aside from zoos) that I spotted during my research, though there are way more.
While there are a few places that, unfortunately, still allow close interactions with koalas, it’s illegal in many parts of Australia, as it’s harmful to these low-energy, high-stress wild animals to be interacting with humans.
There are many places in Australia to see koalas in the wild or at ethical sanctuaries that don’t allow interaction:
Kangaroos can be found all over Australia in the wild and not-so-wild areas, so if you’re spending some days exploring outside of the main cities, you’ll likely encounter kangaroos.
A few popular places to see kangaroos in the wild are:
