Our recent trip nearly circumnavigating Australia (Melbourne to Perth over the top) was our fifth visit to this diverse island nation. Living in New Zealand, it’s only a 3-hour flight from Auckland to Sydney. While I typically share photos of the dramatic landscape, seascapes, and architecture, today’s post is about the Australian animals that we have seen.
This shot was worth the wait. We heard there might be platypus in the stream about an hour south of Cairns. We just stayed quietly in the bush, and after a while, we got our reward.
Iguana at the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney.
We spotted this koala in a eucalyptus tree in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
Thankfully, this is the only scorpion we have seen, and it was at the Australian Venom Museum in Kuranda.
This is one of many wild Sulphur Crested Cockatoos we saw in Victoria.
Two of the over 400 different species of moths and butterflies in Australia.
We saw several little blue penguins under the pier in St. Kilda in Melbourne.
Kangaroos are a common site in Australia. However, this is the only one we spotted with a joey.
Honestly, I am not a fan of bats, so this was the best photo I could get before I ran away. Shot at Paronella Park in tropical Queensland.
Hubby spotted this Bobtail Skink on a side road as we were meandering our way from the Grampians back to Melbourne in Victoria.
Sharing the road with some cattle in Queensland.
I was glad to be on a boat when this crocodile was spotted.
So colourful, I love Rainbow Lorikeets. We have seen them in multiple spots including Darwin and this one in Sydney.
Kookaburra plus two other birds I don’t know seen in different parts of the country.
This is only a sample of the wildlife we have seen and a tiny portion of the over 450 species of mammals, 300 species of lizards, 110,000 species of insects, and 800 species of birds that call Australia home. Australian Wildlife: Wildlife Explorer offers 200 pages to give a more comprehensive look at Australian animals.
What are your favourite Australian animals?
If you enjoyed these Australian animals, please share this page on social media including Pinterest:
Grammarly proofread this article. (Try it for free)
Awesome creature, I hope to see it personally because I really love a different kind of animals.
Love the snap of the Lorikeet! 🙂
Thanks Bob. Seeing the brightly coloured birds always makes me happy.
Great shots of our unique fauna!
Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.
Thanks. Australia sure is filled with some interesting creatures.
Australia has such an interesting fauna. Since I’ve never been there I haven’t seen any of these animals in their own habitat. However, kangaroos and koalas I’ve seen in zoos before, but I never saw a platypus. For some reason I find this animal very repulsive. I don’t think I’d like to meet one while swimming (LOL!)
I wouldn’t want to meet one either, as I don’t image platypus to be very nice. However, standing on the shore, hidden in the bushes they were very cool to see.
Wow! Those are so cool! I can’t believe you captured that platypus! I want to see one in real life one day. Also, that bobtail kink is cute!
We waited quite a while for the platypus, but it was worth it. They are so fascinating. The skink, in the other hand, I found a bit creepy.
I suppose you don’t need to be told how lucky you are to have spotted a platypus. They are very shy and elusive.
I do know. I also know that you are in the club too. Everyone else still thinks they are made up.
Koala is my favourite australian animal :):):)
They are adorable.
Wow! Beautiful photos you have here! Thank you for sharing these wonders xx
Glad you enjoyed them. I love the Australian animals.
Fabulous post, Rhonda! My mom visited Australia several years ago and still talks about her adventures! She didn’t see a platypus though, what a treat!
Australia is close for us, only a 3-4 hour flight to the eastern cities.
The only animals that come to mind when I think of Australia are kangaroos and koalas. What a lovely little collection. 🙂
The vibrant colours always intrigue me. The birds remind me of a lot of the ones I saw in Kuala Lumpur at the incredible bird sanctuary. 🙂
I think people either think of the cute animals like kangaroo and koala or the snakes.
Boy, you’ve certainly been pretty lucky to spot all of these animals! I never see when I travel! Although when I lived in Montana I had a moose in my yard who got scared when I opened my garage and then it ran inside my garage. #wkendtravelsinpiration
The trick is to be patient and wait.
I am amazed at how much you travel. Incredible! Australian does have a unique set of animals. Have a great week!
2016 was a good year for us. First time without our kids and we took advantage of it with lots of travel.
You have captured them beautifully, I love specially the Kangaroo with the baby, how cute is that!!
Have a lovely day!
adorable.
What a beautiful pictures!!! I love specially the one with the Kangaroo and the baby, so cute! 🙂
Have a lovely day xxx
http://www.travelera.es
I was so lucky to see that cutie. They call baby kangaroos “joey.”
They looks amazing !!!
thanks Beata.
Great shots of the animals! I’m not sure I would have been anywhere near that scorpion, though! 🙂
LOL – it was at the Venomous Zoo, so it should have been safe if they were letting people hold that one.
Love your shots! Even living here I always enjoy seeing our native animals. I haven’t seen a wild platypus before and living so close to where you saw yours I should go looking one day. The red and green parrot is King Parrot, some live around my Mum’s place. The owl, I’m not sure what type.
Thanks for identifying the King Parrot and good luck finding a platypus. The secret is patience and quiet.
I’ve never seen platypus but love all their colourful birds and the koala though after we went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and let Amelia hold a koala, we learned that they hate it. 🙁 I also love bats! but perhaps wouldn’t if they were flying around my head. I can do without snakes and large spiders!
Both our girls got to hold a koala at the Australia Zoo. I didn’t know they hated it.
Wow, wonderful photos! I love the one of the Iguana. Not so sure about the scorpion though… we get enough of them here, thank you very much 😉
Glad there are no scorpions in New Zealand.
OMG they had a couple JOey on Outback adventure with Tim Faulkner this weekend. I forget the name of the part in OZ that he works at but if you ever go I would LOVE a picture! Though I doubt you’ll find him! But who knows!
I love the Kukoburra bird!!! and let’s put it this way… be greatful of the bats you have there as a lot of ours are getting that white nose thing.
That red bird in the middle where the Kuko is… not sure but it looks like a parakeet but bigger. And the one next to it is some sort of Owl.
LOL – I don’t know Tim Faulkner, but I do tend to get a bit star struck when I run into famous people.
the joey’s are adorable. the skink is quite interesting too.
That is the only time I have seen a wild joey. It was really exciting for me too.
Oh wow, you got some beautiful pictures. Love all the close up shots :)Thanks for joining us at The Wednesday blog hop.
The zoom lens is very helpful for animal shots 🙂
Beautiful captures, Rhonda. My favorite are probably the kangaroo (since they don’t live anywhere else), and the lorikeets – such beautiful and colorful birds. For the past months have seen your comments “everywhere” but couldn’t get to your blog via your comments, so I finally saw your link here At WATW :):) Am inviting you back to ALL SEASONS (link is open Sunday through Wednesday evening 7pm, Pacific USA time) Hope to see you there this, or next week! Have a happy week!
Thanks for the heads up. I though my name was linking to my blog. Glad you enjoyed the photos. Seeing the joey was a special treat, as was the platypus and the skink.
Those cows were really in your face. When cows escape their farmland here, they do stop traffic. I remember one time a truckload of cows going to market overturned on the expressway. Policeman had double duty that day not only were they suppose to help the truck driver with their injuries they needed to round up cows who walked into beauty salons and stores in Old Orchard Shopping Mall. Amazing how one image can trigger a memory, eh?
I know I am missing the point, but I am honing in on Old Orchard shopping mall. This is one small world. I grew up in Skokie and went to Niles North High School, which I think is across the street from that mall. I have been gone for a long time, but wow. Your comment sure brought back memories.
I love platypus as well Rhonda..I found them cute 🙂
I still can’t believe we have seen a platypus in real life.
This is a wonderful post. Loved seeing all the birds and animals. They are so different than what I see here in middle-of-nowhere Illinois.
I grew up in Illinois, so I know what you mean.
Beautiful photos. I love the bat one. I would’ve ducked, but I would’ve kept snapping photos.
I am guessing you would have gotten a better shot than I was able to get.
I don’t think I’ve seen these in my neighborhood, lately.
LOL – no, I would imagine you have not.
Great photo’s, always wondered what a platypus looked like for real, cute little critter
Platypus are pretty amazing. Seeing it for real is the only way I know that they exist.
The platypus is real! I’ve never seen one. This just amazes me!
Yes, platypus are real. I was surprised too.
Fantastic photos! How lucky to see the platypus!
I was really surprised and pleased to see the platypus.
Wow, a beautiful photo collection of colorful animals. Your story is very interesting! This is awesome!
Wow, simply beautiful and colorful photos, and a great collection of animal pictures. This is awesome!
Australia is a country loaded with a great animals.
I would say my favorite would be the Kangaroo, especially when they carry their babies. Bella (my baby) is here with me and her favorite is the Koala.
Thanks for sharing and please come visit my blog too!
– Lisa
I was so excited to see the joey, but it’s the platypus that is my favorite of this collection.
Some great shots, thanks for sharing!
Thanks David.
Wow very gorgeous photos! Funny on the bats!
In retrospect the bats were funny, but at the time, not so much.
Oh the platypus! Love! I showed my boys your photos and they thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the animals!
Thanks for sharing the photos with your boys. The platypus is pretty cool.
Good to be back at your blog, Rhonda – and what a great post- the pics are amazing. Have never seen these animals live – must be awesome:-)
I’ll bet you see some interesting animals in India.
Amazing shots. Who was brave enough to hold the scorpion?
We went to Kuranda several years ago, and I really don’t remember if it was hubby’s hand or the guy who worked there. I just know it wasn’t mine and it is too big to belong to either of my girls.
Koala’s are my favorite of all. We have a Koala stuffed toy as our boat mascot.
Have a fabulous day, Rhonda. 🙂
One of my girls also has a stuffed koala.
Those birds are gorgeous! The other critters I could do without!
There are some beautiful birds in Australia.
What amazing photos. Very stunning.
I am fond of all animals that live Down Under.
I am fond of most of them, although I could do without some of the dangerous ones.
Love koala and kangaroo ~ your photography of all the animals is wonderful! thanks,
Wishing you a peaceful weekend ~ ^_^
I love koala and kangaroo too.
Beautiful collection, love all of them
Thanks Carol.
These are fab shots Rhonda loved the Scorpion on the hand and I knew you would see cows somewhere or udder…sorry couldn’t resist that 🙂
Have a udderlytastic week 🙂
LOL – of course, there would be cows. They love me.
Hi Rhonda – love the platypus, and that Lorikeet … and in fact all the animals – the bobtail skink, while the cows look as though they could be in the UK on a wet day! Looks like a wonderful trip … cheers Hilary
The platypus sighting was amazing, as was the bobtail skink.
I’ve never seen any of these animals outside of a zoo. I guess we all get treated to seeing different varieties of wildlife, depending upon where we live. I love the colorful birds.
True. The interesting wildlife is one of the things I love about Australia, although some of the more dangerous ones I hope I don’t see.
My favourite animal is the koala, they are sooooo cute!! Well when we saw them for real, we realised they don’t move so much 😂
When we saw them close up, we realized they smell bad 🙂
Wonderful collection of animals.I love the scene of cattle across the road because we have such experiences in Sri Lanka too.The place with bats look little bit haunting,but great way to view these species!
LOL – I have been stopped in the road by sheep in New Zealand, but I would imagine the cow situation happens here too. As for the bats, I don’t think it was set up for tourist, but rather the bats chose this spot.