Where to Find Native Australian Animals Near Brisbane
Regardless of where you are from or where in Australia you intend to visit, the opportunity to meet some native Australian animals is always a popular bucket list item.
My hometown of Brisbane provides plenty of opportunities to see native Australian animals either in a wildlife sanctuary or out and about in the wild. Read Brisbane Bucket List Ideas for more travel tips when visiting Brisbane.
Native Australian Animals Near Brisbane
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
DETAILS:
Brisbane Central Business District (CBD)
Corner George and Alice Streets, Brisbane
Opening hours: 24/7
Cost: Free
The City Botanic Gardens are in the heart of Brisbane. If visiting during the daytime you will see lots of native birds as well as Australian water dragons sunning themselves near the edge of the pond.
However, nighttime is when the real activity starts with possums scurrying up and down trees, approaching people for food and rummaging through the rubbish bins.
Possums, both Ring-tail and Brushtail, are fairly common throughout Brisbane and are very adept at taking advantage of man-made structures. There is an entire industry in South East Queensland devoted to the removal of possums from people’s homes.
Several years ago we had a possum take up residence in our lounge room fireplace. The only way to get rid of him was to wait for him to go in search of food and then block off the top of the fireplace. We named him Santa because, like his namesake, he came down the chimney and left presents! Unfortunately these weren’t the type of presents you wanted to receive!
Mt Coot-tha Forest
DETAILS:
9km west of Brisbane
JC Slaughter Falls picnic area, JC Slaughter Falls Road
Opening hours: 6am-7pm daily
Cost: Free
Mt Coot-tha Forest is a beautiful bush land oasis only 9 km from the centre of Brisbane.The 1600 hectares of open eucalyptus forest and rainforest gullies is home to approximately 370 species of wildlife including:
-goshawks, kites and eagles
-wrens, robins and other small forest birds
-parrots and cockatoos
-tawny frogmouths, owls, gliders, possums and micro-bats
-powerful owls
The J.C.Slaughter Falls picnic area is a great location to start your search for native animals with the best times to see them being at dawn and dusk. Alternately, go for a walk on one of the many hiking trails that are accessible from either Sir Samuel Griffith Drive or Gap Creek Road.
While you are there, make sure you visit the Mt Coot-tha Lookout for stunning views of Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
DETAILS:
13km south-west of Brisbane
708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket
Opening hours: 9am-5pm, 7 days a week
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the oldest Koala Sanctuary in the world. With over 100 species of Australian native animals, a visit to the Sanctuary will ensure you see all the animals on your bucket list.
A few highlights are:
-koalas
-kangaroos
-wallabies
-platypus
–echidnas
-emus
-dingoes
-kookaburras
-wombats
Having your photo taken with a koala is the most popular activity as well as hand feeding the kangaroos. I still have fond childhood memories of feeding the kangaroos at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
Pooh Corner Bushland Reserve
DETAILS:
20km south-west of Brisbane
100 Woltson Road, Wacol
Opening hours: 24hrs, 7 days a week
Cost: Free
Pooh Corner is home to 26 different species of animals including the greater glider, koalas and a wide range of birds. However it is most well known for the large population of kangaroos and wallabies.
The 3.9km-walking track is very flat and well cleared and makes for a pleasant stroll but someone obviously forgot to tell the kangaroos that the 138 hectares of land had been set aside for their use. You are more likely to see kangaroos hopping along the road or grazing on the neatly trimmed lawns of the Centenary Memorial Gardens.
Dawn and dusk are the best times to see kangaroos and wallabies.
Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre
DETAILS:
25km south-east of Brisbane
219 Daisy Hill Road, Daisy Hill
Opening hours:
Koala Centre
-9am–4pm daily
-11am and 2pm daily Wildlife Officer talks.
Conservation Park
-7am – 5.30pm (or 6.30pm, 15 October–14 March)
Cost: Free
The Daisy Hill Conservation Park is a popular location with our family for picnics and barbeques. A family picnic wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Daisy Hill Koala Centre.
Queens Park Nature Centre
DETAILS:
40km south-west of Brisbane
Queens Park‚ Goleby Aveneue, Ipswich
Opening hours:
-Tuesday to Sunday – 9.30 am – 4.00 pm
-School Holidays – 9:30am-4pm, 7 days a week
Cost: Gold coin donation
The historic Queens Park in Ipswich dates back to 1892 and was the first park to be built in Queensland. For the cost of a gold coin donation you can enter the Nature Centre and enjoy the landscaped gardens, rainforest bird aviary, barnyard animals and Australian native animals.
The Queens Park Nature Centre has 40 species of Australian native animals including;
-dingoes
-wombats
-kangaroos
-wallabies
-black cockatoos
–bilbies
-spotted-tail quolls
-black swans
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
DETAILS:
69km south-east of Brisbane
Opening hours: 6am – 6pm daily
Cost: Free
If you want to see kangaroos and koalas in their native environment then take a walk through the Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area. The 1200 hectares is home to over 270 species of animals including kangaroos, koalas, the powerful owl and the grey-headed flying fox.
Kangaroos are the easiest of all the animals to find as they congregate on the grassy fields in the mid to late afternoons. One popular location is across the road from the parking area near the start of the Melaleuca boardwalk and another is across the road from the airfield near the start of the Koala walk.
You can usually get within a few metres of them before they decide you are too close and will start to move away.
Koalas are a lot harder to find as they sit high up in the branches of the gum trees, however the Koala Trail is a good place for you to start your search. I recommend just looking for groups of people staring up at a tree and you are sure to see a koala.
Australia Zoo
DETAILS:
75km north of Brisbane
1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah
Opening hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm daily
Cost: Prices vary
Make sure you take the time to visit Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo.
David Fleay Wildlife Park
DETAILS:
90km south-east of Brisbane
Corner of West Burleigh Road and Loman Lane, West Burleigh, Gold Coast
Opening hours: 9am – 5pm daily
Visit David Fleay’s Wildlife Park to see:
-jabiru
-cassowaries
-crocodiles
-kangaroos
-koalas
-tree kangaroos
-platypus
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
DETAILS:
97km south-east of Brisbane
28 Tomewin St, Currumbin
Opening Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm daily
The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a popular Gold Coast attraction and is only an hour’s drive from Brisbane. It has a wide range of native Australian animals including my two favourites; koalas and quokkas.
We visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary many years ago when our daughter was just a 2 year old. She loved all the interactive activities such as patting the kangaroos.
Regardless of where you are from or where in Australia you intend to visit, the opportunity to meet some native Australian animals is always a popular bucket list item. My hometown of Brisbane provides plenty of opportunities to see native Australian animals either in a wildlife sanctuary or out and about in the wild. Read…
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