7 Best Wildlife Experiences in Australia (and Which Ones I'd Skip)
I’ll never forget the first time I swam with a whale shark. I jumped off the boat full of adrenaline, looked ahead and… there was nothing there.
But when I turned around, there it was. Right in front of me. Huge, majestic, and so close that I could hardly believe it. Swimming alongside it, watching the way it moved, the shape of its fins and its spots shining beneath the sunlight filtering through the water is an image that’s still etched in my memory.
It was an experience that stayed with me. Being able to see creatures like this up close is such a privilege, and I feel that doing it in Australia was a great choice: the whole experience was completely respectful. No crowds, no chasing or feeding the animal just to get a closer look, simply sharing our excitement and admiration.
Respect for animals is a given for Australians, which makes this country the perfect place to experience all kinds of wildlife encounters. Which ones are actually worth it? There are some really, really cool ones — here are my recommendations!
You could get this close to a whale shark
TOP EXPERIENCES WITH WILDLIFE IN AUSTRALIA:
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1. SWIM WITH TURTLES ON FITZROY ISLAND
QUEENSLAND
Let’s start with something that’s still on my bucket list. When I discovered there was a place in Australia where you could swim with turtles, I immediately wanted to find out more.
Just a 45-minute boat ride from Cairns, this little tropical island in Far North Queensland has coral reefs, crystal-clear waters and incredible wildlife.
You can spot turtles calmly swimming close to shore or while snorkelling at Nudey Beach or Welcome Bay. If you keep your distance and move slowly, they may even come closer out of curiosity. Don’t touch them and don’t chase them! Please.
The island is also home to a sea turtle rehabilitation centre, where injured turtles are cared for before being released back into the ocean. Visiting the centre is a great way to understand how tourism, when done responsibly, can coexist with conservation.
There’s just one resort on the island, where you can stay overnight. You can either book a room or camp with your own equipment. You can also hire snorkelling gear there for around $20 a day, kayaks or paddleboards for $20 an hour, go diving, or take a boat out to explore the Great Barrier Reef.
Green turtle in Roebuck Bay at sunrise
2. SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS IN AUSTRALIA
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Swimming with a wild whale shark is one of the most incredible wildlife experiences you can have. In Exmouth, the only place in Australia where you can do it, the season runs from March to August, and the tours are carefully regulated to make sure everything is done responsibly.
Only a handful of companies are licensed to operate, groups are kept small, and there’s always a limit on the number of people allowed in the water at once — when I did it, there were just six of us in the ocean! The boats coordinate with each other so that no animal gets surrounded by tourists, and the guides make sure nobody gets too close.
The result is an incredible yet peaceful experience, where the whale shark sets the pace. And, in my opinion, that’s exactly how it should be.
But everything comes at a price… and I’m not going to lie, swimming with whale sharks in Australia is definitely on the expensive side.
The majestic whale shark swimming just a few meters away from me
We were able to do several swims each, with no rush, and if you’re lucky, you might even spot another creature or two! We saw a manta ray, and the people in my group got to swim with it. I had to stay on the boat, though, because I’d been stung on the neck by a jellyfish just a few minutes earlier and was worried I might pass out in the water (yes, it hurt).
It sounds dramatic, but hey, that was the reality of my experience. Even so, I’d do it again 100%!
Looking for something a little more extreme? Would you dare to swim with tiger sharks?
The jellyfish that stung me
3. SEE THE WORLD'S SMALLEST PENGUIN ON PHILLIP ISLAND
VICTORIA
Fairy penguins are such adorable little creatures, and watching them come home after a busy day searching for food out at sea is pretty special. So special, in fact, that I’ve done it three times already! Twice on Phillip Island (about 2 hours from central Melbourne), where the world’s largest colony lives, and once in New Zealand. You do have to pay for the experience, but the money goes towards penguin conservation, so I’m all for it.
The moments before they arrive, when everyone waits in silence for the first wave of tiny penguins to appear, are so exciting. And then watching them emerge from the water in little groups, waddling across the beach until they find their burrow, is such a special sight.
Visitors watch the penguins from an elevated viewing platform without interfering with their habitat, which earns this experience the Amanecer por Ahí seal of approval.
If you have a car, you can drive there yourself and buy your tickets directly through their website. If you need transport, this is a great full-day tour that also includes a stop at an animal sanctuary.
A new penguin viewing platform has recently opened in Melbourne, on St Kilda Pier. I’m not sure whether it’s the same experience, but what I do know is that you need to book well in advance, especially in summer!
The smallest penguins in the world coming home after a long day fishing
4. SWIM WITH SEA LIONS IN JURIEN BAY
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
I guess I really do like swimming with wild animals, because here’s another experience of the same kind. If whale sharks are elegant and peaceful, sea lions are the complete opposite: pure energy and fun. In Jurien Bay, you can spot them swimming around or sunbathing on the rocks, and honestly, watching them either way is so much fun.
The tours to swim with them leave by boat from the harbour, and once the guide spots a colony, all that’s left to do is jump into the water and wait. Sometimes they appear straight away, other times it takes a little longer… but when they do show up, the fun begins. They come closer, spin around, look at you curiously and start doing acrobatics all around you. They’re like puppies! Just with an incredible amount of strength, so don’t let their cuteness fool you.
The rules are clear: don’t touch them and don’t chase them. They’re the ones who decide how close they want to get. That way, everything flows naturally, you don’t interfere with their behaviour, and the experience feels completely authentic. I did this experience with Turquoise Safaris.
Swimming with sea lions in Jurien Bay
5. SEE SALTWATER CROCODILES ON THE DAINTREE RIVER
QUEENSLAND
Saltwater crocodiles live in northern Australia, throughout the tropical regions. They’re not always easy to spot in the wild unless you’re road-tripping through areas like the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, the Northern Territory, or northeastern Western Australia.
Check out the video my friend Tabitha made!
One of the safer ways to see them is on a boat tour. I did a tour on the Daintree River (near Cairns), and honestly, it’s pretty impressive to be so close to these animals and watch them watching you from a distance.
On this tour, they offered them pieces of meat to make them jump and get a better look at them, which personally isn’t really my thing. I prefer experiences where you simply observe wildlife without interfering, but I understand that not everyone has time to head deep into the Outback and spend hours with a pair of binoculars waiting for a crocodile to stick its head out of the water (I could happily spend hours doing that — I discovered this on my road trip along the Gibb River Road).
Even so, I think it’s an experience worth doing. And after doing a bit of research, I found this other Daintree tour that seems more sustainable: they take you out on a solar-powered boat and focus on spotting crocodiles, birds, snakes and other creatures that can be difficult to find on your own (without offering them food to attract them!).
6. SEE HUMPBACK WHALES — AND EVEN SWIM WITH THEM!
QUEENSLAND
I have such a lovely memory of the day I went whale watching in Hervey Bay. It was my farewell gift before leaving the town where I’d spent almost three months.
Hervey Bay was where I got my first job and my first experience of working for accommodation in Australia. I spent the last few months of winter under the sun, eating pineapple and being amazed by the changing tides. And since it’s the “whale watching capital of the world”, there was no way I could leave without finding out whether it really deserved the title.
You can go whale watching on the West Coast as well
I think it was the first time I’d ever done a tour like this on my own, and I absolutely loved it. Without the distraction of having company, I found myself noticing every little detail: the colour of the sea, the movement of the waves, the blue of the sky… and, of course, the whales. Seeing them up close is incredible.
I went towards the end of the season, when the whales have their calves. You can’t swim with them at that time of year, but in exchange I got to see a baby whale learning how to breach by copying Mum’s movements. Absolutely crazy.
You can see whales in many parts of Australia during their migration seasons, even from the coast. A couple of places where I’ve spotted them are the Byron Bay Lighthouse and the Exmouth Lighthouse. But I’m sure there will be plenty more!
Swimming with whales in Coral Bay (Western Australia)
7. VOLUNTEER AT A WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRE
If you have some extra time during your trip, or you’re in Australia on a Work and Holiday, volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation centre for a few weeks can be a really cool experience.
A friend of mine spent a couple of months caring for baby kangaroos in the mountains of New South Wales, and she absolutely loved it. There are lots of wildlife rehabilitation centres all over the country, specialising in different types of animals. I’ll leave you an article here about a couple’s experience volunteering at a quoll rehabilitation centre. Had you ever heard of this marsupial?
I’m currently volunteering with the Broome Turtle Monitoring Program. For a couple of months during nesting season, we collect data on new turtle nests along Cable Beach.
We look for turtle tracks on the beach to mark the new nests
EXAMPLES OF WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES I DON'T RECOMMEND
Australia is a country where animals are generally treated with a great deal of respect. Most of the wildlife activities you can do here are carefully managed, as are the many animal rescue and rehabilitation centres found across the country. Even so, there are a few activities I wouldn’t recommend if you’re an animal lover, and I’m going to explain why.
Diving with great white sharks
You can do this in South Australia, from Port Lincoln. It’s not dangerous because you’re inside an underwater cage that the shark can’t get into. So why don’t I recommend it? Because activities like this can alter the sharks’ natural behaviour. They’re attracted with food, only to have the prey or reward taken away from them, which can affect the way they behave.
Visiting Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park
Located just outside Broome, the park allows you to see crocodiles in captivity. It’s a popular tourist attraction, but honestly, watching crocodiles inside a cage doesn’t really appeal to me. And even less so holding a baby crocodile with its mouth tied shut so it can’t open it, just to take a photo. That said, it is still impressive to see these animals so close up and learn about why they were removed from the wild (each one has a story!).
The main reason I’m not a fan of these kinds of experiences, beyond whether I personally think they’re right or wrong, is the message they send. What is a child going to learn when they’re encouraged to take a photo holding a crocodile? That if they see a turtle in the ocean later, they can pick it up too. And what about seeing sharks from a cage “for protection”? That sharks are cruel and dangerous animals, when most species are actually shy and avoid contact with humans.
Respect for animals isn’t something you teach with words: it’s something you learn by example. To me, wildlife encounters should be opportunities to observe, learn and nurture our curiosity, not to manipulate animals’ habitats or interfere with them too much.
We want wildlife to stay wild!
Extra tip: avoid school holidays for all kinds of wildlife activities, and, whenever possible, the busiest tourist seasons too. Not only for your own experience (you’ll enjoy it much more), but for the animals’ experience as well.
Saltwater Crocodile in Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park
My personal ranking, from most to least exciting:
Swimming with whale sharks. An almost heavenly experience. I honestly don’t even know how to describe it.
Seeing humpback whales from a boat. Completely in awe of the sheer scale of nature and the magnificence of these creatures.
Visiting the fairy penguins. Cuteness turned into an experience.
Swimming with turtles. I didn’t do it on Fitzroy Island, but I did in Indonesia. Incredible if you get to do it on your own; a nightmare if there are lots of people around.
Swimming with sea lions. Fun, but it didn’t exactly change my life.
Seeing crocodiles from a boat. Interesting and fascinating, but I don’t get particularly excited thinking back on it. On the other hand, paddling a kayak to within a metre of a lone crocodile on Lake Argyle was much more incredible (it was a “freshie”, a freshwater crocodile — the ones that don’t eat you).
Are you interested in finding out where to spot Australia’s most iconic animals in the wild, without having to book an activity to see them? In this post, I share secret and not-so-secret spots around Australia where I’ve seen kangaroos, koalas, platypuses and the odd critter or two.
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