Text size
Published Feb 2025
Text size
Travel & Touring| WA Things To Do
By: Monique Ceccato
Year-round, from the ocean to the forest, there are plenty of incredible animals you can encounter up-close in Western Australia.
Seeing rare or unique animals in their natural habitat is thrilling. It’s your front-row seat to nature — your very own David Attenborough moment. There are thousands of oceanic and land-dwelling species you can encounter in WA, but none are more exciting to see than these twelve.
1. Quokkas on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Rottnest Island
You don’t have to go far on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island to come across its most famed inhabitant. The perpetually smiley quokka hops about the island freely and even around the main settlement area in Thomson Bay, just a few metres from where you disembark the ferry.
Head to the bakery or general store during the day, and you can see them snoozing beneath the Morton Bay Fig Trees.At dusk and dawnthey’re at their most active, munching away on leaves and grass just about everywhere you look.
As the quokkas are wild, the island authorities request you don’t touch or feed them. Keep a good distance from them when taking photos, too.
RAC members save on Rottnest ferry vouchers.
2. Kangaroos at Lucky Bay, Esperance
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Esperance
How could the shimmering waters and snow-white sands of Esperance’s Lucky Bay possibly be any more idyllic? With the addition of some local kangaroos lazing on the beach, that’s how.
Sure, you can see roos all over the state, but seeing first-hand those iconic beach-loving roos of Lucky Bay is something extra special.
Hit Cape Le Grand National Park as the sun rises to nab yourself the best spot on the beach and await the roos’ arrival. If it's warm, duck into the ocean for a refresh as you wait. There’s no guessing when or where they’ll turn up — they’re wild, after all — but early morning and late afternoon are always promising.
Before accessing the beach, you’ll need to buy a park pass. This can be done online prior to your visit and RAC members save 50% on digital national park passes.
RELATED:Perth to Esperance road trip »
3.Whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales on Ningaloo Reef
Time of year:
Whale sharks: March to August
Manta rays: Year-round
Humpback whales: July to August
Where to see: Coral Bay and Exmouth
Ningaloo Reef is the only place in Australia and one of few places in the world where you can swim with whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays all from a single location.
Whale shark swim season runs from late February to the end of June from Coral Bay and the end of July from Exmouth. For humpback’s, the season is July to October in Coral Bay and from August to October in Exmouth, while manta ray swims are available year-round from Coral Bay.
RELATED:Ultimate guide to Coral Bay »
Tours use spotter planes to guide the boats towards your ‘snorkelling buddy’. Once you’re kitted up with your snorkel, mask, fins, and wetsuit, you’ll be instructed on how and when to enter the water with them. Bring a GoPro to catch the moment, or let the professional photographer on board do it for you.
In addition to your marine encounter, you’ll also get to spend time snorkelling on the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, with the chance to spot turtles, dolphins and some of the 500 species of colourful fish that live on the reef.
For a list of swim operators in the region, visit australiascoralcoast.com.
4. Dolphins at Rockingham
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Throughout Western Australia
Watch dolphins dart and dance as you glide through Rockingham’s bays on a trip with Perth Wildlife Encounters.
When they’re at their most playful, they put on an incredible show.
Your experienced guide will drive you and your fellow tour members through the water behind an aqua scooter, so all you have to do is hold on, look down, and breathe through your snorkel (they’re provided, along with wetsuits). Once the official part of the tour is over, you’ll get the chance to go snorkelling off Garden Island and try the aqua scooter yourself. Or, stay on board and tuck into the lunch provided.
5. Rays at Hamelin Bay
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Hamelin Bay and throughout the Ngari Capes Marine Park
You'll spot their black shadows moving along the coast well before they reach the boat ramp; the eagle ray, smooth ray, and black ray fevers. They glide through the water almost daily during summer, foraging for buried molluscs and crustaceans close to shore.
Watching and photographing the spectacle from the sand is encouraged, keeping well out of the way of the majestic creatures. Though they’re generally non-aggressive, rays will use the barbs on their tail when and if threatened. The best way to avoid upsetting them is to refrain from touching or feeding them.
6. Koalas in Yanchep National Park
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Yanchep National Park, Caversham Wildlife Park and Cohunu Koala Park
Koalas aren’t native to WA, but you can find a small colony of this iconic Australian animal 50km north of the Perth CBD.
Early in 2025, three more of the furry tree-dwellers were added to the colony and now call Yanchep National Park home, living and feeding on leaves in the boughs of the gums. There are plans to establish a breeding program to support national conservation efforts of the southern koala, which is considered endangered.
Take the raised boardwalk through the park to the koala viewing area and keep your eyes on the trees to spy them. Don’t be too disheartened if you don’t — they live in an open-air enclosure and can sometimes be difficult to find.
While you’re visiting the national park, explore Crystal or Yonderup Cave and see if you can spot the western grey kangaroos and local birds on one of the many walking trails.
7. Turtles in Exmouth
Time of year:
Nesting: December to February
Hatching: January to March
Where to see: Ningaloo and Mackerel Islands, Dirk Hartog Island
The beaches and bays around Exmouth are fertile breeding grounds for not one but four species of sea turtle — the loggerhead, hawksbill, flatback, and green sea turtle. From late November to early March, you can see them slowly lumbering their way up the beach to nest, and their hatchlings scurrying towards the water some 40-60 days later.
If you spot a nesting turtle, move slowly, keep your distance, and stay behind her. It’s important not to use torchlight around a nesting turtle or the hatchlings as it can disorient them and keep nature from taking its course. To learn more about the turtles, join a free tour with Jurabi Turtle Centre in the Cape Range National Park.
RELATED:Perth to Exmouth (and back) in 8 days »
If you’re out on the Ningaloo Reef, your chances of seeing the turtles in their natural habitat are high. There are hundreds of them populating the waters of Ningaloo, and you can see them on a glass bottom boat tour, kayaking tour, or snorkelling tour.
8. Emus in Monkey Mia
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Monkey Mia, Denham, Shark Bay and Exmouth
Monkey Mia is renowned for the local dolphins that visit the beach daily. But another regular is making quite the name for itself, too.
They’re regular visitors at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. You can see them wandering through the campgrounds and by the villas; some are even curious enough to come right up to your table at the Boughshed Restaurant or Monkey Bar. Of course, they’re keen on your food, but feeding them is strictly prohibited. If they do come close, gently move your food closer to you and let them be on their way.
You can catch a glimpse of emus roaming around several other areas along the Coral Coast, including Shark Bay and Exmouth.
9. Sea lions at Cervantes and Jurien Bay
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Jurien Bay, Cervantes, Geraldton and the Abrolhos Islands
The Australian sea lion is the world’s rarest species of pinniped (aquatic fin-footed mammal), with only around 12,000 of them in existence along the south coast of Australia.
The coastal waters just off Cervantes and Jurien Bay is the sea lions’ largest breeding ground, where you can see upwards of 30 sea lions sunbathing on rocks and gliding through the water. Lobster Shack’s Sea Lion Tours will get you out there and provide you with all the necessary bits and pieces — snorkels, masks, fins, and wetsuits — to get in the water and snorkel with them.
The sea lions are naturally playful, so they can come quite close. Keep your GoPros at the ready for some incredible footage. After your sea lion swimming adventure, find a sunny seaside spot for lunch at the Lobster Shack in Cervantes, or Jurien Bay Beach Cafe.
RELATED:Turquoise Coast road trip »
10. Orcas in Bremer Bay
Time of year: July to August (north), January to April (south)
Where to see: Exmouth, Bremer Bay
Around 200 orcas migrate to the Bremer canyon each summer, making it the biggest annual congregation of the apex predators in the southern hemisphere.
Catch them feeding, playing, and breaching between January and April, 19 nautical miles (35km) off the coast of Bremer Bay, 500km south of Perth.
Of course, you’ll need to get out there to see them, but plenty of tours can do that for you. Pack your hats, sunscreen, and cameras — you might even be lucky enough to spot sperm and pilot whales while on the water, too.
RAC members save on whale watching tours with Naturaliste Charters.
11. Echidnas on the Coral Coast or Perth Hills
Time of year: Year-round
Where to see: Perth hills, Indian Ocean Drive, Kalbarri, Shark Bay, Exmouth
Echidnas are notoriously elusive creatures, so when you do spot one of Australia’s favourite spikey friends, it’ll likely take you by surprise. Your best chance of catching a glimpse of one is in bushland areas and national parks along the Coral Coast, including Francois Peron National Park and Kalbarri National Park.
To increase your chances, head out on your echidna hunt at dusk or dawn. The most common type you’ll find in Western Australia is the short-beaked echidna, recognisable by its short nose and long black-brown and golden spines. They have been known to wander onto roads, so keep your eyes peeled when driving through the region.
To embark on your echidna search closer to Perth, take the trail along the Bibbulmun Track in Kalamunda or try your luck in the Dryandra Woodland National Park near Narrogin.
12. Penguins on Penguin Island
Time of year: September to June
Where to see: Penguin Island
Just a five-minute ferry ride from mainland Shoalwater, and only 30 minutes south of Perth, you’ll find WA’s largest population of little penguins.
Around 250 of the sand-dwelling birds inhabit Penguin Island, where you can see them going about their daily lives. A cruise with Perth Wildlife Encounters around the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park includes a guided wildlife walk around the island where you'll find out more about the local penguin population. You’ll also cruise past Seal Island to see rare Australian sea lions.
Be aware that the entire island is closed to visitors on days when the temperature is forecast to be 35 degrees or higher. It’s also closed from June through to October during the breeding season.
Ferries depart hourly each day run by Perth Wildlife Encounters in Shoalwater.
Image credit: Tourism Western Australia
Last updated: February 2025
