hanks to Australia’s splendid isolation, its wildlife is unique, thriving unfettered by outside influence. Of its nearly 400 mammal species, 80 per cent are endemic.
There’s even wildlife that you’ll only encounter in certain states – Rosenberg’s goannas (spotty one-and-a-half metre long lizards) on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, for example, and quokkas (pint-sized marsupials with broad grins) in Western Australia.
It’s this uniqueness – along with protected landscapes, wide open spaces and water, where the population of kangaroos or whales can outnumber locals and visitors – that makes a wildlife safari in the states of South Australia and Western Australia so special.
From koalas and kangaroos to wombats and quokkas,
Australia’s wildlife is at the heart of this adventure
SHARE
Subhead here, or not needed?
Jump in
Western Australia’s beaches aren’t just fit for swimming – at Lucky Bay, you’ll share the sands with kangaroos
Raise a smile
In Western Australia you’ll get to see quokkas – these happy marsupials, above, are everywhere on Rottnest Island, while on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island you’ll spot koalas
Watch kangaroos gather at dusk from the veranda of your outback homestead
Discover more on
the amazing experiences that await you in South and Western Australia
and find out all about
Audley’s 20-day Wine & Wildlife tour
Video subhead, not always needed
Take a spectacular safari down under
Wizards of Oz
Australia offers something unique to the oenophile – vintages with views. The vineyards of South and Western Australia are set in stunning scenery – that’s why hot air balloon and helicopter trips over the lush, green countryside and historic villages of the Barossa Valley, an hour’s drive from Adelaide, are so popular. There are 80 cellar doors to step through in Barossa, home to the some of the world’s oldest continuously producing shiraz (for which the region is famous) vines. Penfolds Magill Estate is just 15 minutes’ drive from Adelaide city centre – linger over a glass of the winery’s celebrated Grange in 12 acres of vineyards, with views over the city skyline and the Mount Lofty Ranges.
In Western Australia’s Margaret River, it’s all about the bouquet and the beaches. Stroll along the white sands and dramatic clifftop paths of the Cape to Cape Track and stay in a boutique hotel with a private lake and celebrated restaurant, surrounded by vineyards. Visit Leeuwin Estate for an expert-led wine tasting paired with a six-course lunch on the veranda, with majestic views of the forest of towering karri trees. The estate even has its own landing strip if you fancy chartering a private plane and really making an entrance.
The cities of Adelaide and Perth are much more than just gateways to their respective states, so build a few days to explore each into your Audley itinerary.
Adelaide, named the world’s second National Park City, balances nature with the demands of an urban environment and is bordered on one side by white sandy beaches, and nature reserves – and yes, vineyards – on the other. The colourful Central Market has over 70 artisan and fresh food stalls, while for cricket fans, the Bradman Collection – in honour of local hero and batting legend Sir Don Bradman – at Adelaide Oval is a must.
Spend a blissful, bookish afternoon in the elaborate State Library of South Australia and, in the evening, mingle with the cool crowd among the fairy lights in the buzzing lanes of the city’s West End. Unsurprisingly, Adelaide’s nightlife is rich with a new wave of sophisticated wine bars and cellars.
Perth is a bustling modern city interwoven with parkland, waterways and botanic gardens. Explore the art galleries, hear ancient stories as you wander among the skyscrapers and outdoor sculptures on a walk around Elizabeth Quay with a Noongar Aboriginal tour guide, taste the fruits of the thriving craft beer scene or relax on a trip down the Swan River – whatever floats your boat, it’s all on offer and ready to be enjoyed.
Cab Sauv and culture
School’s out
The humpback whale migration witnessed in both regions is an amazing sight, while endangered Australian sealions, above right, await you on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island
Illustration or photography credit runs at bottom. 12pt Montserrat, normal, 10 kerning
Book a safari with Audley Travel, which has been curating tailor-made Australian adventures for nearly two decades, and you’ll voyage off the beaten track, with every detail catered for and local knowledge imparted by enthusiastic local guides to create lifetime memories.
To inspire you, Audley has put together the sample Wine & Wildlife two-centre itinerary: 20 days in South Australia and Western Australia, with a flight between the states’ gateways – the vineyard capital of Adelaide and nature-filled Perth. The trip, which Audley’s Australia experts will tailor to your interests, offers one of the greatest wildlife adventures on Earth, with great food, company and wine along the way. You’ll enjoy ocean and outback by bike, 4x4, and even flippers and snorkel, staying in safari camps nestled in sand dunes and remote outback stations.
Highlights include South Australia’s wildlife haven, Kangaroo Island – reached by a 30-minute scenic flight or ferry from the mainland. Here, your local guide will lead you on a safari spotting koalas, sub-species of kangaroos and echidnas, and a beach walk among rare Australian sealions. The Remarkable Rocks seen on the island are truly spectacular.
In Western Australia – just a three-hour internal flight away – lies Rottnest Island, home to 63 beaches and the quokka. These cute creatures have permanent smiles on their faces, making them natural social media stars. No touching, though – responsible leave-no-trace tourism is central to Audley’s ethos and the management of this A-class nature reserve.
The wildlife is undeniably amazing – and so is the wine. South Australia is the country’s wine capital, with over 200 cellar doors within an hour’s drive of Adelaide. Taste the wines, meet the wine makers and indulge in tasting your own birth year, a long winery lunch or cycling through the vineyards.
Margaret River is Western Australia’s grape-growing hub, with Leeuwin Estate, a cattle farm that became a winery in the 1970s, at its heart. Visitors come for Margaret River’s wines, then stay for its beaches – turquoise waters shimmering under dramatic cliffs – and thriving art scene.
Whatever your passions, Audley’s Australia experts – the wizards of Oz, travelling around the country to refresh their knowledge each year – will build a bespoke itinerary, unique to you. Want to spend a week swimming with sealions and dolphins in the crystal clear waters of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula? Or a fortnight hanging out with the quokkas? No worries, as the Aussies say – everything is possible with Audley.
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As you watch kangaroos gather at dusk from the veranda of your traditional outback homestead deep in the Flinders Ranges – magnificent red mountain peaks that are more than 600 million years old – you’ll experience a deep, inner awe at the majesty of the landscape surrounding you and your place in it. At night, gaze upwards at the Southern Cross constellation – with no light pollution for miles, this South Australian wilderness is a stargazer’s paradise.
This is the landscape that inspired the Indigenous Dreamtime stories of how the world was formed. Every animal and bird was imbued with symbolism and meaning, from the now endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies to the wedge-tailed eagles that still circle above Wilpena Pound, a huge, natural amphitheatre created by millions of years of erosion.
Take a walk on the wild side
T
The safari star of Western Australia is the Ningaloo Reef – at over 160 miles in length, it is the world’s longest fringing coral reef, and the coast that surrounds it is a World Heritage Site. Its clear waters provide one of the best places on the planet to swim with humpbacks and whale sharks and, thanks to spotter planes and expert local guides, sightings are 95 per cent reliable. Ecological responsibility is at the core of the experience – the Australian government is rightly protective of Ningaloo and carefully manages the number of boats and swimmers in the water. The safari guides will share the secrets of the local marine life and get you involved in Ningaloo’s citizen science.
Running alongside Ningaloo, Cape Range National Park offers more fascinating animals living moments away from the glassy sandy beaches, from rare black-footed rock wallabies and emus to echidnas and ospreys.
Wildlife haven Kangaroo Island is a 30-minute scenic flight from the mainland
Australia offers something unique to the oenophile – vintages with views. The vineyards of South Australia and Western Australia are set in stunning scenery – that’s why hot air balloon and helicopter trips over the lush, green countryside and historic villages of the Barossa Valley, an hour’s drive from Adelaide, are so popular. There are 80 cellar doors to step through in Barossa, home to the some of the world’s oldest continuously producing shiraz (for which the region is famous) vines. Penfolds Magill Estate is just 15 minutes’ drive from Adelaide city centre – linger over a glass of the winery’s celebrated Grange in 12 acres of vineyards, with views over the city skyline and the Mount Lofty Ranges.
In Western Australia’s Margaret River, it’s all about the boutique and the beaches. Stroll along the white sands and dramatic clifftop paths of the Cape to Cape Track, and stay in a boutique hotel with a private lake and celebrated restaurant, surrounded by vineyards. Visit Leeuwin Estate for an expert-led wine tasting paired with a six-course lunch on the veranda, with majestic views of the forest of towering karri trees. The estate even has its own landing strip if you fancy chartering a private plane and really making an entrance.
Cab sauv and culture
The cities of Adelaide and Perth are much more than just gateways to their respective states, so build a few days to explore each into your Audley itinerary.
Adelaide, named the world’s second National Park City, balances nature with the demands of an urban environment and is bordered on one side by white sandy beaches, and nature reserves – and yes, vineyards – on the other. The colourful Central Market has over 70 artisan and fresh food stalls, while for cricket fans, the Bradman Collection – in honour of local hero and batting legend Sir Don Bradman – at Adelaide Oval is a must.
Spend a blissful, bookish afternoon in the elaborate State Library of South Australia and, in the evening, mingle with the cool crowd among the fairy lights in the buzzing lanes of the city’s West End. Unsurprisingly, Adelaide’s nightlife is rich with a new wave of sophisticated wine bars and cellars.
Perth is a bustling modern city interwoven with parkland, waterways and botanic gardens. Explore the art galleries, hear ancient stories as you wander among the skyscrapers and outdoor sculptures on a walk around Elizabeth Quay with a Noongar Aboriginal tour guide, taste the fruits of the thriving craft beer scene or relax on a trip down the Swan River – whatever floats your boat, it’s all on offer and ready to be enjoyed.
In Margaret River it’s all about the boutique and the beaches
Get up close
See kangaroos – on their eponymous island – and swim with turtles at Ningaloo Reef
Tales of the vine
Compare the grapes at Leeuwin Estate in Margaret River, right, with those of The Lane in Adelaide Hills, below
Set the table
Throughout Western Australia and South Australia you'll find plenty of award-winning food and drink on offer
Deep dive
Ningaloo is one of the best places in the world to spot a whale shark
Discover more on the amazing experiences that await you in
South and Western Australia, and find out more about
Audley’s 20-day Wine & Wildlife tour
SHARE
Jump in
Western Australia’s beaches aren’t just fit for swimming – at Lucky Bay, you’ll share the sands with kangaroos
From koalas and kangaroos to wombats and quokkas, Australia’s wildlife is at the heart of this adventure
take a spectacular safari down under
Wizards of Oz
hanks to Australia’s splendid isolation, its wildlife is unique, thriving unfettered by outside influence. Of its nearly 400 mammal
species, 80 per cent are endemic.
There’s even wildlife that you’ll only encounter in certain states – Rosenberg’s goannas (spotty one-and-a-half metre long lizards) on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, for example, and quokkas (pint-sized marsupials with broad grins) in Western Australia.
It’s this uniqueness – along with protected landscapes, wide open spaces and water, where the population of kangaroos or whales can outnumber locals and visitors – that makes a wildlife safari in the states of South Australia and Western Australia so special.
T
Book a safari with Audley Travel, which has been curating tailor-made Australian adventures for nearly two decades, and you’ll voyage off the beaten track, with every detail catered for and local knowledge imparted by enthusiastic local guides to create lifetime memories.
To inspire you, Audley has put together the sample Wine & Wildlife two-centre itinerary: 20 days in South Australia and Western Australia, with a flight between the states’ gateways – the vineyard capital of Adelaide and nature-filled Perth. The trip, which Audley’s Australia experts will tailor to your interests, offers one of the greatest wildlife adventures on Earth, with great food, company and wine along the way. You’ll enjoy ocean and outback by bike, 4x4, and even flippers and snorkel, staying in safari camps nestled in sand dunes and remote outback stations.
Raise a smile
As well as koalas, you’ll get to see quokkas – these happy marsupials, above, are everywhere on Rottnest Island
Highlights include South Australia’s wildlife haven, Kangaroo Island – reached by a 30-minute scenic flight or ferry from the mainland. Here, your local guide will lead you on a safari spotting koalas, sub-species of kangaroos and echidnas, and a beach walk among rare Australian sealions. The Remarkable Rocks seen on the island are truly spectacular.
In Western Australia – just a three-hour internal flight away – lies Rottnest Island, home to 63 beaches and the quokka. These cute creatures have permanent smiles on their faces, making them natural social media stars. No touching, though – responsible leave-no-trace tourism is central to Audley’s ethos and the management of this A-class nature reserve.
The wildlife is undeniably amazing – and so is the wine. South Australia is the country’s wine capital, with over 200 cellar doors within an hour’s drive of Adelaide. Taste the wines, meet the wine makers and indulge in tasting your own birth year, a long winery lunch or cycling through the vineyards.
Seal the deal
Endangered Australian sealions, above right, await you, while Western Australia’s humpback whale migration is amazing
As you watch kangaroos gather at dusk from the veranda of your traditional outback homestead deep in the Flinders Ranges – magnificent red mountain peaks that are more than 600 million years old – you’ll experience a deep, inner awe at the majesty of the landscape surrounding you and your place in it. At night, gaze upwards at the Southern Cross constellation – with no light pollution for miles, this South Australian wilderness is a stargazer’s paradise.
This is the landscape that inspired the Indigenous Dreamtime stories of how the world was formed. Every animal and bird was imbued with symbolism and meaning, from the now endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies to the wedge-tailed eagles that still circle above Wilpena Pound, a huge, natural amphitheatre created by millions of years of erosion.
Take a walk on the wild side
Get up close
See kangaroos – on their eponymous island – and swim with turtles at Ningaloo Reef
Wildlife haven Kangaroo Island is a 30-minute scenic flight from the mainland
Book a safari with Audley Travel, which has been curating tailor-made Australian adventures for nearly two decades, and you’ll voyage off the beaten track, with every detail catered for and local knowledge imparted by enthusiastic local guides to create lifetime memories.
To inspire you, Audley has put together the sample Wine & Wildlife two-centre itinerary: 20 days in South Australia and Western Australia, with a flight between the states’ gateways – the vineyard capital of Adelaide and nature-filled Perth. The trip, which Audley’s Australia experts will tailor to your interests, offers one of the greatest wildlife adventures on Earth, with great food, company and wine along the way. You’ll enjoy ocean and outback by bike, 4x4, and even flippers and snorkel, staying in safari camps nestled in sand dunes and remote outback stations.
Rocky roads
The spectacular Flinders Ranges, stretching over 500 miles in South Australia, is a haven for native wildlife
Get up close
See kangaroos – on their eponymous island – and swim with turtles at Ningaloo Reef