Meeting Australian animals at Caversham Wildlife Park, Perth

Visitors to Australia simply can’t leave (and usually won’t) without setting sights on some of our strangest and cutest creatures. Isolated Australia is home to many unique animals, and my favorite place to visit them is at Caversham Wildlife Park, just east of the city of Perth, Western Australia. Caversham Wildlife Park is not simply a zoo. It’s like a little taste of the Aussie bush but with animals who are easy to find, see and sometimes even touch.

Let’s start with the quintessential Australian animal: the kangaroo. The kangaroo enclosure at Caversham is like a large shady park, and perhaps 30 kangaroos sleep, eat and hop around here. Visitors can walk through the entire enclosure and interact with the animals. Special feed is provided so you can entice the kangaroos closer. My big tip: be sure to hold your hand out flat when you try to feed them. That makes it much easier for the kangaroo to grab the tasty treat you’re offering and gives them no excuse to give you a small bite! Also look out for any female kangaroos that are carrying a joey (baby kangaroo) in their pouch. Sometimes all you can see sticking out is a couple of tiny legs, but it’s an amazing process.

Next on the list of well-known Aussie animals must be the koala. Unfortunately you won’t see much action in the koala enclosures (there are several), because koalas need to sleep some 20 hours a day. Park guides are on hand at the koala enclosures (each open at particular times) to instruct you on how to pat a koala, and to rotate patting duties amongst koalas so they don’t lose too much sleep. In the middle of the park, at designated times, you also have the opportunity to hold a wombat. These muscly creatures are pretty heavy (more than a small child) and park guides help put them on your lap so you can give them a big hug.

There are dozens of other interesting animals to be seen in the park. Possums, Tasmanian devils and kookaburras (birds that sound like they’re laughing at you) are some of the highlights – plus as the state emblem of Western Australia, the special black swan is a must-see too. The information attached to each enclosure or cage is informative and well-written so you can actually learn a bit about each of the park’s inhabitants.

Caversham Wildlife Park is situated within Whiteman Park on the eastern outskirts of Perth. It’s open from 8.30am to 5.30pm every day except Christmas. Public transport doesn’t serve it too well: you’re better off using a hire car or a taxi. You can also combine a trip to Caversham with a day out in the Swan Valley, the wine-growing region of Perth.