Iconic national plants and animals
Also known as our native plants and animals, Australia’s flora and fauna are uniquely mesmerizing, very different from other plants and animals found on other continents. About 80% of Australian plants are only found on native soil, including the likes of eucalypts- or gum trees – banksias, acasias and kangaroo paws (the flower – although the other kangaroo paws are native too). Along with a variety of trees, flowers and other plant life, Australia also has an abundance of unusual and unique animal life. The platypus, kangaroo and possum are just some of the amazing animals native to Australia, along with Australian frogs, birds, snakes and insects – some more terrifying than others.
Where does Australia's flora & fauna thrive?
Although you will have no problems with finding flora and fauna worthy of a close up snap, some species of our native beauty really flourish in certain areas. Tasmania boasts many species of plants and animals unique to the area and found nowhere else in the world, perhaps the best known of these being the Tasmanian Devil. If you are bird watching in Tasmania, you are also likely to spot a native parrot, particularly during breeding season.
The expansive wetlands of Australia’s ‘top end’ near Darwin and Kakadu are also a hotspot for Australian plant and animal life. Due to the diversity of climate, expansive floodplains and dry savannah woodlands, each area of the top end abounds with different forms of wildlife such as the rock wallaby, dingo and estuarine crocodiles. Waterbirds such as the magpie goose, black necked stork and the brolga are also abundant in the area. In a stark contrast to the top end, Central Australia is the area to best see animals such as the Red Kangaroo, Australian Bustard and the Dusky Grasswren.
