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  1. Home
  2. Travel

The adorable reason you need to visit Maria Island

Plus, some of the best things to do and see on the island. - by Laura Barry
  • 19 Sep 2019
The adorable reason you need to visit Maria Island

Maria island is a picturesque piece of land located off the east coast of Tasmania. Accessible only by the daily ferry service that departs from Triabunna in Tasmania, Maria Island National Park is a natural wildlife sanctuary with historic ruins, beautiful bays, dramatic cliffs and lush bushland. 

However, it’s the residents of the island that are the real drawcard here, if you want our opinion.

Once of Australia’s most famous and adorable animals, the humble wombats, has a population so plentiful on Maria Island that the little critters have become something of a tripping hazard.

abcaustralia View Profile
2,620 likes - View Post on Instagram
There's #WombatWednesday... and then there's #WombatWednesday starring a baby wombat ❤️ 📷: @lucychampion #abcmyphoto #wombat #babywombat #wombatsofinstagram #babyanimal #mariaisland #cradlecoast #tasmania #tassiegram

In an interview with ABC, East Coast Tourism chief executive Ruth Dowty said that the wombats were so numerous they’re almost a tripping hazard, and are highly sought after for pats and selfies.

"Tourists are greeted by wombats as soon as they get off the ferry at Darlington. They pretty much ignore people, but people run up to them and they don’t run away.”

Maria Island National Park is also home to many other forms of fascinating wildlife, such as pademelons, Forester kangaroos, wallabies and Tasmanian Devils, For the bird watchers out there, you can find eleven of Tasmania’s endemic species of bird on Maria Island, including the endangered forty-spotted pardalote and the rare Cape Barren goose. The shores of Maria Island are also often visited by seals and whales – really, it’s the perfect location for spotting native Australian animals.

australia View Profile
47k likes - View Post on Instagram
It's safe to say that this isn't Teddy's first modelling gig. 😉 @jakobdezwart met this absolute charmer during a hike on @tasmania's #MariaIsland, a little island off the mainland of @eastcoasttasmania. This is one of the best spots to see #wombats in the wild in #Australia; and as you can see, they'd happily pose for you, just make sure you give them some personal space. Our tip: Book a @mariaislandwalk guided walk, which is part of both @greatwalksofoz and @australianwildlifejourneys, for some extra special #wildlife encounters over four days. #seeaustralia #discovertasmania #eastcoasttasmania #nature #wildlifephotography

Aside from the furred and feathered residents, Maria Island is also the only place you’ll find the most intact example of a convict probation station in Australia, wonderful walking and cycling tracks, locations for snorkelling and diving, and view the Painted Cliffs of Hopground Beach, which are brightly patterned sandstone.

Seems like the local wildlife don’t mind snapping a selfie or two, though.

letsgodare View Profile
669 likes - View Post on Instagram
So fun to chill next to these guys going about their everyday life on Maria Island a couple of weeks back! YES they can be aggressive... & YES you should be careful & use common sense as they are wild animals. We spent an hour or more lying around in wombat poo with them as "some" didn't seem to be bothered by our presence (if they were we wouldn't have approached them & there were lots of shy wombats who wouldn't let you get remotely close to them) however we copped a lot of criticism from our previous video of our daughter Teddie from what seemed to us to be a harmless & funny video after spending time with the wombat previously to filming. We were then swamped with comments from strangers telling us how terrible we were at parenting & called us stupid, idiotic & dumb just to name a few... We understand that when you post something to the internet it's an open forum but please don't base & voice your opinion of someone or something based on a short video or photo that can be taken out of context on a screen ✌🏻 #benice . . . . #tassie #discovertasmania #tasmania #tassiepics #lovethisplace #roadtrip #landscapes #wombats #travel #wombat #travelgram #mytravelgram #tassiestyle #explore #instatravel #tourism #travelblog #wildlife #travelling #igtravel #seeaustralia #travelpics #travelphoto #travels #travelphotography #arountheworld #tasmaniagram #instatassie #australia

Rules for visiting the wombats

  • Don’t pick up a wombat
  • Don’t get too close is they have babies
  • Don’t surround wombats
  • Don’t chase wombats if they try to walk away

Looking for a similar wildlife encounter? Then you need to visit the quokkas on Rottnest Island in Western Australia.

You might also like:

The best places to see and watch wild animals in Australia 

11 must-see sights in Tasmania 

Looking for more places to meet Australia’s native animals? Watch the video below.

Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
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 Only one Australian state made Nat Geo’s Best Trips list 2020

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11 Must-see sights in Tasmania

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Sight-seeing flights to Antarctica now depart from Hobart, Tas

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Fast Ed's food tour of Vietnam

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Dr Harry visits Calgary Stampede's Chuckwagon Races

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Johanna and Pete visit The Rocks

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Dr Harry visits Billabong Zoo Koala and Wildlife Park

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This is the world's most expensive cracker

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