Below is an article by Tom McGay for our regular Caravanning from the back-seat feature.

I can’t name many things more fun and exciting than getting up close with wildlife. Zoos are cool don’t get me wrong, but it’s a totally different experience being up close, feeding, playing, or just observing animals with all their beauty in their natural habitat. Below are 3 towns that you probably didn’t know have rare opportunities to interact with Aussie wildlife.

Mackay

I’ve written about Mackay before and what it has to offer, but I didn’t touch on this underrated spot you can go to see platypuses in their natural habitat! Broken River is where you want to be, about 80km from Mackay. The bridge on Broken River offers a fantastic view at the platypuses swimming. When you go there though, keep quiet! You don’t want to scare these awesome creatures away.

Sorrento

I personally love the Mornington Peninsula, I think it’s one of the best places for kids in Australia. Sorrento does have it’s fair share of tourist attractions but I’m going to let you in on spot only a select portion of locals know. The Sorrento Pier has this cool feature where it has metal see through parts just half a metre above sea level. Why is this so awesome? Well, the local stingrays (who also have names given by the locals)  come around right under your feet all the time. This spot shocked me when I first went there and I suggest you visit this with your family if you’re ever on the Mornington Peninsula.

Bright 

With Bright, although it is known for its native birds, you can see all over their extraordinary trails. Something I think deserves some light though is the Stag Farm. When I first went here I was shocked, I couldn’t believe how close you could get to these animals! Emus, Deers and goats, the Stag farm has it all. There’s not many places you can go to feed native Australian animals and have a meal looking out amongst the beautiful scenery. I really suggest visiting this place if you have any kids, I guarantee they’ll love it!  

Australia has been blessed with our beautiful navtive animals and these places are a must go if you want to see these animals beauty in full effect.