Walking Among Maria Island Wombats & Other Animals

Maria Island wombats are among the most famous animals in Tasmania, if not all of Australia. There are so many wombats on the island that they have been referred to as a “tripping hazard”. All because Maria Island wombats seem to be completely unfazed by people.

If you visit in winter, you will probably see the wombats from the ferry before you even dock at Maria Island. Every trail you take, everywhere you go on the island, you’ll be surrounded by wombats, sometimes an arm’s length away from you.

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Ethics of Wildlife Encounters

Because Maria Island wombats are so matter-of-fact about sharing space with people, many visitors seem to think that they might enjoy being patted or having their personal space invaded. They don’t. Wombats see us as just another mammal with whom they share their environment. And sharing requires respect for personal space and autonomy.

I tend to think that being harassed by a human is as pleasant to a wombat as having my fish and chips stolen by a seagull is to me. Only in this scenario, it would be more like being assaulted by a huge flock of gulls the entire day. Ultimately, we all want to have our meals in peace.

A rewarding encounter with a wild animal happens not when you force your company on the animal but when the animal chooses to come to you. At a time when humanity’s relationship with nature is at a breaking point, trust from wild animals is a precious experience not to be abused.

In the case of chips-stealing seagulls, it simply means not bringing your food into the environment where you might be challenged for it. If we love animals so much and want to see them around, we should learn to live in a shared world.

So, How Do You Invite a Wombat to Interact With You?

Sound on!

Start by finding a quiet spot with grazing wombats. I found the hilltop above the jetty to be a great spot to watch them against the backdrop of a curving sandy beach and deep-blue sea.

Next, get down to the wombat’s eye level. Either sit down or lie down on the grass a couple of meters away from the animals. You can get a sense of the direction in which a wombat is moving by watching it first. They tend to stay on the same path like chubby lawnmowers.

If you haven’t disturbed the wombats, all you have to do at this point is relax and stay quiet. Let the animals come to you on their own terms.

You’ll be surprised how nonchalant the wombats will be about your presence. As you can see in the video above, Maria Island wombats have no fear of humans and will happily browse right next to you and occasionally come for a closer look or a sniff.

Which Island Wombat?

My biggest surprise was to learn that Maria Island wombats are not from Maria Island. They belong to the Flinders Island subspecies of the Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus).

In the 1960s, many wildlife introductions took place on Maria Island, including 20 or 30 wombats from Flinders Island. These wombats took to Maria Island like fish to water, and today, the island is home to thousands of Flinders Island wombats.

This subspecies of wombat used to occur on several Bass Straight islands off Tasmania’s northern coast. Sadly, they are now extinct on all but Flinders Island.

Maria Island’s diverse ecosystems, ranging from grasslands to eucalyptus forests, provide an ideal habitat for wombats. These barrel-shaped marsupial teddy bears are highly adaptable and thrive in environments where they can dig extensive burrow systems. Their burrows, which can be up to 20 meters long, offer protection from predators and harsh weather conditions.

Wombats are herbivores, feeding mainly on grasses and roots. On Maria Island, the abundance of native grasses and other vegetation ensures a consistent food supply. And most of the time you’ll see wombats on the island, they will be making their way through that food supply with such vigor that you’ll hear them chew from a few meters away.

The copious quantities of grass that wombats consume stay in their digestive system for 14-18 days (humans take 6-8 hours to digest our food). The slow digestion process is one of the reasons for wombats’ characteristic cube-shaped poo, which they use to mark their territory, often depositing it on top of rocks and other prominent locations.

Best Time to See Wombats on Maria Island

You can see wombats on the island year-round. But you will see more wombats (than you’ll know what to do with) in colder, wetter weather.

It might have something to do with wombats not liking the heat and retreating into their elaborate burrows for the hottest part of the day. In winter months (May to November), wombats are around all day long, munching on grass like there is no tomorrow.

Summer, of course, is a more pleasant time to travel in Tasmania. You can visit the island on a day tour from Hobart, and you get to spend more time on the island.

In summer, the first ferry arrives on Maria Island at 9 am, and the last one departs at 4.15 pm, giving you 7 hrs on the island. While in winter, the first ferry arrives at 10.30 am (5.5 hours on the island).

In winter, tours run infrequently. So, to visit the island on a day trip from Hobart, you’ll need to book the shuttle to Triabunna, ferry to the island and your National Parks Pass.

Other Animals to Spot on Maria Island

Maria Island, of course, is not all about the wombats. A day on Maria Island gives you a chance to see Southern brown bandicoots and Tasmania’s own subspecies of Eastern grey kangaroo, the Forester kangaroo. Later in the afternoon, Tasmanian pademelons and Bennetts wallabies emerge on the grasslands.

If you have a chance to spend a night on Maria Island, either camping or staying at the Darlington penitentiary, you can spot a Tasmanian devil. They are not uncommon on the island.

If you are a twitcher, try spotting the Tasmanian endemic Forty-spotted pardalote. They are tough birds to spot, however, and you are more likely to see Scarlet robins, Cape Barren geese, Green rosellas and seabirds.

Short-beaked Echidna

While not as commonly encountered on Maria Island as some of the other marsupials, the Short-beaked echidna is one of the most fascinating Australian animals to see in the wild.

Every time I encounter an echidna, I am keenly aware that I am looking at one of only two types of egg-laying mammals on Earth. One of the last representatives of an ancient Gondwanian lineage (the other is the platypus, which you can observe in broad daylight in Tasmanian Arboretum).

The most interesting time to observe echidnas is during their mating season, usually from June to September. When a female is ready to breed, up to a dozen male echidnas line up behind her, forming a train.

Trains can last for weeks at a time, with individual males dropping out and rejoining. In the end, the remaining males will push each other around until a single winner remains to mate with the female.

Forester Kangaroo

A day trip to Maria Island also gives you a chance to see Tasmania’s own subspecies of Eastern grey kangaroo, known as Forester kangaroo. These kangaroo have been isolated from their mainland conspecifics for around 10,000 to 15,000 years and became sufficiently distinct to warrant a subspecies status.

Maria Island animals - Forrester kangaroo

The kangaroo is not widespread in Tasmania and can only be seen in a few locations, including Narrawantapu National Park and Maria Island. To find them on the island, head north from the ferry jetty past Maria Island cemetery. Kangaroos often graze in the grassy hills in the late afternoon.

Southern Brown Bandicoot

Maria Island is also a great place to spot Southern brown bandicoots, especially after a few days of rain. It is quite unusual to be able to watch these typically shy marsupials in broad daylight.

The curious thing about bandicoots is that they have the shortest gestation period of any mammal on earth, just 12 days. Of course, being marsupials, bandicoots are born as tiny little beans that crawl into their mother’s pouch and continue their development there.

I counted half a dozen individuals in the coastal stretch between Hopground Beach and Darlington settlement. All of them were absolutely unfazed by my presence. As long as I stayed a couple of meters away from the animals, I could watch them frenziedly dig for worms for as long as I wished.

Tasmanian Pademelons

Tasmanian pademelon joey in north west Tasmania — Tasmanian Pademelon joey

The Tasmanian pademelon, or Rufous-bellied pademelon, became extinct on the mainland in the early 20th century, but in Tasmania, it is the most common and abundant mammal.

Pademelons are nocturnal, and during most of the day, you’ll find them sleeping in the thickets. Be kind, and don’t disturb the sleeping animals. In the late afternoon, pademelons emerge into the open, joining the wombats who have been there all day. You can usually see them behind Hopground Beach and around the adjacent campsite.

Bennett’s Wallaby

The Bennetts wallaby, known as the red-necked wallaby on mainland Australia, is the second of Tasmania’s most commonly seen native animals (after the pademelon).

Ironically, they are not as common on Maria Island, at least during the daylight daylight hours. Possibly because Maria Island’s management finds it necessary to kill several hundred wallabies (as well as pademelons and Forester kangaroos) every year.

Standing around 1 meter tall, Bennett’s wallaby is smaller than the Forrester Kangaroo and larger (and lighter) than the pademelon. They can also be distinguished from the other two macropods by having black hands and noses.

The only place I saw the wallabies on Maria Island was the northern campsite. A single, fairly shy individual was browsing among the bushes.

Cape Barren Goose

You are unlikely to spend a day on Maria Island and not see Cape Barren geese. These large, handsome South Australian endemic birds are particularly abundant around Darlington.

An interesting fact about Cape Barren geese is that they are monogamous, typically mating for life. To mark the occasion of forming a mating pair, the two birds perform a ‘triumph ceremony’ in which they raise and lower their heads on outstretched necks while facing each other and calling loudly.

Forest Birds

Green rosella on Maria Island, Tasmania — Green rosella on Maria Island

Maria Island is home to 125 bird species, including the Forty-spotted pardalote and the migratory swift parrot. If you are a keen birdwatcher, walk the Reservoir trail. This easy 4 km return walk takes you through open woodlands into the eucalypt forest and offers the best chance for spotting Tasmania’s endemic pardalote.

Even if you are not a bird watcher, you’ll see birds on Maria Island whether you are looking for them or not. If you see a flash of bright red flitting across your path, it’ll be the Scarlet robin, and the tiny yellowish guys chirping in the canopy are most likely the Silvereye.

Seabirds

The first animals you’ll see on Maria Island are the seabirds sunning themselves on the ferry wharf. Look out for Pacific gulls, Crested terns, and Australian pied cormorants.

If you are planning a walk to Fossil Rocks, keep your eyes peeled for the endangered Shy albatross – Australia’s only endemic albatross. These magnificent birds are capable of flying 1,000 kilometres in 24 hours.

Whales & Dolphins

Riding the ferry to Maria Island is in itself a wildlife-watching opportunity. The waters around the island are home to Bottlenose and Common dolphins. Both species are often seen from the ferry.

To have a better chance of spotting the dolphins, as well as Australian fur seals, consider a cruise around the island. Especially if you haven’t done the Tasman Island Cruise to see the remarkable sea caves there. If you visit between May and November, you’ll have a good chance of seeing humpback whales on their annual migration between Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef.

Ultimately, if you enjoy encountering wild animals on your travels, do yourself a favour and visit Maria Island on your visit to Tasmania. You’ll see more wildlife in a day on the island than you will during the rest of your trip.