Bibbulmun Track: Wildlife

What is the most interesting animal for anyone visiting Australia? Of course it is kangaroos - and on the Bibb Track you will not be disappointed. Although you will not often see them often on the trail they hang out in places like Donnelly River Village where you can even purchase feed for them. But be careful: They might not leave you alone and pester you for more food all night long.

Equally impressive is the bird life: I have never been into bird watching but that definitely changed in Australia. What you can only see in zoos in your home country is flying around everywhere in the wild here. Cockatoos, parrots, lorrikeets - and they are all very colourful and very noisy. You will even see the flightless emus that have always scared me about because they are so big and have sharp beaks. I would not want to mess with them but like kangaroos they are no threat to humans.

Australia is home to most of the world's most poisonous snakes but luckily I did not have any problems with snakes. There are a lot of water snakes in the flooded Pingerup Plains but they were afraid of me and moved away quickly. But I have encountered several other interesting reptiles that are harmless for humans like this lizard.

Ants can be rather annoying when camping so always check for ant hills before you pitch your tent. Ants here come in all sizes and there is a tiny variety that is so small it seemed to be able to get through my tent net. Biggest insect problem though are flies - not mosquitoes. Flies are everywhere and will just swarm you as soon as you stop walking. Luckily they were a problem only for a couple of days on the Bibb Track.


I sighted this "little" spider when I woke up from a nice lunch nap it is was sitting in the hut directly above me. Nice surprise...that reminded me to always check for spiders whenever sitting down, especially on toilet seats or rocks.