Narawntapu National Park

Narawntapu and the wombat and wallaby paradise

Narawntapu National Park is special because it's as close as one gets to the Tasmania deck of Noah's Ark. It teems with birds and there are so many creatures hopping around it's the marsupial equivalent of New York's Central Station - wombat and kangaroo after wombat and kangaroo... It's a must for visitors wanting up-close photos with a marsupial in its native habitat. You will see:

FORESTER or grey kangaroos. The largest marsupials in Tasmania, some stand 2 m tall! They often feed by day and hop around in family groups making clucking and coughing sounds.

BENNETTS or red-necked wallabies. The can stand up to 1.5 m tall. Recognise them by their black noses and paws, and white stripe on the upper lip. They're largely solitary and graze at dusk.

Early settlers called WOMBATS badgers because they burrowed so well and the misnomer survives today in the park's Badger Beach whose aboriginal name was Narawntapu. However with their characteristic waddle and cuddly appearance, wombats' closest relative is really the koala. Devils and eagles eat them while wombats themselves eat only roots and leaves.

TASMANIAN DEVILS got their name from their screeching aggression. Although only the size of a small dog, they put on a fierce display and live only in Tasmania. Their powerful jaws and teeth enable them to devour their prey -- bones, fur and all.

The park's nucleus is Springlawn, a historic farm surrounded by inlets, headlands, wetlands, dunes, lagoons and small islands that shelter robins, wrens, fantail and golden whistlers. Seven species of duck inhabit the lagoon plus herons, swans, cormorants, coots and grebes while oystercatchers, gulls and terns haunt the Bass Strait beaches and occasional wedge-tailed eagles soar overhead.

Camping, caravan and picnic facilities are throughout the park and activities include water skiing, swimming and horse riding. Walking trails include the 90-minute Springlawn trek to a teatree forest and lagoon.