Wildlife – The Big 5

Koombana Bay is home to a large population of bottlenose dolphins and serves as a resting area and breeding ground. A group of around 100 to 150 dolphins is regularly seen in the bay and surrounding waters. Approximately 20 to 40 of these are considered residents of Koombana Bay, and there is a group of five or six dolphins that regularly visit the public interaction zone, with as many as 16 dolphins known to have visited at any one time. Join the team at the Dolphin Discovery Centre for an intimate swim with wild dolphins in their natural environment. Accompanied by an experienced guide and trained volunteers you will venture into the open waters of Koombana Bay. Depending on dolphin sightings you will be guided into the water where the dolphins may elect to initiate interaction with the swimmers. As they are wild dolphin interaction cannot be guaranteed. If you’re not keen on getting wet, take a 1.5 hour Dolphin Eco Cruise within Koombana Bay. The vessel provides an excellent viewing platform designed to get you as close as possible to the dolphins so you can say ‘hi to flipper’.

Within the Tuart Forest National Park, you are highly likely to see the rare western ringtail possum and the more common brushtail possum. The western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) is a small to medium sized leaf-eating arboreal marsupial. It is recognised as a threatened species under State and Commonwealth legislation. Western ringtail possums are very shy, nocturnal and only found in the south-west of Western Australia.