Gunbower National Park, Victoria: What wildlife can I see?

Wildlife in the Gunbower National Park in Victoria includes kangaroos, wallabies, emus, turtles, bullfrogs, carpet pythons and white-bellied sea eagles. Camping in the Gunbower National Park is the best way to see these creatures.

Gunbower National Park in Victoria was created in 2010 primarily to protect river red gum trees that live within it. The national park is adjacent to the Gunbower State Forest on Gunbower Island, which has a strong claim to being the largest inland island in Australia.

Gunbower Island lies between the Murray River and Gunbower Creek. It is tacklable on the drive between the Victorian towns of Echuca and Swan Hill. The drive from Echuca to Gunbower Island takes about half an hour.

It’s a logical place to stop on a Murray River road trip, too. If going west after the Echuca to Swan Hill section, you can continue on to the Yanga Homestead in Yanga National Park, Mildura, the Murray Sunset National Park and the Coorong. If going east there’s sauntering along the Murray Farm Gate Trail, visiting Lake Mulwala and finishing in Albury.

Camping on Gunbower Island

Gunbower Island is hugely popular with campers, and there are basic campgrounds along the Murray River’s beaches. Popular spots for camping in the Gunbower National Park include Sandbar Bend, McClure’s Bend and Cemetery Bend.

Camping in the Gunbower National Park allows you to explore at a more leisurely pace. This extra time gives more opportunities for spotting the native wildlife, of which there is plenty.

Gunbower Island forest drive in Victoria, Australia — The forests of Gunbower National Park on Gunbower Island are a haven for native Australian wildlife. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

According to Parks Victoria, 195 species of native animals have been spotted within the Gunbower National Park. Kangaroos, wallabies and emus are prevalent, and don’t take too much snooping around to spot. But there 30 threatened species also live within the park. These include the broad-shelled turtle, inland carpet python, giant bullfrog and squirrel glider.

Birdlife in Gunbower National Park

It’s perhaps the birdlife that Gunbower National Park does best, however. More than 200 species live here, and it is one of the largest breeding grounds for waterbirds in Australia. Apparently 100 breeding pairs of white-bellied sea eagles reside within the park. Meanwhile, egrets are a common sight in the higher levels of the trees. Spend a couple of hours on Gunbower Island, and you’re likely to spot plenty of cockatoos, too.

If you’ve not got enough time for camping in Gunbower National Park, you can try the Gunbower Island Forest Drive. This scenic drive takes an hour if you whizz through, or half a day stopping at key sights along the way. The Gunbower Island Forest Drive is accessed from the Victorian town of Cohuna, a 276km drive north of Melbourne. It’s realistically too far for a day trip from Melbourne – it’s at least a three hour drive.