Blackbutt Reserve, Newcastle: What are the best wildlife exhibits & walking trails?
Blackbutt Reserve in Kotara, Newcastle showcases kangaroos, wallabies and wombats, alongside rainforest nature walks.
Blackbutt Reserve in Newcastle is a curious mix of city park, nature reserve and wildlife park. In the Kotara suburb in western Newcastle, Blackbutt Reserve is a great place to meet native Australian wildlife.
Blackbutt Reserve flying foxes
The most prominent wildlife in Blackbutt Reserve are the 15,000 or so grey-headed flying foxes. These bats hang out in the restored rainforest section of this Newcastle nature reserve, and take flight at dusk every night.
The flying foxes are spottable on the 1.5km Rainforest Walk, which is one of several prominent and signposted walking trails within this Newcastle park. None of these are especially long – the longest is the 2.4km Main Ridge Walk, which should take about 40 minutes. But it is possible to string a few of them together.
9 cool Newcastle experiences you need to book in advance
- An Adventure boat cruise along the Hunter coast – with thrills and scenery.
- A mobile phone-based scavenger hunt – explore the city differently.
- An architecture and street art walking tour – see all the best murals.
- A whale-watching tour – get close to the migrating humpback whales.
- A two hour city highlights tour by bus – get orientated when you first arrive.
- A scenic helicopter flight – see the spectacular coastline from above.
- A three hour craft beer and food-matching tour – get a taste of the drinking and dining scene.
- A food, drink and history walking tour – hear stories and indulge at the same time.
Blackbutt Reserve picnic areas
You can treat this Newcastle nature reserve like a park, of course. There are two main picnic areas. The Lily Pond Picnic Area off Mahogany Drive has picnic tables and wood-fired barbecues. The name comes from the white lilies which flower during the summer months, although you’ve also got a good chance of seeing water dragons and rosellas.
The Dead Tree Picnic Area is deliberately smaller and more tranquil, but still has picnic tables and wood-fired barbecues.
Wildlife in Newcastle, Australia
The Carnley Reserve area, however, is a mini-zoo, with dozens of animals on display. These include wombats, koalas, eastern grey kangaroos and long-nosed potoroos. The wildlife exhibits are open from 10am to 4.30pm daily. Entrance to Blackbutt Reserve’s wildlife exhibits is free, although you can pay a ridiculously steep $115 for a private encounter with the reptiles.
Considerably cheaper is the emu food, which can be purchased from the kiosk. Be warned when stretching out your hand for the emus to eat, however – the emus don’t show much grace and decorum when they go for the food.
Blackbutt Reserve is run by the City of Newcastle, and there is more information available on the council website.
Other things to do in the city include Newcastle whale-watching cruises and swimming at the Merewether Ocean Baths.
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