Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve near Warrnambool: What animals can I see?

The Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve near Warrnambool, Victoria, is one of the best places in Australia for wildlife viewing. Inside an extinct volcanic crater, expect to see kangaroos, koalas, emus, echidnas, possums and black swans.

At the end of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road lies one of Australia’s greatest all-rounder wildlife viewing spots. 13km west of Warrnambool, the Tower Hill Reserve is an old volcanic crater that has partly filled with a lake. It is now a nature reserve full of walking trails. These have a tendency to act as an animal-by-animal checklist.

Lost Volcano walk at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve

Start out on the Journey to the Lost Volcano walking circuit, which climbs the crater rim. Here, sizable eastern grey kangaroos laze amongst the trees, keeping an eye out for would-be threats. Then comes the scuffling echidna. Its yellow and white quills and surprisingly adorable face hide behind the long snout. And, back by the car park, come the emus. These guys are marauders, eager to investigate any picnics in the hunt for a good feed.

These flightless giants have been thriving here since 1961. That’s when Tower Hill was finally converted into a game reserve. They’ve become accustomed to humans stopping by for a nice afternoon in the countryside. This means they don’t display the fearful and aggressive streaks that usually make the emu a tricky customer.

7 fantastic Great Ocean Road experiences
1. Crowd-beating reverse direction tour. 2. Surfing lessons in Anglesea. 3. Split Point Lighthouse climb. 4. Shockwave Zip-Coaster. 5. Guided wildlife walk. 6. Budj Bim National Park tour. 7. Great Ocean Road by motorbike.

Other animals found at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve

You’ll also discover the reserve is also home to plenty more animals. These include hundreds of koalas, geese, black swans, sugar gliders and possums. Wildlife is never too far away. For visitors, half the fun is in deviating slightly off the main route to sniff it out.

There are 614 hectares of protected landscape to explore in the Tower Hill Reserve. The reserve has undergone several name changes, and is now officially the Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve. It is managed by Parks Victoria and the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Cooperative. Tower Hill is a 271km drive from Melbourne, going by the quickest, inland route.

The drive should take about three-and-a-quarter hours. If you’re planning to visit Tower Hill, therefore, it best forms part of a Melbourne to Adelaide road trip. Summer is the best time to visit, as the Warrnambool weather sees considerably lower rainfall in January and February.

To find out why there are so many volcanoes in the area, head north to the Volcanoes Discovery Centre in Penshurst.

More Australian wildlife hotspots

Crocodile-watching on Yellow Water billabong in the Northern Territory.

Quokkas on Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Find a platypus in the Broken River in Eungella National Park, Queensland.

Black swans and kangaroos at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Canberra.

Whale-watching from the Head of Bight lookout in South Australia.