They have you with one look. Those eyes.
Tasmanian Devils were introduced to the world by a tornado spinning cartoon character from Warner Bros. Once you meet them in real life, you realise Mel Blanc and friends may have a few questions to answer.
Trowunna Animal Sanctuary is in Mole Creek Tasmania, approximately just under an hour from Launceston.
The sanctuary is privately owned and opened in 1979. It continues to house the largest population of the endangered Tasmanian Devil. The sanctuary is also home to other marsupials, birds and reptiles.
There are scheduled guided tours around the sanctuary but we arrived a little late and were happy to self-guide and introduce ourselves to the locals.
You are given a bag of kangaroo feed on arriving. Why? When you step onto the sanctuary from the reception building you are greeted by Trowunna’s kangaroo and wallaby community who know that snack time is happening and you are their personal waiter.
Being able to see a joey in the pouch at close range was definitely a highlight.
Sanctuary staff were happy to explain a little of each kangaroo’s history as they snacked away. It left you learning a lot about the individual animal as well as the species.
A lot calmer than their animated cousin, the Tasmanian Devils were so much fun to watch. If touring with small people, just a reminder to keep the tiny fingers away from the enclosures as there were a number of signs reminding us that the devils and quolls did bite.
Just standing there and watching allowed each devil to show us a little more about themselves.
You could tell the devils were happy about their little spot of paradise simply by the way one just turned his or her face to the rain and face what I like to think of as the Tasmanian devil equivalent of a smile.
The sanctuary also offers workshops for those wishing to know more about the Tasmanian devil or wombats. More details can be found on the sanctuary’s website.
The best way of getting to Trowunna is by car.
When road tripping through Tasmania one of the saddest things was the amount of road kill. Remember that all of our native animals have absolutely no road sense and care should be taken when driving around dawn and dusk and at night.
Picture: Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary
Paw Prints – Trowunna Fast Facts
Tro·wun·na – noun (definition): heart-shaped island home or a wildlife sanctuary
Address – 1892 Mole Creek Road,
Mole Creek Tasmania 7304
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/trowunna/
Internet – http://trowunna.com.au/