Common Wombat

Identification

The common wombat, also known as the bare-nosed wombat, is a sturdy, heavily built marsupial that sits close to the ground. Its most distinctive features are small ears and eyes paired with a characteristically large, bald nose. The fur is thick and coarse, varying in colour from light brown to grey and black depending on the subspecies and individual. Wombats are equipped with short, powerful legs bearing long claws that make them formidable diggers, and they possess a unique adaptation shared with no other marsupial: a single pair of continuously growing upper and lower incisors.

Size varies by subspecies. The smallest, the Flinders Island wombat, measures around 75 cm in length, while the Tasmanian subspecies averages 85 cm and 20 kg. The mainland hirsute wombat is the largest, averaging 1 m long and 27 kg, with exceptional specimens reaching 1.2 m and 35 kg.

Range & Habitat

Common wombats are found throughout the cooler, well-watered regions of southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania, Victoria, and mountainous districts as far north as southern Queensland. The three subspecies occupy distinct ranges: the hirsute wombat inhabits the Australian mainland, the Tasmanian wombat is restricted to Tasmania, and the Bass Strait wombat is now found only on Flinders Island and Maria Island in the Bass Strait. Current populations are estimated at approximately 1.3 million individuals, though numbers are declining nationally.

These adaptable marsupials occupy diverse habitats including heathland, coastal scrub, open forest, eucalyptus woodland, rainforest, alpine grassland, and even farmland where they graze alongside cattle and sheep. In northern regions of their range, they are restricted to higher elevations, while southern populations can be found at any elevation. European settlement has dramatically reduced their original distribution, which once extended from South Australia's Limestone Coast through Victoria and along the Great Dividing Range into New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

Behaviour & Diet

Common wombats are solitary, territorial creatures, each maintaining an established range for living and feeding. They are prolific diggers, excavating extensive burrow systems with tunnels ranging from 2 to 20 metres in length, supplemented by multiple side tunnels and entrances. Within these burrows, they construct nests from sticks, leaves, and grasses. Though typically occupying the same burrow for life, wombats rotate sleeping burrows every one to nine days and may share a burrow with other individuals. As ecological engineers, their burrowing activity aerates soil and provides crucial habitat for numerous invertebrate and vertebrate species including reptiles, rodents, wallabies, echidnas, koalas, and various birds.

Common wombats are herbivorous marsupials, mainly nocturnal in habit, though they emerge during cooler daylight hours such as early morning or late afternoon. Females are marsupials, carrying joeys in their pouch for approximately five months after birth.

Best Time & Places to See It

To encounter common wombats in the wild, visit Tasmania, where populations remain robust, or explore protected areas and remote pockets throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia where mainland populations persist. Early morning and late afternoon offer the best chances of observation, when cooler temperatures encourage daytime activity. Tasmania's heathland and coastal scrub habitats are particularly rewarding, as is any cool, mountainous terrain in the northern parts of their range.

Photography Tips

The wombat's stocky build, low profile, and distinctive bald nose make for compelling photographic subjects. Early morning and late afternoon light is ideal for capturing their thick fur texture and earth-tone colouration. Patient photographers may be rewarded by positioning themselves near burrow entrances or known feeding areas, particularly in cooler weather when wombats are more active during daylight hours. Their deliberate movements and ground-hugging posture create excellent opportunities for low-angle shots that emphasise their powerful build and digging adaptations.