Quick Answers
Where do sugar gliders live on the Tablelands?
In eucalypt woodland and open forest.
How far can a sugar glider glide?
Up to 50 metres.
What is the best way to see one?
On a guided night wildlife tour.
“The sugar glider launches from a branch in the dark and for a moment it’s just a shadow between the trees — and then the torch catches it mid-flight and the night gets significantly more magical.”
Sugar Glider: The Tablelands’ Most Delightful Nocturnal Discovery
The Sugar Glider is one of Australia’s most charming native animals — a small, large-eyed possum that has evolved a gliding membrane between its forelegs and hindlegs that allows it to glide between trees over distances of up to 50 metres. On the Atherton Tablelands, sugar gliders are common in eucalypt woodland and open forest, and night drives along appropriate roads offer reasonable chances of spotting them in the beam of a spotlight.
Sugar gliders are intensely social animals, living in family groups and maintaining territories in hollow-bearing trees. They feed on nectar, pollen, insects, and the sap of various Australian tree species — licking sap from wounds in tree bark with a specialised grooved tongue. They are noisy, active, and surprisingly bold for an animal of their size, often giving alarm calls from the canopy before gliding noisily to a new tree.
The best way to see sugar gliders on the Atherton Tablelands is on a guided nocturnal wildlife tour — operators who know where to look, and who can minimise disturbance while maximising viewing, make these encounters both more successful and more responsible. If spotlighting independently, use a red-filtered torch where possible, keep light low, and avoid extended periods of direct torchlight on any individual animal.
Sugar gliders are also occasionally seen at dusk at the edges of eucalypt woodland adjacent to rainforest — the transition zones between forest types on the Tablelands often support particularly rich wildlife communities.
A Hot Getaways destination. Where Care is Our Compass.
Travel Kindly
At Hot Getaways, care is our compass — and a little kindness makes every journey better. When you visit the Atherton Tablelands, we gently ask you to:
- Tread lightly — stay on tracks and lookouts, and take special care around waterfalls, which can be slippery and swift.
- Respect the wildlife — never feed the platypus, tree-kangaroos or birds, and observe them quietly from a distance.
- Support local — choosing local operators, cafés and guides helps this beautiful place thrive.
- Honour Country — we travel on the traditional lands and sea Country of Australia’s First Peoples, with gratitude and respect to the Traditional Custodians past and present.
- Be kind to each other — a smile, a little patience and a helping hand make the day lovelier for everyone.
Small acts of care add up to something wonderful. Thank you for travelling kindly.
