When we returned from dinner on Friday evening around 8:30, the night was quiet, as small coastal towns often are after dark. The streets around us were nearly empty, the air cool and still, and the sound of waves from the nearby shoreline drifted through the darkness. As soon as we pulled into the drive and I opened the car door, I heard something scrambling across the roof of the house. The sound was quick and purposeful, the unmistakable scurry of an animal moving across the metal roofing above us.
I froze halfway out of the car and looked up.
Within seconds, I spotted the creature clinging to the eaves of the house. Its body was stretched along the edge of the roofline, its long tail wrapped around a beam, as it paused to observe us below. In the dim outdoor light, I could see its round eyes reflecting toward us, alert and curious.
Tom came around the front of the car and followed my gaze upward.
“Back away carefully,” he said in a calm but serious voice. “If it’s a Tasmanian Devil, it could be dangerous.”
I understood his concern. After all, we are visitors here, still learning which animals are harmless and which ones deserve a little distance. The wild creatures of Tasmania are fascinating but unfamiliar to us, and caution always seems wise.
Still, curiosity got the better of me.
The animal wasn’t moving much now, simply watching us as if we were the unusual ones. I could feel that familiar pull that comes whenever we encounter a new creature, unexpected while traveling. These are the moments that stay with you long after the suitcases are unpacked and the photographs are sorted.
I slowly stepped back just enough to get a clearer view while reaching for my phone.
Tom watched carefully, clearly prepared to remind me again to keep my distance if the animal decided to climb down or come closer. But it stayed right where it was, balanced comfortably along the edge of the roof as though it had spent many evenings there observing the humans below.
I managed to snap a few photos before it shifted slightly and disappeared along the roofline, moving with surprising grace.
Inside the house, still talking and excited about our unexpected visitor, I posted one of the photos on Facebook. Living and traveling abroad has created a wonderful community of people who are always eager to share knowledge, especially when it comes to local wildlife. I suspected someone would quickly identify our mysterious rooftop guest.
Sure enough, the responses began arriving almost immediately.
Several Australians wrote to tell me that the animal in the photo was not a Tasmanian Devil at all. Instead, they explained that it was a Tasmanian Brushtail Possum described as follows:
