Devils' Advocates

Tasmania’s most famous species is under threat—but all hope is not lost. Elizabeth Warkentin heads down under to see the conservation effort up close.

- Elizabeth Warkentin

OUR GROUP OF SEVEN stood in a small wooded area filled with eucalyptus and banksias in eastern Tasmania's Freycinet National Park. Anticipation filled the air. "We'll just pause here for a moment," said our guide, Ashlee Ugle, who works at Saffire Freycinet, a 20-suite lodge inside the park. "Sometimes, the devils can hear our voices and they might just come along." As if on cue, a grizzled black ball of fur emerged from the bushes. "There's one!" someone in the group called out. It was a Tasmanian devil, the world's largest carnivorous marsupial.

(The animals are actually quite small, standing about a foot tall and weighing between 15 and 30 pounds.)

"This one's named Moltema," Ugle said. The creature scampered over, sniffing the air in search of food. Then another female, Mayberry, appeared, and the two came face-to-face, growling and barking. "It's not necessarily aggression," Ugle reassured us. "Often they're just sizing each other up to determine who's hungrier."

Saffire is one of Australia's most luxurious nature escapes, with wraparound views of Great Oyster Bay and the Hazards Mountains that you can take in from your private patio or, in some rooms, your plunge pool. The property is also at the forefront of the effort to save Tasmania's best-known animal from extinction.