Couple's sweet act after travelling 13,000km to see iconic Aussie creature: 'Blown away'

Sitting in the back of a four-wheel-drive as it rolls down an iconic rusty red dirt road synonymous with Australia, a Swiss couple eagerly scan the bushland on either side — camera in hand.

Having trekked 13,000km across the world with one goal in mind, the entomologist and his wife, a fan of reptiles, were keen to finally catch sight of their prize.

“We were the boggiest part of the track, so it’s always a bit precarious, but when we saw him, we definitely stopped very quickly and jumped out the car — put the hazard lights on to make sure nobody was going to smoosh him or us,” Bec, the pair’s tour guide, told Yahoo News.

Parked on the side of the dusty path in the Francois Peron National Park, in WA’s Shark Bay World Heritage area, the tourists “really couldn’t believe it” when they came face-to-face with their “bucket list” creature — the thorny devil.

“When we saw it they were just absolutely blown away. I thought it was really cute so I took a whole heap of pictures,” Bec, who owns Shark Bay Coastal Tours and is the only female 4WD operator in the area, added.

“They kind of just knelt down on the ground, and I think at one stage they even hugged each other. They were so excited.” The couple were very knowledgeable about the striking native lizard, “they just needed to see one in real life”.

Thorny devils attract tourists from all over the world

Bec said thorny devils are one of the most popular attractions in the area — drawing admirers from all over the world every year. The lizards, which walk with a rocking motion, are not only unique for their densely packed spikes but they also “don't lap water like a normal animal”, Bec said.

“They absorb water through their skin, so they will stand in a puddle of water to drink,” she explained. “[They also] live on ants and are pretty lazy so they just sit at an ant nest and wait for them to come out and eat them one by one. It’s like fast food.

“Everybody is always super, super excited to see thorny devils.”

Shark Bay, known for its stunning contrasts between the turquoise ocean, sandy beaches and red desert, is also home to 128 different shark species, over 10,000 dugongs, turtles, dolphins and an array of other wildlife, Bec told Yahoo.

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Emu taking 30 babies for a swim delights Aussies: 'Unusual'

Just days after the Swiss couple’s sweet moment, Bec was in Denham, the main town in the area, when she ran into another famous local species — the emu.

However, there was something a bit “unusual” about this sighting. “He just wandered down to the beach and took all of his 30 babies for a swim,” she said, adding emus are known to “pinch each other’s babies”.

“We see probably six to 12 babies with one dad but 30 was pretty extreme.”

A picture of the “daddy daycare” has gained attention online, with many Aussies praising the “beautiful” family outing.

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