Budget wildlife weekend camp (from Brisbane)

Pick-up from Brisbane Transit Centre or your inner city or south-side accommodation

RATES: please click here for prices of our tours (in Australian dollars)

This is a no-frills self-catering camping weekend, which we started when the 3-day Australian Wildlife Overview tour prices had to be raised above the budget of some backpackers.

You won't visit the variety of places we do on our 3-day Australian Wildlife Overview tour, nor will you have the Cougal Park option or have meals provided (doing any of these would of necessity put the price up again). You also have less guided time, which means a few hours of free time to explore or relax on your own.

We provide all camping equipment - tent (which you will help to erect), sleeping bag, sleeping sheet, pillow, torch (flashlight), thermos, ice-box and cooking equipment, and we can stop at fruit and vegetable shops, supermarkets, and on certain days at country markets along the way for you to buy food. If you want a hot meal at night but don't feel like cooking, we can take you to the local country pub, the Rathdowney Hotel, which serves a variety of hearty country meals (vegetarian options are limited).

You will look for wild kangaroos, walk in eucalypt forest and rainforest, come spotlighting for nocturnal animals after dark, and have a guided tour through the Scenic Rim Wildlife Ecology Centre and butterfly trail (no captive butterflies - the emphasis is on the plants needed by the caterpillars, but a variety of wild butterflies do visit), and also receive a free copy of the very informative wildlife booklet.

You also spend some free time on your own during the middle of each day and early Sunday, to relax, look for platypus or wallabies (early morning) watch birds (we provide you with binoculars and bird book if you don't have these), swim, paddle a canoe, explore our nature trails or perhaps relax in a hammock.

The tour leaves Brisbane 9.00am and returns around 6.00pm Sunday (unless you would like to include the flight of the fruitbats, which will mean a later arrival time, especially in summer, at your accommodation or transport).

We will also be running other weekend camps with particular themes, such as bird behaviour, introduction to bird-watching, introduction to rainforest plants, children's activities etc., throughout the year. These will be primarily for self-drive locals, but if you are a visitor from elsewhere and would like to join in, let us know and we may be able to arrange something. See educational camps.