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Australian Wildlife Overview Tour

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Possibly Australia's most comprehensive wildlife tour: SO much covered in just three days!

See kangaroos, koalas, platypus,kookaburras and other iconic Australian animals as well as animals you may never have heard of. See wildlife seen on our tours

Quickly grasp an understanding of what makes Australia so different, the main groups of mammals, birds, reptiles and other species we have here, and which ones are unique to Australia (also major world groups that we don't have, and why we don't).

Visit a variety of habitats - rainforest, eucalypt forest, wetlands, coastal communities - seeking wildlife in each

Visit a wildlife park run by National Parks primarily for the conservation breeding of threatened species such as mahognay gliders, tree kangaroos and Julia Creek dunnarts. Here ou will also see both species of Australian crocodile, both our rattites (emus and cassowaries), platypus swimming underwater, brolgas, black-winged storks and a variety of other cratures, includfing ild birds and pademelons that bring themselves in from the surrounding bushland and wetlands.

Tour departs 9.00am Wednesday (BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!) from Brisbane Transit Centre (Roma Street), your city or southside accommodation (other by arrangement with sufficient advance notice: may incur additional cost), arriving back after dark on Friday (exact timing depends on flight of flysing foxes, which changes with day-length and weather).

We can, for an additional $44 per group, pick up from the airport, but we advise arriving in Brisbane at least the night before. The route and timing of this tour are designed to give the best chance of seeing a variety of wildlife, and it is a pity when guests are so tired by mid-day they want to go straight to their accommodation, missing out on the chance of seeing the kangaroos and whiptail wallabies that don't emerge from the forest until later in the day (and we can't readily return to that area in the following days), and miss other chances of seeing wildlife. If you are traveling with a group that is more interested in the scenery, hiking, or relaxing at your accommodation by the forest than in spending most of the day seeking wildlife, that's fine if it doesn't interfere with the wishes of other guests on the tour. So please let us know in advance if you wish to make any changes to our standard tour, or organize a customized tour.

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

Southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales harbour the third highest diversity of species in Australia, including many icons such as kangaroos, koalas, platypus, wedge-tailed eagle and laughing kookaburra. It is also has some of Australia's best scenery, many habitat types, and a good climate throughout the year.
We seek many animals in the wild and also introduce you to some rare and threatened species in a wildlife park dedicated to conservation breeding.
NOTE: We cannot guarantee any particular species on any particular day (and our nocturnal searches in particular vary a lot in numbers seen), but there are some species (eastern grey kangaroo, whiptail wallaby, fruitbats, kookaburras and others) we rarely or never miss out on, and we always see a variety. WIth wild creatures one nevre really knows what is around the next corner ...

Accommodation: choose from the beautiful secluded bed-and-breakfast Cougal Park, or the campground at Andrew Drynan Reserve.

Like a 4-day tour with more marine life included (and maybe an Aboriginal experience)?

DAY ONE of the wildlife tour

We leave the city and head straight to the eucalypt forests (typical 'Aussie bushland') of the Daisy Hill State Forest. Here you are introduced to some of the important families of bushland plants and what they mean to wildlife, as well as some of the local birds, arboreal and terrestrial termite mounds, and - if we are in luck - koalas.
In the winter months, and sometimes in warmer parts of the year, we also see wallabies still out grazing on the grassy stretches (they will soon stretch out to sleep during the day under the shelter of the forest.
After a cuppa under the gumtrees (during which you will be given your Australian wildlife book) we will enter the Koala Information Centre for a closeup look at a couple fo captive koalas (no touching), a native beehive and interpretive displays.

lunch in Beaudesert

If time permits we'll have a quick look for waterbirds at the Eagleby Wetlands (almost always ducks, swamphens, swans, egrets, often kingfishers, grebes, stilts, swans, spoonbills, herons, occasionally glossy ibis, magpie goose, black-necked stork) before heading on for a tasty and filling lunch, usually at Everydays Cafe in Beaudesert (there is also a very good Chinese restaurant in town if you prefer).

Kangaroos, wallabies and waterbirds are the focus of our next search, in Kooralbyn (an Aboriginal name for a local snake). No matter if it's raining - the kangaroos don't seem to mind much and we can usually get closer to them and to the red-necked and whiptail wallabies anyway by staying in the vehicle and quietly cruising nearer (some excellent photo opportunities here). If we do leave the vehicle we either watch them from afar, or gradually approach by walking not directly towards them but as though we're going straight past, and backing off if they show any signs of nervousness.

On to the Araucaria property to visit the Scenic Rim Wildlife Ecology Centre, have a cup of tea/coffee and sit and wait by the creek just before dusk in the hope of seeing wild platypus. While waiting, we often see turtles, catfish, cuckoodoves, honeyeaters, kingfishers and other wildlife. The platypus are more predictable in the latter half of the year, when they are breeding and don't stray far from their nests, but they are around throughout the year (they disappeared for a little while after a major flood in early 2008, but are back again in our home creek).

bobuck

Campers will help erect the tents (provided by us) that will be their home for the next two nights, and all of us (campers and others) head off looking for possums, owls and other nocturnal wildlife in the eucalypt forests and rainforests. Success varies greatly, but possibilities include red-necked wallaby, red-necked pademelon, koala, common brushtail possum, mountain brushtail possum, greater glider, squirrel glider, sugar glider, fruitbats, barn owl, boobook owl, tawny frogmouth, owlet nightjar, carpet python, various frogs and king cricket. Guests staying at the Bed and Breakfast can then settle into their rooms at Cougal Park and enjoy a delicious home-cooked dinner (campers also join in for dinner here if there are B&B guests on the tour). If there are only campers on the tour, we will head to Rathdowney Hotel, a typical Aussie pub, for a hearty country meal. Click here for more details on your accommodation/camping.

DAY TWO of the wildlife tour

Rise early if you wish to do some birdwatching in the forests at Cougal Park or birding and platypus-spotting along the creek next to the campground. After breakfast we head to the wonderful Border Ranges National Park (continuous with the Lamington NP on the Queensland side of the border). where we spend the day exploring the World Heritage rainforests. Don't expect to see mammals - they are mostly nocturnal, although do very occasionally make an appearance), but we always hear and usually see a good variety of birds, and very often goannas, skinks and carpet pythons in the warmer months.

We visit both a warm subtropical rainforest with giant trees, palm groves and a waterfall, and a small area verging on cool temperate rainforest with the Gondwanan-linked Anarctic beech trees, the tallest moss we've ever seen, tall Araucaria trees (hoop pines) and massed treeferns along the creek. Nearby there is also a magnificent specimen of one of the few remaining large red cedars. We also get our first view of Mt Warning, the centre of the gigantic shield volcano that form the mountain range we are standing on.

Springtime (September to November) is an especially good time here, with the reptiles getting more active and many birds breeding and calling. Summer and autumn can be good for seeing fruit-eating birds and reptiles, and late autumn to winter is the time to listen for Albert's Lyrebird males performing their extraordinary repertoire of mimicry.

viewing wild koala

We sometimes also see koalas in the tall eucalypt forests near the rainforest.

It's now time to head back to. Cougal Park and/or Andrew Drynan Reserve. If there is time before dinner you may like another go at platypus-viewing or exploring the Scenic Rim Wildlife Ecology Centre and nature trails at the Araucaria property, or otherwise just relax and freshen up for dinner. Let us know if you would now like an early night or if you would like to do a bit more spotlighting for frogs, possums and other nocturnal creatures.

DAY THREE of the wildlife tour

After breakfast we skirt around the southern side of the ranges formed by the Tweed volcano (the centre of which is now known as Mt Warning), stopping along the way to look for freshwater turtles and see a large grove of grass-trees, some of which must have been here since before white settlement, and finally get a further view of Mt Warning.

We stop briefly at the Rainforest Information Centre in Murwullimbah ( "place of many possums")
to view the interpretive displays, and continue on towards the coast.

At Fingal we walk through coastal banksia woodland, to a natural sandy beach with pounding surf, which we follow to the basalt cliffs, the easternmost flows of ancient lava. From the clifftops we often see dolphins and sometimes turtles and stingrays. We usually see terns, and sometimes gannets, ospreys or sea eagles. We also view basalt columns similar to the Giant's Causeway of Ireland.

The Wildlife Park we now visit was started by the zoologist David Fleay in the 1950'2. David was the first to ever breed the platypus in captivity, and one of the last people to interact with a living thylacine. He was successful in breeding many rare species and when in his 80's he handed his precious property over to National Parks for a low sum, and they have continued to breed rare and endangered species to ultimately be returned to the wild, which some of them, such as the Proserpine rockwallaby now have been. Here we see animals you will not see in captivity anywhere else in the world, such as the mahogany glider, the Julia Creek Dunnart and Lumholtz tree kangaroo, and it is also an opportunity to see northern species such as cassowaries and both Australian species of crocodile. It is one of the few places we can watch the platypus swimming under water, using its rubbery bill to seek vibrations and electrical impulses from its prey. There are also animals that bring themselves in from the surrounding bush and make the park their home, from eastern water dragons to nankeen night herons and magpie geese.

Hundreds of thousands of large and noisy fruitbats ('flying foxes') have usually begun to get very restless with the approaching dusk by the time we arrive at their colony in an outer Brisbane suburb. We watch as more and more summon up their courage (no one seems to want to be first in case it is still light enough for an eagle to be watching) and finally they all head off for a night of foraging on fruit and nectar.

Then it's time for farewells at your accommodation or transport (remember to take your new wildlife booklet with you).

Like a 4-day tour with more marine life included? And an intorduction to local Aboriginal culture?

Eaxtra day, extra wildlife

If booking far enough in advance, we may be able to start on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, and add in a fourth day which includes a full morning of either snorkeling (November to May - often amongst turtles, dolphins etc.) or whale-watching on a small boat (June - November, during the migrations of the humback whales to and from Antarctica). Allow an additional $330.00 for adults or $220 for children, which covers the marine tour as well as additional accommodation, meals etc.
There is also an Aborigial museum nearby, run by Aborignals and including an indoor section and a walk including mangroves, a plant use trail and a ceremonial bora ring (entry $15.00).
We can also run this tour Wednesday - Satrurday (instead of Tuesdfay-Friday) but the Aboriginal museum is closed Saturdays and one-night accommodation near the coast on a Friday may not be possible.

With small group sizes (usual maximum is ten), this is not a hurried herding of tourists on and off buses, into souvenir shops, etc. You will have ample opportunity to tell us your interests, and though we can't fulfill every wish (for instance, when seeking wild animals rather than visiting a zoo, we can't guarantee that particular species will turn up) we will try to make your day or days as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible. You can let us know any time you want to stop for photos or anything else of interest, and ask as many questions as you like - if we don't know the answers we will suggest ways of finding out. Our emphasis on tours is on spending time in scenic spots and natural habitats, not quick photo stops en route to shopping centers and the like, and many of our guests have commented on their appreciation of this.

We uphold the ideals of ecotourism: environmentally sound, quality information, nature-based and supporting local communities. All our tours have achieved advanced eco-accreditation

We are members of Ecotourism Australia, Wildlife Tourism Australia (Ronda is vice-chair), Queensland Tourism Industry Council,Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (Ronda is acting chair of the Scenic Rim group), Scenic Rim Escapes, and Brisbane Marketing