Araucaria Ecotours:3-day Wildlife tour |
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advanced eco-accrediktation
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Our longest-running (since 1997) and most popular tour |
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Learn what makes Australia so different, on this zoologist-designed tour. Travel through wonderfully scenic regions to rainforests, typical Aussie bushland, unspoiled beaches and other habitats seeking a variety of wildlife both in the wild and in well-run sanctuaries |
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This is to the best of our knowledge the most comprehensive wildlife tour in Australia. Visitors to Australia and Australian residents alike enjoy learning about our country's wildlife and ecosystems, while exploring this very beautiful and highly diverse part of the continent. |
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Note: You will see plenty of wildlife but no guarantees for any particular species on a particular day. |
Let us know if you have any special dietary needs. We can cater for all, but often need a bit of warning. Also tell us your special interests |
DAY 1 Wednesday most weeks. (Sunday sometimes possible.Tuesday befiore Easter. No tours final week of year) |
 We very often see wild koalas during our bushwalk. If not, there are other opportunities to search for them during the tour |
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Leave Brisbane 9.00am and enjoy a gentle bushwalk seeking birds, wallabies and koalas and an introduction to major plant groups used by wildlife.. Receive your information kit, with a booklet outlining Australia's wildlife groups and their difference to the rest of the world |
 Meet a friendly young python in the Koala Information Centre (she's grown a bit since this picture), also see native bees, a blue-tongue skink and koalas, and explore informative displays |
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 (this photo, depicting Araucaria Ecotours guests at Kooralbyn, belongs to Tourism Qld and has appeared in many places,)
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Then it's off to the Araucaria home property to visit our wildlife information centre, have afternoon tea and watch for the shy platypus to emerge for its nightly foraging |
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After dark we head out to experience the forest by night and (on clear nights) the southern constellations, and seek possums, owls, frogs and other nocturnal creatures (if you're feeling too weary you can of course retire early) |
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 Accomodation is either in the lovely rooms at Cougal Park or primitive camping at Andrew Drynan Reserve (we provide all camping gear, including sleeping bags, plus a 'bush shower' there are toilets at the reserve). |
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| DAY 2 |
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Most of today is spent in the World Heritage rainforests of the magnificent Border Ranges. We visit warm subtropical rainforest and cool temperate rainforests and a pretty waterfall. In warm months we usually see goannas and often carpet pythons (large but not venomous), and there is good birdlife throughout the year. |
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Enjoy a leisurely stroll in some of the world's prettiest forests, learning about the animals and plants and how they depend on one another. There are usually two guides, so if you would like to do continue further and some more energetic hiking while others take it easy, just let us know. The Rosewood Loop, with many grand old trees and impressively-thick vines is especially popular.
Afterwards, choose to do some more platypus-watching and potlighting or just relax at Cougal Park or the campground.
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| DAY DAY 3 |
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Choose to sleep in a little or rise early to look for birds and wallabies. Stop along the way to see freshwater turtles (in warm months) the caldera and centre of the old volcano that formed this part of the ranges, and the rainforest information centre in Murwillimbah (the name of the town in local Indigenous language means place of many possums) |
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After lunch we walk through coastal banksia woodland to a wide sandy beach fringed only by the sea, woodland and rocky headland. From this headland we usually see dolpins and marine birds, , and occasionally stingrays, turtles or (in winter) whales. |
photo by our guests Chris and Gaby King
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Basalt columns |
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On to Fleay's Wildlife Park, started by zoologist David Fleay, now owned by National Parks primarily for the breeding of and research into rare and thrteatened species Here we see crocodiles, brolgas, platypus swimming underwater, barking owls, koalas, wombats and much more, including endangered species such as mahogany gliders and bilbies. |
Head of submerged crocodile |
 Brolgas
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Then we continue back to Brisbane ready for our grande finale - the flight of thousands of large and noisy fruitbats heading out from their roost trees to seek fruit and nectar throughout the Brisbane area and beyond. |
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By now you will probably have seen several species that even many Australians are not aware of, and learned a lot about what makes Australia so different, as well as taking with you photos and memories of wonderful scenic areas |
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