Australian Natural Adventures

Wildlife, Nature & Soft Adventure Tours

 

 

Sample Nature Tour Itineraries

Nature and wildlife tour itineraries can be enjoyed at any time of the year, but due to the size of Australia - from latitude 43^oS to 5^oS - you will have somewhat different experiences in the different seasons. Our Summer in Australia nature tour is best in the austral summer - the northern winter. Suggested travel time for this itinerary is October through April; the Winter in Australia nature tour is best from May to November. Even in winter Kangaroo Island, while cool, offers a great wildlife experience. You can also browse nature-based itineraries we have created for some of our clients over the years which may give you ideas.

To broaden your experience add more to these sample itineraries - see Extensions. We also have tours just of Tasmania, which can be added to other parts of Australia, of course.

In 2011 we are operating our 26 day birding and wildlife tour which covers five Australian states, and to which a Tasmania extension can be added. Details can be found here.

 

Summer in Australia Tour

Day 1 - Los Angeles / In flight
Depart Los Angeles on an evening flight

Day 2 - In Flight
Today is lost due to the International Dateline, but regained on the return journey.

Day 3 - Sydney / Adelaide
Arrive in Sydney, then fly to Adelaide. The rest of the day is free to relax after the flight, see a little of Adelaide, and acclimate to the new time zone.

Day 4 - Adelaide / Kangaroo Island
Morning transfer to the airport for a 20 minute flight to Kangaroo Island, one of Australia’s best wildlife destinations, where kangaroos, koalas, and penguins can all be seen. First seek out koalas sleeping in the forks of the trees, then travel through some of the best wool-producing areas on the island to a conservation park on the north coast. Walk through the habitat of Kangaroo Island Kangaroos, Tammar Wallabies and the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo. At Seal Bay Conservation Park a walk among Sealions on a beautiful sandy beach may reveal pups nursing or playing in the surf. Visit Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, where ospreys nest and kangaroos come out late in the day to feed. This evening look for wildlife at night, including the tiny Fairy Penguins which return to their burrows each evening from foraging in the sea.     (B,L,D)

 

Day 5 - Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase National Park is a 74,000 hectare (190,000 acre) wilderness which covers the entire west end of the Island. We’ll visit Rocky River Homestead, originally a small farm and now the Park headquarters. This area is home to kangaroos, wallabies, possums, goannas, echidnas, koalas, platypus and many birds including the rare Cape Barren Goose. At Cape du Couedic on the south-west tip is a New Zealand Fur Seal colony which is rapidly expanding. These animals can be observed at rest on the rocks or frolicking in the surf under Admirals Arch - a spectacular coastal grotto. On the headland above is Cape du Couedic Lighthouse which plays an important role in navigation. Further down the coast are the Remarkable Rocks, huge natural granite sculptures on the cliff top. Lunch today is a picnic in the bush before exploring more of the island. Depending upon the day we might take a walk to a secluded cove, or watch for a platypus by a quiet pool.     (B,L,D)

 

Day 6 - Kangaroo Island / Adelaide / Brisbane / Lamington National Park
This morning return to Adelaide, fly north to Brisbane, then transfer to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse, situated in the Lamington National Park. On the drive to Lamington we may see wallabies and other wildlife. Check in, refresh, relax and look around this delightful, family-owned lodge before heading down to a friendly and welcome dinner. Arrange the activities (included) to participate in this evening and tomorrow, as during dinner one of the lodge owners describes the many options.        (B,D)

 

Day 7 - O’Reilly’s
A full day today at O’Reillys, starting with early morning walks for birds before breakfast (if you wish), as this is one of the best regions for endemic birds in Australia. Species including Satin and Regent Bowerbirds, Crimson Rosella, Scarlet-backed Fairy Wren, Superb Blue Fairy Wren, Rainbow Lorikeet, Pied Currawong, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brush Turkey, Wonga Pigeon, Paradise Riflebird and King Parrot are found within walking distance of the lodge. After breakfast enjoy several walks including the canopy walk amongst the tops of the trees. On the guided walks your naturalist guides will point out the unique plant and animal life along the trail, through both open country and rainforest. Late afternoon birding down one of the many tracks may provide views of Alberts Lyrebird or Noisy Pitta. As dusk falls the sunset from your room's verandah or from the garden setting can be quite spectacular. As the evening approaches Pademelons - small rainforest wallabies - emerge to feed on the lawns; Sugar Gliders and Common Ringtail Possums feed in nearby trees and a Boobook Owl or Tawny Frogmouth may be seen. In the evening activities can include audio-visuals, visiting the glow-worms, and spotlighting for nocturnal creatures.    (B,L,D)

 

Day 8 - O’Reillys / Brisbane
This morning continue your exploration of the Lamington National Park. Mid afternoon return to Brisbane. The well-located downtown hotel gives an opportunity to sample your choice of Brisbane’s many excellent restaurants.      (B,L)

 

Day 9 - Brisbane / Gladstone / Heron Island
This morning fly to Gladstone, about 300 miles north of Brisbane, and transfer to the jetty for a high-speed catamaran ride to Heron Island. Heron Island is one of only three true coral cays on the Great Barrier Reef where one can actually stay. It’s a very small island, easily walked around. The only inhabitants here are the resort, a Queensland University research station, and thousands of seabirds, turtles and other wildlife. The island is virtually surrounded by coral reef, and one can simply walk off the beach and bend over to see the coral and other animal life; much of the reef is exposed at low tide. Interpretative reef walks, ecology and bird walks, turtle viewing, star talks and wildlife presentations are all included in our stay, as are open-air movies. Other added-expense activities including outer edge reef trips, introduction to scuba diving and fishing trips are also available.      (B)

 

Day 10 - Heron Island
Continue our Heron Island activities. In addition to coral viewing, swimming and walking, we can order a picnic lunch, and enjoy it wherever we choose on the island. As it is summer turtles should either be laying their eggs or hatching on the island – watching the tiny turtles run for the beach is a wonderful thing to experience (unlike the typical documentary scene, most hatchlings emerge at night and make for the brightest horizon, the sea; major predation by seabirds is therefore not the norm.) Queensland National Parks & Wildlife Service Rangers conduct research here, enabling us to view the activities at night without disturbing the turtles.              (B)

 

Day 11 - Heron Island / Gladstone / Brisbane / Sydney
After a morning swim, and last look at this biological wonder, take the after-lunch catamaran back to Gladstone, and fly on to Sydney. Our hotel is in the heart of The Rocks, Sydney’s (and Australia’s) oldest district, right next to Circular Quay.      (B)

 

Day 12 - Sydney
This morning enjoy a guided walk around the Rocks, to learn of the early history of Sydney. Many of the buildings date from the very first years of the settlement, and are convict-built. After this take a guided tour of the famous Sydney Opera House, with an option to dine in the restaurant, with its superb views across Sydney harbour, afterwards. With prior arrangement a concert or opera can be attended (season permitting) – please check with us for a program. There are also many small restaurants around the Quay, a wonderful place to eat and watch the evening light over the Opera House.    (B)

 

 

Day 13 - Sydney
Today is free to explore this vibrant and friendly city. In addition to great shops to buy the needed souvenirs and gifts, just a short walk is the Botanic Gardens, which has good views of the harbour, abundant bird life, and a colony of huge Grey-headed Fruit-bats, whose wingspans are approximately three feet. The Australian Museum, with its impressive collection of Aboriginal artifacts and art, is also close by. The Taronga Zoo is a ferry ride across the harbour, and a lunch or dinner cruise is a good way to truly appreciate this water-side city. A tour to the Blue Mountains can also be arranged for those interested (added expense).      (B)

 

Day 14 - Sydney / Los Angeles
Sadly, today is the last day in Australia. The morning is free for last minute shopping, exploration or just relaxing before heading to the airport. On the flight home you are bound to relive some of the many new experiences you had in Australia, and remember new friends made. Recrossing the International Date Line regains the lost day, so you arrive back in Los Angeles in the morning of this same day.       (B,*M,*B)

 

, including all the meals, accommodations, transfers, guiding and entries included in the itinerary above. Air from Los Angeles or San Francisco on Qantas is approximately $1700 including the internal flights. However, 2009 is seeing a major change in air pricing due to new operators entering the market and so we will price the air on a number of factors, including your home city. We are unwilling to estimate air until we have the date of your departure and take into account other factors. Regardless, our air will be as competitive and available anywhere else. Naturally you are welcome to use frequent flyer miles, but do be aware that the four sectors flown within Australia will need to be bought separately; we've seen occasions, depending on the cost of the international sectors, that it becomes an excessive use of FF miles for the saving gained.

*subject to changes in currency exchange rate.

back to start

 

 

Winter in Australia Tour

Please note that due to logistical difficulties the Winter in Australia tour requires passengers to self-drive the Atherton Tablelands section; we can also arrange for a driver and vehicle for this section at added expense.

 

Day 1 - Los Angeles / In Flight
Depart Los Angeles on an evening flight.        (*D)

Day 2 - In Flight
Today is lost due to the International Dateline, but regained on the return journey.

Day 3 - Sydney / Adelaide
Arrive in Sydney, then fly to Adelaide. The rest of the day is free to relax after the flight, see a little of Adelaide, and acclimate to the new time zone.        (*B)

Day 4 - Adelaide / Kangaroo Island
Morning transfer to the airport for a 20 minute flight to Kangaroo Island, one of Australia’s best wildlife destinations, where kangaroos, koalas, and penguins can all be seen. First seek out koalas sleeping in the forks of the trees, then travel through some of the best wool-producing areas on the island to a conservation park on the north coast. Walk through the habitat of Kangaroo Island Kangaroos, Tammar Wallabies and the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo. At Seal Bay Conservation Park a walk among Sealions on a beautiful sandy beach may reveal pups nursing or playing in the surf. Visit Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, where ospreys nest and kangaroos come out late in the day to feed. This evening look for wildlife at night, including the tiny Fairy Penguins which return to their burrows each evening from foraging in the sea.    (B,L,D)

 

 

Day 5 - Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase National Park is a 74,000 hectare (190,000 acre) wilderness which covers the entire west end of the Island. We’ll visit Rocky River Homestead, originally a small farm and now the Park headquarters. This area is home to kangaroos, wallabies, possums, goannas, echidnas, koalas, platypus and many birds including the rare Cape Barren Goose. At Cape du Couedic on the south-west tip is a New Zealand Fur Seal colony which is rapidly expanding. These animals can be observed at rest on the rocks or frolicking in the surf under Admirals Arch - a spectacular coastal grotto. On the headland above is Cape du Couedic Lighthouse which plays an important role in navigation. Further down the coast are the Remarkable Rocks, huge natural granite sculptures on the cliff top. Lunch today is a picnic in the bush before exploring more of the Island. Depending upon the day we might take a walk to a secluded cove, or watch for a platypus by a quiet pool.     (B,L,D)

 

Day 6 - Kangaroo Island / Adelaide / Cairns
This morning return to Adelaide,and then on to Cairns, North Queensland, arriving late afternoon. After checking in to our hotel we have time to walk the Esplanade, with its views across Trinity Bay and the opportunity to see the many shorebirds that frequent this area. Rainbow Lorikeets, one of the world’s most colourful parrots, are often seen in the overhanging trees. There are many restaurants within easy walking distance - click here for a guide.      (B,*L)

 

Day 7 - The Great Barrier Reef
Today you are introduced to one of the natural wonders of the world — Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a series of reefs extending for about 1,250 miles along the coast of Queensland, nearly to Papua New Guinea. On your trip today you experience two important features—a coral inner-shelf reef, and the sandy vegetated cay formed on one end. Michaelmas Reef lies about 22 miles off the coast just north of Cairns, with Michaelmas Cay on its southern tip. It is an important seabird rookery, which becomes apparent as you approach the mass of birds swirling constantly above the cay. The four primary species are Crested, Lesser-crested and Sooty Terns, and Common Noddy. Lesser Frigatebirds are usually present, as are Silver Gulls, Brown Boobies and Ruddy Turnstones. The cay, most of which is off limits, is a National Park within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. However, the birds are very tolerant of visitors and stand thickly along the beach, allowing us to approach them within a few yards. Immediately offshore in waist-deep water, the first of the corals can be seen. For those not used to snorkelling, there is no easier introduction—just walk up to your waist, and bend over. Brilliantly colored fish, giant clams, beche de mer and coral outcrops can all be seen. Easy swimming in shallow water brings us over coral “bombies,” heads of coral with their assortment of fishes, and hard and soft corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and medium predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash between the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. You glide around the coral in a semi-submersible submarine, dry and with your ordinary cameras, while a marine biologist describes the species seen and some of the processes at work. For those interested, there are guided snorkel tours led by a marine biologist; for those who are certified, scuba diving is an option, or a non-certified introductory dive. On your trip out, one of the marine biologists explains the development of this and other reef systems and gives us an introduction to many of the animal species that you see. Lunch is a tropical smorgasbord. In the afternoon you return to Cairns, under sail if the winds are right. Your transport to the reef is a 105 foot luxury, motor-sailing catamaran. There is time after your return this evening to visit Cairns, or you may wish to relax poolside at the hotel. For experienced snorkelers, or Scuba divers, your visit to the reef today can be aboard a dedicated dive or snorkel boat, if desired. This may not include a visit to Michaelmas Cay, and there is no semis-submersible available.      (B,L,)

 

Day 8 - Atherton Tablelands
Today we head a little south and west of Cairns, to the Atherton Tablelands, an elevated area rich in rainforest and wildlife. The Tablelands are part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, about one million acres protected for the natural and cultural heritage represented here. North Queensland is unique in the world in having two World Heritage Areas – this and the Great Barrier Reef - adjacent to each other. These rainforests, at an elevation of about 2,500 ft, are home to some of Australia’s rarest and most unusual animals, including four kinds of very restricted possums, gliders, and the definitely weird tree kangaroo, a kangaroo which has adapted to a life in the trees, rather than on the ground. Your guide will take you to a small stream to wait for platypus, the egg-laying mammal unique to Australia, all the time describing the plants and dynamics of the surrounding rainforest. A variety of rainforest birds and other animals, perhaps including the leaf-tailed gecko - eight inches long and colored and shaped like a piece of bark - will be found and seen. After dinner out, a couple of hours will be spent spotlighting for nocturnal animals, always a highlight of the day. Our accommodation tonight is a small lodge in the heart of the rainforest, where wildlife such as the small pademelon wallaby comes right to our door.      (B)

 

Day 9 - Atherton Tablelands
Continue your exploration of the Atherton Tablelands This morning your guide takes you to a small stream to search for platypus, then continues to find other wildlie and explain the workins of the rainforest.      (B)

 

Day 10 - Daintree National Park
The Daintree National Park is again part of the World Heritage Area, but located primarily at sea level and in the foothills. This elevation difference can be seen in the different plants and animals, especially one of the most famous residents of the Daintree River, the Saltwater Crocodile. These large crocodiles - commonly here over 15 ft long - may be seen sunning in the early or late part of the day. In addition to the crocodiles, your guide will explain the workings of the mangrove forest, an important nursery for marine life ranging from large pelagic fish to many of the inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef. Over the course of the day some of Australia’s most colorful birds, from parrots to honeyeaters, will be seen, as will trees considered to be the oldest group of flowering plants in the world, with fossils found of the same species dated at over 120 million years. Some of the fern species still growing here have been found in the fossilized dung of ancient dinosaurs. We have an opportunity for a refreshing swim in a rainforest stream, and lunch also served in the forest. Tonight return to Cairns.      (B,L)

 

Day 11 - Cairns
There are several options to choose from today. You may wish to re-visit the Great Barrier Reef, while others may choose the award-winning Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. Although designed as a tourist venture, the 16 year old concept began and remains today a means of introducing non-aboriginal people to the world’s oldest living culture, while at the same time showing by example to the Aboriginal people themselves that their culture, often ignored and looked down upon by its own people, is of great value and interest to others throughout Australia and the world. Through dance and theatre, and traditional activities including spear and boomerang throwing, food and medicinal plants identification, and shelter construction, there is much to learn here about Aboriginal life. There are many other possibilities today in addition to the two mentioned. All options today are at additional cost.        (B)

 

Day 12 - Cairns / Sydney
At about 1pm transfer back to the airport to fly south to Sydney. Our hotel is in the heart of The Rocks, Sydney’s (and Australia’s) oldest district, right next to Circular Quay.         (B*S))

 

Day 13 - Sydney
This morning enjoy a guided walk around the Rocks, to learn of the early opera history of Sydney. Many of the buildings date from the very first years of the settlement, and are convict-built. After this take a guided tour of the famous Sydney Opera House, with an option to dine in the restaurant afterwards, with its superb views across Sydney Harbour. With prior arrangement a concert or opera can be attended (season permitting) – please click here for their calendar of events. There are also many small restaurants around the Quay, a wonderful place to eat and watch the evening light over the Opera House.        (B)

 

Day 14 - Sydney
Today is free to explore this vibrant and friendly city. In addition to great shops to buy the needed souvenirs and gifts, just a short walk is the Botanic Gardens, which has good views of the harbour, an abundant bird life, and a colony of huge Grey-headed Fruit-bats, whose wingspans are approximately three feet. The Australian Museum, with its impressive collection of Aboriginal artifacts and art, is also close by. The Taronga Zoo is a ferry ride across the harbour, and a lunch or dinner cruise is a good way to truly appreciate this water-side city. A tour to the Blue Mountains can also be arranged for those interested.      (B)

 

Day 15 - Sydney / Los Angeles
Sadly, today is the last day in Australia. The morning is free for last minute shopping, exploration or just relaxing before heading to the airport. On the flight home you are bound to relive some of the many new experiences you had in Australia, and remember new friends made. Recrossing the International Date Line regains the lost day, so you arrive back in Los Angeles in the morning of this same day.      (B,*M,*B)

 

back to start

back to top