qanda-with-guides
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Storyteller Series: Craig Wickham from Exceptional Kangaroo Island
When Craig Wickham spots a goanna scuttling across the road, he doesn't tell his guests to get out of the way. Instead, he invites them into the bush to see where it has come from. He knows that more often than not, the reptile is slinking away from a termite...
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Storyteller Series: Andrew Ellis from Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia
Since he was a 15-year-old crewing on a tug boat on Sydney Harbour, Andrew Ellis has spent his career on the water. He ended up in tourism, working on floating restaurants and cruise ships. Then, 32 years ago, he took a catamaran from Sydney to Hervey Bay with the idea...
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Storyteller Series: Daniel Schoedler from Premier Travel Tasmania
When travel agent Daniel Schoedler flew from Switzerland to Tasmania for a trade show in 2015, it didn't take long for the Apple Isle to make an impression. "I was invited on a seven-day tour and I was fascinated from the first minute," he says. "You get into Hobart and...
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Storyteller Series: Paul Cross from Naturaliste Charters
Paul Cross has travelled more than 52 countries, but if you ask him to pick the most beautiful place in the world, it's his ocean-lapped backyard every time. Growing up near Bunbury, south of Perth, Paul and his brothers spent every spare minute fishing, surfing and diving along the Western...
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Storyteller Series: Debbie Ferguson from Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo
The first time Debbie Ferguson saw a whaleshark was on her honeymoon. She and husband Mark wanted something to remember their special occasion with, and the enormity of the gentle, spotted giant - a filter-feeder that bears a vacuum-like mouth filled with 300 tiny teeth - definitely fit the bill....
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Storyteller Series: Peter Clutterbuck from Australian Coastal Safaris
More than 30 years ago, when Peter Clutterbuck was a teacher, he was posted to the town of Port Lincoln, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. He spent some time driving around, looking for a place to call home. "Luckily, I found a spot which was exactly where I wanted to...
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Storyteller Series: Sab Lord from Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris
You'd expect a man raised on a Kakadu buffalo and crocodile-hunting station to be a character, and Sab Lord doesn't disappoint. He also knows everything - and everyone - there is to know in the outback, enabling him to unlock places and people that few others have access to. Sporting...
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Tracking Marine Debris with Andrew Ellis
A recent study of marine life found that flexible plastics are responsible for the largest proportion of marine life deaths. In the case of whales, once ingested the plastics can accumulate in the stomach, the mass eventually becoming so big that it obstructs the bowels and the whale starves to...
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Explore the Botanical Ark with Alan Carle
A mini rainforest of useful plants awaits FNQ Nature Tours guests visiting Botanical Ark, a private sanctuary owned and managed by husband-and-wife team Alan and Susan Carle. “Botanical Ark is my wife and I attempting to leave a green footprint on the planet – and at the same time educate...
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Researching Christmas Island’s Endemic Birds with Mark Holdsworth
According to Mark Holdsworth, Indian Ocean Experiences' bird expert, one of the best times to experience Christmas Island’s birds is during Bird ‘n’ Nature Week. “May to November is our dry period here, and this year Bird ‘n’ Nature week falls between 30 August and 6 September,” Mark says. “The...
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Birdlife in a River Floodplain with Tony Sharley
Owner and founder of Murray River Trails, Tony Sharley, never tires of seeing guests discover a destination through the presence of its birds. “We spend the bulk of our time in the Riverland Ramsar wetlands, which is home to more than 180 species of birds. We can see migratory water...
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Swimming Alongside Humpback Whales with Corrine Matthews
Marine scientists say that the Humpback Whale call is one of the most complex animal sounds there is. “It’s a very beautiful and melancholy song and sounds a little like a door creaking or a violinist warming up,” spotter and snorkelling guide, Corrine Matthews, says. “Some days when we snorkel...
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Absorbing the Ethereal Sounds of Humpback Whales with Dr Barry McGovern
The complexity of a Humpback Whale song astounds scientists every day, and anyone who is privy to hearing a Humpback Whale sing firsthand is almost always left breathless by the beautiful – and what is sometimes described as haunting – melody. “It’s one of the most complex communication signals in...
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Witness one of the World’s Most Spectacular Migrations with Lisa Preston
When Christmas Island is mentioned, most people first think of the Red Crabs. It’s estimated that there could to be close to 120 million crabs on the island (many more than the previous estimate of 50 million) and, from afar, it can look like the island is covered in a...
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Hike the Lamb Range with James Boettcher
With each step, the climb gets a little more challenging, but the reward of the sprawling views of Lake Morris and Dinden National Park below is worth every step. “As we hike up to the summit, we pass giant gum trees and beautiful savanna habitation, but there are no glimpses...
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Championing Environmental Flows with Tony Sharley
The Murray-Darling Basin spans an area of one million square kilometres, and for owner and founder of Murray River Trails, Tony Sharley, its protection is crucial. “Having a basin like this is significant,” he explains. “It is one-seventh the size of Australia, or four times the size of New Zealand,...
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Managing the Largest Humpback Whale Photo Database in Australia with Stephanie Stack
Photo identification programs have been the backbone of marine mammal studies for decades, allowing researchers to identify individuals by comparing photos in existing catalogues. “We track Humpback Whales by photographing the underside of their tail fluke, where they have a unique pigmentation pattern,” explains Stephanie Stack, Chief Biologist at Pacific...
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Rehabilitating Maria Island with Ben Brown
The founder of The Maria Island Walk, Ian Johnstone, has always been passionate about both showcasing and taking care of Maria Island, drawing that philosophy into his teachings and subsequently into the guides’ work. “So, rehabilitation work on the island is just something that comes naturally to the guides,” says...
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Exploring the You Yangs with Norm Jurrawaa Stanley and Nikki McKenzie
For Norm Jurrawaa Stanley and his wife Nikki McKenzie, everything is tied to connections. “When I take guests to the You Yangs we look at traditional life and how it compares to our life today. We talk about our connection to culture, and what our connection to the country looks...
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Sunset Wine and Whale Watching across Exmouth Gulf with Lindsay Sorensen
When holidaymakers visit the Ningaloo region for the first time, they often book tours of the Ningaloo Reef first, attracted to the open ocean and everything that it offers. But Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo scuba diving and snorkelling guide, Lindsay Sorensen, says that Exmouth Gulf is just as special....
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Reliving Tasmania’s Convict History with Jennifer Collins
Tasmania’s convict history trail is full of fascinating sites to explore, ranging from the well-known to some that many people have not heard of. “Convict labour was used to build new colonies to expand the economic, military and political influence of Britain around the world,” Jennifer Collins, one of Premier...
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Gaze in Wonder at 8,000-year-old rock art at Injalak Hill with Dean Hoath
When Dean Hoath, one of the lead guides with Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris, takes guests to admire rock art at Injalak Hill, he is always accompanied by an Aboriginal guide. “In the township of Gumbalanya, which we visit before we begin our walk, we pop into Injalak Arts to...
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Private solar-powered wildlife cruise with David White
There’s something magical about cruising along the Daintree River listening only to the sounds of only nature. “In 2002, after working on larger petrol driving boats, I started a business that allows people to get close to nature without the sounds of an engine and the smell of fumes,” explains...
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Exploring the Cloud Forest and Hiking Maria’s Peaks with Davis Hinton
For guide and keen outdoor enthusiast, Davis Hinton, there’s no one singular moment that stands out over the others when completing one of the two mountain hikes on offer during The Maria Island Walk. “Guests have the opportunity to climb Mount Maria or Bishop and Clerk, or both if they’re...
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Oyster Shucking and Private Coffin Bay Marine Adventure with Thommo
Steven Thomson – or Thommo to his mates – knows a thing or two about oysters. He’s also the only oyster farmer in the Eyre Peninsula who takes guests to his oyster lease as a side gig. “I don’t run a full-time tourism operation,” he says. “What I offer Australian...