Itinerary
Tour day-by-day
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Two or Three Day Experience: Melbourne
Guests will travel with their expert guide and Koala researcher, about an hour west of Melbourne to the tree planting site near the You Yangs Regional Park.
Tree planting sites are located along rivers, creeks and near waterholes on farms on the Western Plains. The mornings will be spent planting Koala trees in these high-quality, fertile sites, with holes pre-dug to make tree planting quick and easy. These trees will provide future habitat for koalas as climate change forces them out of the dry hills and into moisture-rich valleys.
Lunch will be picnic-style for guests, either at the planting site or in nearby bushland.
The afternoons are spent on nature walks to visit the Koalas that will benefit most from the tree planting. Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, corellas, Galahs, Laughing Kookaburras, Superb Fairy-wrens, White-winged Choughs, New Holland and White-plumed Honeyeaters, Red-rumped Parrots and Crimson and Eastern Rosellas, are common sightings. We sometimes see Echidnas, possums, Blue-tongue or Jacky Lizards, Wedge-tailed and Little Eagles, falcons or goshawks.
Dinners are at a local hotel restaurant, adjacent to accommodation.
Inclusions
Your guide will be an experienced Wildlife Guide and Koala Researcher. Wildlife guidance throughout, air conditioned transport to and from Melbourne city. Gloves and gumboots (rubber boots) are available for participants (gumboots only if weather is wet).
Meals & accommodation as below:
- 2 day experience: includes 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast and 1 night accommodation
- 3 day experience: includes 3 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts and 2 nights accommodationKey Details
Pricing:
$1,140.00 AUD per person - 2 days
$1,750.00 AUD per person - 3 days
Child rate (7-13 years)
$855 AUD per person - 2 days
$1,315 AUD per person - 3 daysSingle supplement: Please add $260 to price per person for the 3 day tour; or $130 to price for 2 day tour if you wish to have single rooming.
Accommodation: Please note that accommodation is only available in queen configuration.
Pick-up and Drop Off Point: Melbourne city hotels
Pick-up and Drop-off Time: 8:00am on day one, approximately 4:00pm on day two or three
Grade/Difficulty: medium fitness requiredResponsible Travel
Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours is internationally-recognised in wildlife in the wild conservation travel, and winner of the 2014 World Responsible Travel Award. Our extensive policies with respect to conservation and social enterprise are available for your reference. As a social enterprise tour company, we invest more than 50% of our profit into our mission. Most of that investment is through our Koala Research Project, and through in-kind and direct financial support to the Koala Clancy Foundation.
We strongly support the concept of privately-owned land to increase the habitat available to wildlife – this is essential if wildlife is to survive the upcoming challenges of climate change. Through Koala Clancy Foundation we plant koala food trees in river valleys and along creeks on private farmland near Melbourne – returning the indigenous flora to that denuded environment.
You can read more about how Echidna Walkabout Nature Tour's wild Koala research informs the tree planting program here.
Recent Awards
WINNER Best for Wildlife Conservation at the World Responsible Tourism Awards London • 2014
WINNER Seatrade Cruise Award for World’s Most Innovative Shore Excursion • 2017
WINNER TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
