Australian Wildlife Conservation Safari

Far North Queensland Nature, Wildlife & Conservation Safari - Private

Day 1: Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation. Begin your journey along the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef Drive, heading north on the scenic coastal highway towards the Daintree Tropical Rainforest. As you travel, you'll observe the shifting biodiversity and learn about the unique habitats of the region. Your first stop is Rainforest Rescue, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rainforests since 1999. Here, you'll gain insights into their efforts to re-establish rainforests through planting, maintenance, and restoration programs, as well as their work in preserving high conservation value rainforests.

After lunch at the Daintree Tea House inclusive of a fruit-tasting presentation, you will explore Jindalba Interpretive Rainforest Trail, a serene walk through Australia's largest tropical rainforest, offering unique opportunities to experience the region's complex ecosystems and endemic wildlife. Finally, visit Cape Tribulation at 3:00 pm, where the rainforest meets the reef. Explore the scenic lookouts and beaches before settling into Heritage Lodge, an eco-friendly resort nestled in the heart of the rainforest, for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Heritage Lodge

Day 2: Daintree River & Atherton Tablelands. Start your day with breakfast at the lodge before heading out early to maximize wildlife viewing on the Daintree River. After a 45-minute drive, you'll embark on a private, eco-friendly cruise at 9:30 am. Glide along the serene Daintree River on a solar-powered boat, offering a quiet, immersive experience without noise or fumes. With a 99% success rate in spotting Saltwater Crocodiles, you'll also enjoy excellent bird watching and may see other wildlife such as snakes, frogs, fish, and bats during the two-hour cruise.

Following lunch, you will visit Wildlife & Raptor Care Queensland (WARCQ) in Julatten, where you'll meet founder Amber Dahlberg. She will share her passion for rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife, including raptors and birds of prey. Next, visit one of the most incredible trees you will see in your life. This ancient fig tree is an epic rainforest survivor with a very complex ecosystem surrounding its lifecycle. The birdlife that can be heard in the surrounding forest is quite amazing here. Finally, check into Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges, hidden in 1200 acres of Lake Eacham's lush, tropical highland rainforest; a haven for nature enthusiasts.

Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge

Far North Queensland Nature, Wildlife & Conservation Safari - Private

Day 3: Atherton Tablelands. In the morning, you'll have the opportunity to spot wild Platypus in a historic town on the Atherton Tablelands. This iconic wildlife experience allows you to learn about the elusive behaviour of these unique creatures and capture memorable photos. The tour takes its time here, often making a second visit if necessary. After lunch, cool off with an optional swim at Lake Eacham, an extinct volcanic crater surrounded by pristine rainforest. If you prefer not to swim, other nearby nature sites are available to explore.

Mid-afternoon, you will visit the Tolga Bat Hospital, a renowned wildlife experience on the Atherton Tablelands. Here, you'll learn about the conservation of bats and their habitat through rescue work, education, and research. Get up close with flying-foxes and discover the fascinating world of microbats. After dinner, take an optional night spotting tour to experience the diverse wildlife of Far North Queensland, with visits to two sites for a complete experience.

Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge

Day 4: Lake Barinne & Etta. Your day begins at 9:30 am with a visit to Malanda Conservation Park, a key habitat for the elusive Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo. This small, protected forest also offers opportunities to spot wildlife like the Freshwater Snapping Turtle and Grey-headed Robin. Enjoy a scenic walk and capture photos at Malanda Falls. Late morning, you will head to Lake Barrine, a volcanic crater lake renowned for its nature activities. Explore various walking trails that provide excellent wildlife and bird-watching opportunities. Keep an eye out for reptiles like water dragons and other Wet Tropics species. When available, a lake cruise, operated by the Lake Barrine Tea House, offers additional exploration. Mid-afternoon, you will descend the mountains to Etty Bay, located an hour south of Cairns. This coastal spot is a prime location to observe the Southern Cassowary, often seen patrolling the area, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon. The tour concludes with a return to Cairns at 5:30 pm.

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available*

Kangaroo Island Conservation Connection - Private

Day 5: Adelaide. Fly to Adelaide and transfer to your accommodation.

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available.*

Day 6: Cygnet Valley & North Coast. After a pickup from your morning flight, visit the Cygnet Valley, where you'll explore the Eucalyptus forest and learn about the innovative habitat restoration at Cygnet Park, which has transformed former farmland into diverse bushland. Next, you'll meet Dr. Peggy Rismiller, a world expert on the Short-beaked Echidna, who has spent nearly 30 years studying these ancient creatures through methods like radio-tracking and environmental analysis. Dr. Rismiller's work extends beyond echidnas, covering tiger snakes, goannas, and environmental management. She's also a consultant for international zoos and a role model for women in science.

After lunch, you'll join the Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures team for a trip on the ocean, contributing to the 'dolphin watch' citizen science program. Learn about the visual recognition system used to track dolphin movement between pods. If weather permits and dolphins are present, you may have the chance to snorkel with bottlenose dolphins in the open ocean, making for a truly memorable experience.

Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge

Kangaroo Island Conservation Connection - Private

Day 7: Seal Bay. Your day begins with an exploration of the island's iconic Glossy Black-Cockatoo, a species isolated by climate change and dependent on drooping sheoak woodlands for food. The population on Kangaroo Island faced challenges, with numbers dwindling to 158 in 1995 before rebounding to 454 in 2020. You'll learn about the significant issues these birds face, including habitat loss, predation by Common Brush-tail Possums, genetic isolation, and a gender imbalance skewed towards males. The visit includes a walk through their feeding habitat, where you might also encounter tammar wallabies, Kangaroo Island kangaroos, and other wildlife.

Afterwards, you'll visit Stokes Bay to scan for shorebirds and explore nearby koala habitats. Following lunch, the tour continues to Seal Bay Conservation Park for a private tour of the Australian Sea-lion colony. Here, you'll learn about the threats to these rare sea-lions, their feeding habits, and unique breeding biology, as well as the conservation efforts in place to protect them.

Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge

Day 8: West Coast. The day begins with a visit to a private wildlife refuge in the island's northwest, managed by Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife. Here, guests will learn about the crucial conservation work led by Pat, Heidi, and their team, focusing on threat reduction, long-term monitoring, and supporting landholders in protecting bushland and threatened species. You'll explore bushland survey sites and see shelter tunnels built to protect small mammals and birds, including the endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart, following recent fires. There's also an opportunity to view wildlife footage from cameras set up in the area.

After a picnic lunch of marinated poached chicken, fresh salads, cheeses, and South Australian wines, guests will head to Flinders Chase National Park, covering nearly 75,000 hectares. The park's landscape features coastal mallee and striking granite formations, with Remarkable Rocks as a highlight. The day ends at Admirals Arch, where you may spot fur seals and sea lions, and gain insights into the island's early human occupation, including Indigenous survival practices. Take a flight from Kangaroo Island to Melbourne.

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available.*

East Gippsland Private Tour

Day 9: Melbourne. Explore the city of Melbourne at leisure. The many attractions of the city vary from the spectacular parklands and gardens that surround the city, to the museums and festivals that are a continuing part of the city life. Excellent restaurants are on every corner and cater to every taste.

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available.*

Day 10: Gippsland Lakes. After departing Melbourne, you will head east to Gippsland's Lakes District, a RAMSAR-protected region vital for waterbirds like Black Swans, Chestnut Teals, and Fairy Terns. Upon arrival, take a ferry to Raymond Island, which is a natural sanctuary for native animals, and where we will help set up a wild koala research project. This involves tracking tree preferences, and behaviours, and identifying individual koalas, with the data aiding local conservation efforts. In the afternoon, you will explore the island's forests, spotting koalas, echidnas, kangaroos, and various birds including parrots, honeyeaters and seabirds. The journey continues through eucalypt forests, estuaries, and beaches, with opportunities to assist in the recording and monitoring of endangered Little Tern nesting sites.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead

Day 11: Mountain Forests. After a relaxing breakfast, you will travel into the rugged mountain forests of East Gippsland. This is one of the few regions in the world that has a large unbroken chain of forest stretching from the Alps to the sea. The abundance of wildlife is due to the diversity of these forests; from giant Alpine Ash forests, native cypress pines, Mountain Plum Pines to Shining Gum and Cut-tail Gums, many of the trees are hundreds of years old. You will visit both dry and wet mountain forests, visit the famous Snowy River, and walk beside a wilderness creek where the landscape changes dramatically from dry slopes to fern-filled rainforest. Your Wildlife Guide will help you search for animals such as wallabies, Satin Bowerbirds, Superb Lyrebirds, cockatoos, parrots, goannas and abundant honeyeaters. Finish the day with a classic Aussie dinner at the Homestead.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead

East Gippsland Private Tour

Day 12: Wilderness Coast. Today you will start with a walk into a large lowland (warm temperate) rainforest in search of birds, Platypus and Swamp Wallabies. Then walk through a heathland and along a forest-lined river – this area abuts a burnt area, so wildlife surveys here are particularly important. Search for White-bellied Sea Eagles, Hooded Plovers, Gang-gang cockatoos, Turquoise Parrots, Azure Kingfishers and Jacky Lizards.

Visit a quiet beach with a complex dune system and frequently see beach and ocean-going birds, and Australian Fur-seals. After lunch, take a walk on the nearby rocky headland, peering into rock pools, walking past wind-sculpted coastal shrubs looking at the expanse of the 90-mile beach. Spend a little time on a beautiful beach removing old fishing nets or rubbish – they wash up from the sea, and sometimes wash back out, where they trap and kill sea creatures. Dinner tonight is a picnic in the bush overlooking the beach (weather permitting). On the way back to the Homestead, search the plains for Red-necked Wallabies, Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Bare-nosed (Common) Wombats.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead

Day 13: Snowy River. You will depart East Gippsland after one last visit to the beach at the Mouth of the Snowy River. On the way back to Melbourne, a visit to Krowathunkoolong Keeping Place, an informative Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Bairnsdale, provides an opportunity to learn about how the Aboriginal people have lived amongst these captivating landscapes for thousands of years. Following this, guests will venture to a river in Bairnsdale to spot Grey-headed Flying-foxes in their daytime roosts, before arriving in Melbourne. 

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available*

Optional Extension: Murray River Safari - Shared Tour (March, April, October, November)

Day 14: Melbourne to Renmark. Fly from Melbourne through to Mildura where you will take a transfer to Renmark.

Day 15: Renmark. After a morning transfer from Mildura, you'll meet your Murray River Safari guides at Hotel Renmark. Following a brief introduction to the Murray River, you'll board a pontoon cruiser for a scenic 25km cruise upstream, passing old-growth redgum forests and ochre-coloured cliffs. Keep an eye out for Koalas and various birds like Australian Pelicans, Black Swans, Australian Darters and Yellow-billed Spoonbills. You'll then settle into luxurious houseboat accommodations, enjoy lunch, and embark on a cultural walk through river country. 

Accommodation: Luxury Houseboat

The houseboat is your floating accommodation for three nights, moored in spectacular locations. Your bedroom windows offer stunning views of the river and you can watch from your bed as pelicans fly by. In the evenings, relax in the houseboat lounge and share stories with your fellow travellers as your guides prepare evening meals paired with local wines.

Day 16: RAMSAR Wetlands. Rise early to experience birdsong and a sunrise over the incredible Murray River valley, enjoying the vibrant river views and likely spotting Rainbow Bee-eaters catching insects. After breakfast, you will join a canoe guide for a serene paddle through the Riverland Ramsar Wetland, offering opportunities to quietly observe wildlife like Western Grey Kangaroos, cormorants, darters, ducks, rosellas and Mallee Ringnecks. Keep a careful eye out for goannas and Sacred Kingfishers. In the afternoon, explore the surrounding forests and wetlands on foot, searching for the endangered Regent Parrot, before retiring early after a fulfilling day. 

Day 17: Outback Lakes. After an early breakfast, you'll set off on a driving tour of the great ephemeral lake system on the outer floodplain where spectacular birdwatching includes migratory waders that have travelled from the northern hemisphere, thousands of ducks, pied stilts, red-necked avocets, spoonbills and musk ducks. Expect to see blue-bonnet parrots, emus and their chicks, and magnificent red kangaroos as you drive across the country between the lakes. You will return to find the houseboat in a new location opposite the spectacular Bunyip Reach Cliffs above lock 6. 

Day 18: Renmark. After breakfast and an optional stroll on the riverbank, cruise leisurely downriver and transfer through lock 6 on the way to the final mooring and departure point. Celebrate the experience over a BBQ lunch on the top deck, before farewelling the river and returning to the Hotel Renmark at 2 pm, before your transfer to Adelaide.

Please note this section of this itinerary is an additional cost available March, April, October and November, however, during May through to late September, a four-day walk can be booked as an alternative featuring easy days of hiking along Australia's greatest river.