Marsupial and Bird Photography Safari

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Photography - Private Tour

Day 1: Cygnet Valley and North Coast. After arriving on the flight from Adelaide, begin with a visit to Duck Lagoon, a freshwater habitat for ducks, swans, and other species. Stately red gums attract pardalotes and honeyeaters, and koalas are frequently observed in the area.

Continue to Cygnet Park, a private sanctuary dedicated to rewilding former pastureland into diverse wildlife habitats.Enjoy a barbeque featuring fresh local fish, halloumi, and salad, paired with a selection of local wines. Explore the island's coastal landscapes aboard a Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures boat, providing opportunities to photograph raptors, fur seals, and dolphins, with a seasonal "swim with" experience. Conclude the day at Stokes Bay Valley, observing Kangaroo Island Kangaroos as they emerge to feed.

Accommodation: Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge | Meals: BLD

Day 2: Flinders Chase National Park. Begin the day at a private wildlife refuge on Kangaroo Island, participating in conservation efforts for lesser-known native animals. While traveling west, observe Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos before enjoying a picnic lunch in the bush.At Flinders Chase National Park, explore Remarkable Rocks, Cape du Couedic, and Admiral's Arch, providing opportunities to photograph unique landscapes and a large fur-seal population. Conclude the day with a visit to the historic lighthouse precinct, featuring well-preserved Federation architecture and impressive stonemasonry.

Accommodation: Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge | Meals: BLD

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Photography - Private Tour

Day 3: Seal Bay & D'Estrees Bay. The day begins at Seal Bay, where Australian sea lions bask on a white sandy beach protected by offshore reefs and headlands. The beach is also frequented by Hooded Plovers, terns, and cormorants.

Next, explore Murray Lagoon, the island's largest wetland, known for its diverse bush and water birds. Continue to D'Estrees Bay, a sweeping beach with a marine meadow, where an active osprey nest at Point Tinline can be observed and reflections of roosting terns are visible in a protected lagoon.

From November to March, the area attracts waders such as Golden Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones, while surfers occasionally frequent the bay. The day concludes around American River, where bushland supports Glossy Black Cockatoos, galahs, and other vibrant birds. The shoreline hosts Black Swans, pelicans, and musk ducks, and late afternoon reflections in the channel offer excellent photography opportunities. At the conclusion of the tour, take a flight from Kingscote to Melbourne.

Accommodation: Savoy Hotel on Little Collins (King Deluxe Room Hotel) | Meals: BL

East Gippsland Wildlife Journey - Shared Tour

Day 4: RAMSAR Lakes (Monday). Depart Melbourne in the morning and venture east to the Lakes District in Gippsland. This region, protected by the International Ramsar Convention, is a key habitat for waterbirds such as Black Swans, Chestnut Teals, Australian Shelducks, Musk Ducks, and Fairy Terns.

Next, board a ferry to Raymond Island, a sanctuary for native animals, and assist with a wild koala research project, gathering data for a local conservation group, including tree species preference, behaviour, and koala identification.

Walk through local forests with opportunities to spot koalas, echidnas, Swamp Wallabies, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, parrots, honeyeaters, and seabirds. While driving through lush eucalypt forests, pristine estuaries, and white sandy beaches, help the wildlife guide record species for conservation and monitor endangered Little Terns at their nesting sites.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead | Meals: BLD

Day 5: Rugged mountain forests of Australia's coastal wilderness. After a relaxing breakfast, travel into the rugged mountain forests of East Gippsland, one of the few regions in the world with a large unbroken chain of forest stretching from the Alps to the sea. The abundance of wildlife is supported by the diversity of these forests, which include giant Alpine Ash, native cypress pines, Mountain Plum Pines, Shining Gum, and Cut-tail Gums, many hundreds of years old.

Explore both dry and wet mountain forests, visit the famous Snowy River, and walk beside a wilderness creek where the landscape transitions dramatically from dry slopes to fern-filled rainforest. The Wildlife Guide assists in locating animals for photography, including wallabies, Superb Lyrebirds, cockatoos, parrots, goannas, and honeyeaters. Birds and reptiles are plentiful, while other human visitors are few. The day concludes with a classic Aussie dinner at the Homestead.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead | Meals: BLD

East Gippsland Wildlife Journey - Shared Tour

Day 6: Wilderness Coast. The day begins with a walk through large warm temperate rainforests in search of birds such as King Parrots, Eastern Whipbirds, Satin Bowerbirds, Eastern Robins, Golden Whistlers, Rufous Whistlers, and Flame Robins. The route continues through heathland and along a forest-lined river to its estuary in Australia's Coastal Wilderness, providing opportunities to observe White-bellied Sea Eagles, various parrots, Black Swans, Sacred Kingfishers, and large goannas, including Lace Monitors and Sand Goannas.

Next, visit a quiet beach with a complex dune system to observe beach and ocean-going birds, followed by a walk along a nearby rocky headland, peering into rock pools and past wind-sculpted coastal shrubs while taking in the expanse of the Ninety Mile Beach. Time is spent on a beautiful beach removing old fishing nets washed ashore, preventing them from returning to the sea where they can trap and kill marine wildlife.

Dinner is a picnic in the bush overlooking the beach (weather permitting). On the return to the Homestead, scan the plains for wallabies, kangaroos, and wombats.

Accommodation: Snowy River Homestead | Meals: BLD

Day 7: Snowy River. Depart East Gippsland after one last visit to the beach at the Mouth of the Snowy River. On the way back to Melbourne, visit the Krowathunkoolong Keeping Place, an informative Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Bairnsdale that provides an opportunity to learn about how the Aboriginal people have lived amongst these captivating landscapes for thousands of years. Following this, venture to a river in Bairnsdale to spot Grey-headed Flying-foxes in their daytime roosts, before arriving in Melbourne for a flight to Launceston.

Accommodation: The Verge Launceston (King Room) | Meals: BL

6 Day Tasmanian Devil Encounter - Private Tour

Day 8: Launceston. The morning is at leisure before meeting a private local guide at noon in the lobby of the accommodation or at the airport. The Tasmania adventure begins with a scenic drive to Hawley Beach or the Tamar Wetlands. The guide introduces the local fauna and flora, with opportunities to observe wildlife along the way.

Accommodation: The Verge Launceston (King Room) | Meals: AT

Day 9: Cradle Mountain National Park. After breakfast, venture to the internationally acclaimed, UNESCO World Heritage Cradle Mountain Wilderness. Travel through lush rolling farm pastures before entering the alpine bush of the Cradle Valley, where the harmonic sounds of true wilderness create a serene atmosphere. Along the way, birdlife such as Forest Ravens, Currawongs, and Wedge-tailed Eagles may be observed.

In the late afternoon, visit Devils@Cradle Wildlife Sanctuary to learn about the world's largest carnivorous marsupial and witness the feeding of this unique species.

Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Hotel (Deluxe Room) | Meals: BL

Day 10: Cradle Mountain National Park: On a clear day, the rugged grandeur of Cradle Mountain is reflected in the tranquil waters of Dove Lake, or its craggy peaks may appear dramatically through swirling mist. The morning activity is a bush walk in the National Park along the Dove Lake Circuit (2.5 hrs), providing an immersive experience of this majestic setting (weather-dependent) with excellent photographic opportunities. Along the route, native flora and fauna are interpreted, with highlights including the ballroom forest, lakeside beaches, Tasmanian rainforest, and the native Pandani, the tallest heath plant in the world.

Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Hotel (Deluxe Room) | Meals: BL

6 Day Tasmanian Devil Encounter - Private Tour

Day 11: Tasmanian Highlands: Depart from Cradle Valley and travel to the Tasmanian Arboretum, with the opportunity to spot many of Tasmania's endemic birds, possums, wallabies and the Platypus in one of the many ponds. After lunch, travel via Deloraine towards the Tasmanian Highlands and Thousand Lakes Lodge. This former Antarctic research station has been beautifully refurbished with eight rooms and provides good chances to see most of Tasmania's marsupials and often Tasmanian Devils.

Accommodation: Thousand Lakes Lodge | Meals: BLD

Day 12: Mole Creek Karst National Park. Visit the Mole Creek Karst National Park, for a tour of Marakoopa Caves. Explore this miraculous underground world with its glow worms, large caverns, rim pools and underground streams. See the beautiful Mt Roland as a backdrop and visit Sheffield, also known as the Town of Murals before returning to the lodge. At dusk, head out for stargazing, to observe the beautiful night-sky and the nocturnal wildlife.

Accommodation: Thousand Lakes Lodge | Meals: BLD

Day 13: Return to Launceston or Hobart. This morning, leave the Tasmanian Highlands area and travel back into civilization. The tour ends either in Launceston at around 1 pm or in Hobart at around 3 pm.