• Really easy, relaxed pace ecotours.
• Cosy accommodation every night and spend the days exploring with easy walks.
• Local guides share their love and knowledge of birds, wildflowers, history, wildlife and much more.
• Perfect for curious nature lovers.

Point Hicks Lighthouse

Birdwatching in coastal forest (photo by M Cardoso)

Variety of spring wildflowers

Great short walks

7 day Croajingolong Coastal Ecotour
Graded: Easy

Walks: Lots of short walks (up to about 5 km) at a very relaxed pace.

6 nights accommodation

Destinations: Croajingolong National Park, Point Hicks Lighthouse, Mallacoota, Gipsy Point, Thurra River, Wingan Inlet.

Focus: Natural History

Birdwatching, spring wildflowers, long white sandy beaches, rock pools, heathland and rainforest, what more could you want? If you think you'd also like a good mixture of short walks and some relaxing time to just enjoy your surroundings, then this is exactly what this ecotour offers.

Croajingolong National Park in far East Gippsland with it’s magnificent wilderness coastline and undisturbed forested foothills is home to a vast array of indigenous plants and animals. You will be assured of a rich variety of natural history experiences and your guide will have lots of wonderful local knowledge to share. 

Wildlife experiences usually feature strongly and birdwatching is excellent with not only bush birds, but also waders and seabirds.

October is the peak month for wildflower and as well as the obvious displays of wattles, boronia and other flowering shrubs, we take the time to look up close and find some of the tiny delights at ground level.  Discover plants that were important to the local aboriginal people before European settlement and imagine how well this land provided for their needs.

Every night you return to cosy accommodation and the first three nights are spent in historic lighthouse keepers quarters at Point Hicks Lighthouse boasting superb ocean views, walks and fascinating history. Sit on the verandah, gaze out to sea, watch for seals, a passing whale or Gannets diving for fish. 

A guided tour of the tallest lighthouse on Australia’s mainland is a chance to immerse yourself in a fascinating history and hear about present day life at the Lighthouse.

After we leave the lighthouse, there are some interesting side trips and a whole range of wonderful walks around Mallacoota area from a cosy accommodation base at either Gipsy Point or Mallacoota itself. 

October 14, 2013
7 Days ex. Bairnsdale  $2900
7 Days ex. Melbourne  $3020

Contact us for more details and itinerary

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Stories and poems

6 Day Snowy River & Errinundra Explorer Tour
Graded: VERY EASY

Fully accommodated.
Touring with lots of short easy nature walks.

The magnificent Snowy River National Park boasts some of Victoria's most breathtaking scenery - waterfalls, vast rugged gorges and endless mountain views.  Sit on the banks of the legendary Snowy River, surrounded by steep mountain sides clad in native cypress pines.  Admire the water sculptured rocks.  Maybe you will be tempted to have a dip?

Listen to the silence and smell the fresh bush scents.  Walk quietly across McKillops Bridge and hear the story of its construction.

In contrast, traveling through Errinundra National Park, you will feel dwarfed by the immense trees of the old-growth eucalypt forests and enjoy an easy boardwalk through ancient cool-temperate rainforest with ferns and moss festooned logs.
High on the Errinundra Plateau, the treetops are often shrouded in mountain mist, creating an atmosphere of its own.

Featuring really easy walks, this is a relaxed pace tour with ample time to enjoy the tranquility of your natural surroundings. Combine remote and rugged beauty with the home comforts of cabin accommodation and great country hospitality.

Your guide will help you understand the way plants and animals interact and survive in these two very different environments.  You will not just return home refreshed and relaxed, but with new knowledge and a better understanding of the natural world.

October/November departures feature wildflowers and the Gippsland Waratah in bloom.

November 18, 2013
6 Days ex. Bairnsdale  $2250
6 Days ex. Melbourne  $2370

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Download birdlist (Word doc)

Stories and poems

5 Day Birds of the Snowy River Ecotour
Graded: VERY EASY

4 nights accommodation
Birdwatching focus, easy walks

A week of dedicated birdwatching in a fantastic habitat with magnificent rugged Snowy River scenery and some very interesting bird species. 

What more could a birdwatcher ask for?  Perhaps a comfy bed at night?  Yes this trip is fully accommodated too!

The Snowy River Valley supports a unique vegetation type comprising mainly open white box woodland on the dry slopes. 

This habitat is home to many woodland birds, some of whom are in decline in other areas.  In addition we birdwatch along the Snowy River near McKillops Bridge and along it’s tributaries such as the Suggan Buggan and Deddick Rivers.

Some of the species regularly seen include Diamond Firetail, Brown Tree-creeper, Golden & rufous Whistler, White-winged Chough, Spotted Pardalote, Satin Flycatcher and White-browed Woodswallow. 

Add interesting summer visitors such as the Olive-backed Oriole, Rainbow Bee-eater, Noisy Friarbird and White-winged Triller.

The days are leisurely.  An early start to enjoy the morning birding perhaps strolling along a riverside track or between the woodland and the cleared paddocks. 

Then when the birds quieten down in the middle of the day, so do we.  Retreating to the shady verandah of “Kurrajong” our home away from home, or a hammock between the fruit trees.  A swimming hole in the Deddick River nearby is perfect for a lazy swim. 

Small personalised group to maximise your birdwatching experiences.
Maximum 7 participants only.

Download birdlist (Word doc)

Birdwatching beside the Snowy River

Diamond Firetail Photo P. Skinner

8 Day Birds of Hattah Kulkyne & Murray Sunset

Graded: Moderate
Theme: Birds & Birdwatching
Educational discovery level – Moderate / High
7 nights accommodation

This is a dedicated birdwatching trip to introduce you to the very rewarding birdwatching of the mallee environment. Proximity to the Murray River also adds waterbirds to the variety of birdlife.

You don’t have to be an experienced birdwatcher, enthusiastic novices are most welcome and it is a great way to gain experience and learn more about birds and birdwatching. We will take our time and enjoy watching the birds, not just ticking off lists. 

Small group of 4 or less. 

More information including dates and prices >>>

Mountain views, Alpine National Park

Alpine Wildflowers at their best in January

Snowgum trunk   

5 Day Alpine Discovery Tour
Graded: VERY EASY

Fully accommodated.
Touring with lots of short easy nature walks & wildflower rambles.

Summer in Victoria's magnificent Alpine National Park brings a profusion of wildflowers to the highest mountain peaks.

Other features include stunning mountain views, sub-alpine meadows, impressive peaks and lots of time to wander beneath sculptured snowgums and absorb the Alpine splendour.

You will have an opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the Koori (aboriginal) people of East Gippsland.

Hear stories of cattle droving at Dargo and the Mountain Cattlemen’s long association with the High Country. Learn too of the reasons why cattle grazing is no longer permitted in the Alpine National Park.  These mountains have a very fragile alpine ecology and your guide will introduce you to some of the issues that our mountains face now and into the future.
Enjoy country hospitality at its best with an interesting variety of motel, hotel, and lodge accommodation.

We travel through some parts of the Alpine National Park burnt in the past decade, but the scars are healing fast, the new growth is astounding and wildflowers are prolific.

This leisurely and comprehensive tour includes plenty of hands on time away from the vehicle with lots of short guided nature walks and wildflower rambles. (January is peak month for wildflowers)

Press Release: The Australian Alps has just been included on the National Heritage List recognising the outstanding natural, indigenous and historic values of this iconic landscape.

4 Day Cape Conran Explorer Ecotour
Graded: EASY

Cape Conran Coastal Park is one of East Gippsland’s magnificent natural places, long clean beaches, amazing estuaries and a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Maria will be your local guide and at Cape Conran, she is keen to share with you some of her favourite places. She will lead you on lots of easy walks along the coast itself or through the coastal vegetation making use of a great network of tracks and boardwalk.

Salmon Rocks are a favourite with photographers and a great place to stroll along the beach.  The Yeerung Gorge is a surprising feature and a short walk takes you to see the deep dark pools fed by the Yeerung River.

The Gunai Kurnai people have a long history of connection with this land and you will learn something of their past occupation of this part of the coast and what makes it special to Gunai Kurnai people of today.

Birdwatchers will find the birdwatching rewarding, not just beach and sea birds, but the birds of the heathland and foothill forests and those who are found along the rivers and estuaries.

After the sun goes down, the nocturnal wildlife come out and one evening Maria will lead you on an evening spotlight walk to introduce you to some of these nocturnal residents.  Since the comprehensive “Southern Ark” fox control program has been in progress, fox numbers have decreased and numbers of small mammals have increased. It is not unusual to see Long-nosed Bandicoots and Long-nosed Potoroos in the vicinity of the cabins.

You will be based in cabin accommodation for all 3 nights, which is basic but a good alternative to camping.

October, 2014
4 Days ex. Bairnsdale $POA
4 Days ex. Melbourne $POA

Saw Banksia (photo A Llewellyn)

Yeerung River

Pied Oystercatchers

Nautillius shell