Australian Natural Adventures

nature travel, wildlife tours, adventure travel and general travel to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific


WILLIAM & JEFFERSON COLLEGE

THE NATURAL HISTORY & WILDLIFE OF AUSTRALIA

grey kangaroos Australia

18 Days form the USA: January 6 to January 23, 2006


This inclusive study tour covers Eastern Australia from the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests of tropical North Queensland to the mountains and plains of Victoria. Along the way participants will see many kinds of kangaroos, the unique platypus, koalas, rare marsupials, over 200 species of birds including parrots, bowerbirds, kookaburras and emus, and reptiles. A single reef on the Great Barrier Reef can have more species of fish and coral than the entire Caribbean, and a full day is devoted to this World Heritage Area. Two other World Heritage Areas - the Wet Tropics and Croajingolong National Park - are included in the itinerary. We spend two days in Sydney, with its Opera House, Bridge and beaches.

The study tour is led by Biology Professor Dr Roy Ickes, who has considerable experience in Australia. In addition, local professional naturalist guides are with us in each location.

 

Itinerary

Day 1 -Friday, January 6: Pittsburgh / Los Angeles / Lost in Space
Check in Pittsburgh Airport for your 6.15pm US Airways flight 45 to Los Angeles, arriving at 8.09pm. Walk to the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles Airport for your Qantas Qantas planeflight 176 depspirit of Qantas logoarting at 11.55pm to Brisbane, Australia. Australia begins the moment you step aboard your Qantas flight. The Australian style is apparent—easy going, casually efficient and very friendly. Qantas is known for its excellent food and in flight service, so sit back and enjoy the hospitality, meal and a movie. space(*D)

Day 2 – Saturday, January 7: Lost in Space
Day lost due to the International Dateline, but regained on the return journey.

Day 3 – Sunday, Janaury 8: Brisbane / Cairns
A arrive or Brisbane, Australia at 7.55am this morning. After pass through customs and immigration transfer to Qantas flight 69 to Cairns, far North Queensland, leaving at 10.05am. Onsugarcane fields Cairns Queensland Australia arrival in Cairns at 12.20pm we are met by our guide for the next few days. After loading our gear onto the luggage trailer of our small bus we head south and west Chambers Rainforest Lodge Queensland Australiato the Atherton Tablelands. We first travel through sugar cane fields, the main agricultural product of the region, then turn inland to climb onto the Tablelands, a rough plateau averaging 3000ft in altitude. Once extensively covered by rainforests, it has been partially cleared for crops and cattle, but much of the forest and its wildlife remain. A significant portion of this remaining forest is part of the federally protected Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, notable for rare and restricted wildlife and plants. Considered to contain the pademelon Queensland Australiamost significant occurrence of primitive flowering plants in the world, these rainforests give scientists the ability to step back to the origins of all flowering plants. These rainforests contain the highest cboyds forest dragon rainforest Queensland Australiaoncentration of rare and restricted species in Australia, and the greatest diversity of mammals. Our accommodation for the next two nights is The Chambers, a lodge set in the rainforest, and visited by a wide range of birds and mammals, right at our door. Dinner tonight is a barbecue at the lodge, and we are sure to be visited by pademelons, a small rainforest wallaby, and other locals.                             (*B,*L,D), Overnight Chambers Rainforest Lodge

Day 4 – Monday, January 9: Atherton Tablelands
ulysses butterfly Queensland Australia Today we explore the Tablelands; our precise itinerary is determined by the weather and our guide’s experience of current wildlife occurrences. We visit Lake Barrine, formed in the cone of an extinct volcano, and home to eels, turtles and rare fish. We often see pythons as long as 14 ft basking on the side of the lake, and waterbirds around the edge. Walks in the area’s rainforest may reveal Musky Rat-kangaroos, the smallest and most primitive of the kangaroo family. Either early this morning, this afternoon or tomorrow morning we’ll spend time at a rainforest stream, waiting for views of pplatypus Queensland Australialatypus in the wild. This egg-laying mammals was thought to be a hoax when first introduced to the scientific community. After dinner tonight we go spotlighting at higher altitude to find some of the mammals – most are nocturnal in Australia – including the black and white Herbert River Ringtail Possum, Green Possum, Coppery Brushtail and perhaps tree kangaroos, a true kangaroo which has taken to life in the tree. Reptiles such as the 8 inch long and bizarrely shaped Leaf-tailed Gecko may also be found, along with owls, frogs and even pythons.                       (B,D,) Overnight Chambers Rainforest Lodge

Day 5 – Tuesday, January 10: Atherton Tablelands / Kuranda / CairnsGret Bowerbird bower Queensland Australia
We finish our stay on the Tablelands, then head into much drier rock wallaby Granite Gorge Queensland Australiacountry at Granite Gorge. Here we look for Rock Wallabies among the huge boulders, and may see the Great Bowerbird at its bower, complete with trinkets to impress potential mates. We have lunch (own expense) while looking around the country town of Mareeba - an opportunty to eat like a typical Aussie and to get some insight into the life of rural Australians. At nearby Kuranda we take the Skyrail down to the coast, a 1 hour cable-car journey Cairns Esplanade Queensland Australiathrough and across the top Skyrail Kuranda Queensland Australiaof the rainforest, giving sweeping views across Trinity Inlet to the Coral Sea, close-up looks at giant staghorn ferns in the treetops, and waterfalls below. At end of this journey we transfer to our accommodation near the Cairns waterfront. The evening is free to look around this interesting small tropical city, or perhaps visit the Esplanade for some shore-birding.               (B), Overnight Cairns Rainbow Inn

Day 6– Wednesday, January 11: Great Barrier Reef
Temperor angelfish Great Barrier Reef Queensland Australiaoday you are introduced to one of the natural wonders of the world—Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a series of reefs extending for about 1,250 miles along the coast of Queensland, nearly Great Barrier Reef Queensland Australiato Papua New Guinea. Our destination today is the outer edge of the reef, where the coral formations present a barrier to the open sea. We anchor in the calm water immediately inside this edge for our first experience of this world marvel. As soon as we look underwater we see brilliantly colored fish, giant clams, and coral outcrops. Easy swimming in shallow water brings us over coral “bombies,” heads of coral with their assortment of fishes, and hard and soft corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and medium predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash between the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. Lunch is a tropical smorgasbord on board. The diversity is amazing; there are more specieslong-nosed buttefly fish Great Barrier Reef Queensland Australia of fish, invertebrsnorkeling Great Barrier Reef Australiaates and coral on a single reef of the Great Barrier Reef than in all the Caribbean. Both snorkelers and certified divers are catered for (divers will need to bring their cards), and new or inexperienced snorkelers will be show the ropes by the experienced staff. We move to several locations for variety, and may see several species of seabirds during our day. We return to Cairns late afternoon, and the evening is free to look around this small tropical city.               (L), Overnight Cairns Rainbow Inn

Day 7 – Thursday, January 12: Cairns / Alice Springs
The first part of the morning is free for a final walk along the Esplanade, a swim in the pool or a quick shop before we return to the airport for our 11.45amswimming pool Cairns Esplanade Queensland Australia Qantas flight 1949 to the center of Australia, Alice Springs, arriving at about 1.55pm. We are met and begin our exploration of this small city and surrounds, the heart of the Red Centre. Originally established as a telegraph station to serve the line running from Adelaide to Darwin to Asia, and hence to Europe, The Alice, as the town is referred to, has grown into a comfortable small city. The surrounding McDonnell Ranges and desert, and the clear and brilliantzold Telegraph Station Alice Springs Australia blue skies, provide adesert plants Alice Springs Australia stunning setting. The Todd River runs through the city, but like most rivers west of the Great Dividing Range, it is dry most of the time. However, this doesn’t stop the locals from arranging boat races – they simply knock the bottoms out, and run the course holding their craft. As it is quite hot at this time of the year, our time spent outdoors is mostly late afternoon, and tomorrow morning. (B,*L), Overnight Melanka Motel

The Washington & Jefferson College Australia Tour continues >>>>