|
Australian Natural Adventures A specialist
travel agency for Australia travel, Australia tour, and all things
Australian.
|
|
Australian Natural Adventures A specialist
travel agency for Australia travel, Australia tour, and all things
Australian.
|
Tourism
Australia accredited Premier Aussie Specialist.
giant
mudskipper found here grows to over 9”. In addition to Jonathon
your boat guide this morning is an expert naturalist and birder, and
the early start has been made to see as much wildlife as possible.
As th
e
day warms up the saltwater crocodiles will begin to bask, and these
will be a feature of the return trip up river. From the river you
will head south, veering inland at Mossman to enter the rainshadow
of the coastal range. In a few miles the rainfall drops from 150”
to perhaps 30”, and the vegetation changes rapidly. This dry
country has its own fauna, and Jonathon will be looking for wallabies,
wallaroos and kangaroos that do not occur in the wet forest, as well
as birds – this is the closest place to Cairns to see Wedge-tailed
Eagles, on of the world’s largest. Along the way you’ll
stop at a couple of lakes and wetland areas to look for Black-necked
Storks, ducks, wading birds and Black Swans. A 
stop
at Granite Gorge will get you up close with Mareeba Rock-wallabies,
and most likely a bower of the Great Bower-bird, with its delight
in collecting red and white objects to adorn it bower. Eventually
you return to the rainforest, now at about 2000ft in elevation on
the southern 
small 
ontinue
to explore the Tablelands today. You’ll start with an early
morning Platypus watch
,
and continue from there. Over the day you’ll see, and learn
about, the ancient rainforest, its plants and animals, history and
geology. Over the course of the day you will make your way south,
while the elevation increases to about 3000ft. Once it is dark you
will go spotlighting, on Jonathon’s property, for nocturnal
mammals and birds, In addition to the tree roo, you’ll be looking
for Lemuroid Ringtail, Coppery Brushtail, Green Ringtail, and Herbert
River Ringtail – all possums. The black and white Herbert River
is a particularly handsome animal. Les
s
common species include the mostly insectivorous Striped Possum and
the tiny Long-tailed Pygmy-possum. Two species of Bandicoots may be
seen, and by moving into the drier adjacent eucalypt forest Greater
Glider, Common Ringtail and Fluffy Glider may be seen. Both Lesser
Sooty and Rufous Owl occur here, as well as Tawny Frogmouth in the
dry forest. After an exhilarating day and evening you return to your
ecolodge, looking for Barn Owls on the fences along the way. (B,L,D)
Day
16 - Sunday, July 22: Atherton Tablelands / Cairns
after
lunchtime, and check into your hotel located on Cairns’ foreshore,
directly across from the prime shorebird area of the Esplanade, which
is one of Australia’s best shorebird area. After settling in,
and cleaning up, wander along the foreshore to one of the many restaurants
and perhaps visit some of the art galleries in town. Several, including
the 
ara
Resort. This a
fternoon’s
activity is to be decided. About one hour before sunset you will be
picked up and transferred to a sand dune a little way from Uluru (as
Ayers Rock is known to the local Aboriginal people, although there
is a little controversy as to what Uluru really is referring to, and
by which group). Here a didgeridoo’s sounds greet you, and you
watch the sun set on Uluru, one of the most inspiring sights possible.
As the colors change, you will be sipping on canapés and champagne.
Afterwards sit down, under the southern stars, for a truly memorable
dinner (the event, not the food!). Once dinner is over you have the
opportunity to observe the constellations and stars through a telescope,
while your guide explains which is which. Don’t forget to ask
how to find south, and tell the time, by the stars. (B,D) 
ll
then retrace the path of the Liru Ancestors through the bushland near
Uluru. Your guides will relate the tragic fate of Lungkata (Blue Tongue
Lizard Man), who is still lying at the base of Uluru. This is done
in Ptitjantjatjara, which is translated for you. There’ll be
demonstrations of ancient bush skills such as makin
g
kiti (bush glue), making fire without matches and carving wooden tools
with only a sharpened stone. You also participate, by learning to
hold and throw a spear. In addition to experiencing Uluru itself,
this morning is an opportunity to get to know the world’s oldest
continuous culture, one that traces its direct ancestors back over
40,000 years, and whose stories (dreamings) have been passed down
by word of mouth much of that time. Most importantly, this is not
just a history lesson, but insight into a people still with the beliefs
and skills, and art, of a time thousands of years before the famous
paintings graced Spanish or French caves, and who were living here
and telling these tales when Neanderthals still buried their dead
in Europe. 
Kata Tjuta, another fascinating and significant formation. Kata Tjuta
is a series of huge rounded rocks hills, and once again an important
Aboriginal area. Your guide will show you the area, and describe stories
of the Dreamtime relevant to Kata Tjuta (not in full as the stories
are only fully available to tribal members, as was the case this morning),
as well as geology and history. The day ends with a sunset some say
equal to that on Uluru itself, of course once again toasted with a
glass of bubbly. You return to the resort in time for dinner. (B)
unrise
is at 7.27am this morning, and your flight is at 9.40am, and so you
will have time to walk out to one of the viewing platforms in the
desert near the resort to watch the sun rise on Uluru from a distance,
with nothing but desert between you. The change in the desert’s
hues, with Uluru picking up the first rays, is a sight quite different
to that closer up, and gives you a sense of the vastness and emptiness
of Australia’s heart. You are then shuttled back to the airport
for your flight to Adelaide, arriving at 2.35pm. Your three hours
here is long enough for a quick taxi ride tour into Adelaide, about
ten minutes away, or you might just relax at the new airport. At 5.25
fly across to Kangaroo Island, where you are met and transferred to
your island accommodation ((
day of 
exploration.
You’ll first visit the redgum forest along the Cygnet River
valley to seek out koalas sleeping in the forks of the trees, then
travel through some of the best wool-producing areas on the island
to a conservation park on the north coast. Here we walk through the
habitat of Kangaroo Island Kangaroos, Tammar Wallabies and the endangered
Glossy Black Cockatoo. For lunch enjoy a delicious seafood barbeque
served with fine South Australian wines before heading to a colony
of Australian Sealions. At 
reveal
watching pups nursing or playing in the surf. Old bulls bear the scars
of territorial disputes, as your guide explains when he tells us about
their unique breeding biology. In the afternoon we visit Cape Gantheaume
Conservation Park including D'Estrees Bay - where ospreys nest, and
kangaroos come out late in the day to feed. After this you are dropped
off at your accommodation. This evening you will enjoy a spotlighting
tour, including seeing the tiny Fairy Penguins which return to their
burrows each evening from foraging in the sea. (B,L,D)
platypus and many birds including the rare Cape Barren Goose. At Cape
du Couedic on the south-west tip is a New Zealand Furseal colony which
is rapidly expanding. These animals can be observed at rest on the
rocks or 
frolicking
in the surf under Admirals Arch - a spectacular coastal grotto. On
the headland above is Cape du Couedic Lighthouse which plays an important
role in navigation. Further down the coast are the Remarkable Rocks,
huge natural granite sculptures on the cliff top. Lunch today is a
picnic in the bush before exploring more of the Island. Depending
upon the day you might take a walk to a secluded cove, or watch for
a platypus by a quiet pool. You return to the eastern end of the island
via Vivonne Bay, one of the few protected bays on the south coast
At the end of your exciting day you will be taken to the airport,
for your 6.35pm Rex flight 4772 back to Adelaide, arriving at 7.05pm.
Continue on to Melbourne at 8pm, arriving at 9.50pm Overnight at the
airport hotel.
(B,L)