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

Australia/New Zealand tour for Richard & Margaret Atmar

continues......

Day 12– Sunday, April 24: Grampians / Melbourne
Return to Melbourne today via Ballarat. Along the way visit the underground tasting rooms of Seppelts Great Western Vineyards, and the smaller but high quality Best’s Vineyards. A stop in Ballarat at the Gold Museum, part of the Sovereign Hill historical park, will inform about the extensive part gold played in Victoria's, and Australia’s, development, and the heroic stand by miners at the Eureka Stockade, an on-going inspiration for the Republican push in Australia.

Day 13 - Monday, April 25: Melbourne
Relax and see more of Melbourne today. The terrace houses of East Melbourne are architecturally interesting, and at the 120 year-old Queen Victoria Market (you need to have your pop-up blocker turned off to access this site) there's not much from clothing to the weekly meat supply that can't be bought, and everthing in between, and a lot of characters to serve and entertain you. The market is open from 6am until about noon. The wine bars, restaurants and small shops of Carlton, adjacent to Melbourne University and known as Little Italy, or the bookstores, including some specializing in wildlife and Australiana, of Prahran may also be of interest. Melbourne Zoo in nearby Royal Park has a fine collection of both exotic and native animals, in mostly naturalistic settings. Your hotel desk can assist you in getting to these places, just a few minutes away by the ubiquitous Melbourne trams.

Day 14– Tuesday, April 26: Melbourne / Phillip Island
After a morning of exploring Melbourne drive to Phillip Island, about 1 ½ hours south. A dusk rolls in hundreds of Fairy Penguins make their way back to their dune burrows after foraging in the sea. Included is the more intimate semi-private viewing platform, with ranger talk, or you can upgrade to the private, guided viewing area to see the penguins in the best way possible.

Day 15– Wednesay, April 27: Phillip Island / Bairnsdale / Orbost
Self drive from Phillip Island through the Strzelecki Ranges to Bairnsdale where you will meet your guide from Echidna Walkabout, who will travel in your vehicle for next few days in East Gippsland. Drive to the Gippsland Lakes and onto an island literally covered with Koalas. Here you will take a beautiful forest walk with sightings of birdlife including parrots, honeyeaters and black swans. The stroll though this place serves as an introduction to East Gippsland as you discover some of the plants of the region. A delicious twilight dinner with wine precedes an evening of spotlighting in the eucalypt forest for the great flying possums of this area. You’ll search for the large Greater Glider abundant in the forest and quite sedentary in its habits, the smaller Yellow-bellied glider, active and aggressive in its search for food, often seen volplaning through the forest canopy. Also here is the Sugar Glider, about a foot long with a paired strip down its back, a beautiful creature and quite active; and you may also see the tiny Feathertail Glider, vulnerable and highly erratic in its movements. Due to the spotlighting It will be late evening when you check in at our accommodation - a Bed & Breakfast near the small town of Orbost. D

Day 16– Thursday, April 28: Orbost / Murrungowar / Mallacoota
Today you will take several walks through magnificent and very different ecosystems. First travel high into the mountains backing onto the coast, rising at an ever increasing rate into huge stands of white-trunked eucalypts standing anything up to 200 feet over us. These forests abound in East Gippsland and entering them is like moving into a towering cathedral - many of the trees are over 300 years old. Your first walks today are along an easy track under the canopy of towering eucalypts to a waterfall set amongst the meeting zone of cool and warm temperate rainforests - a place called "Murrungowar", a respectful Aboriginal word. Later, on our way back to the coast stop to walk through a fascinating grouping of Cabbage Tree Palms set in dense lowland rainforest. The birdlife here is staggering and we often see very unusual species here including some of the shyer pigeons and doves. The place is often teeming with Rainbow Lorikeets and other parrots. The "pinging" ring of the Bell Miners echoes across the rainforest - an entrancing sound. Finally we head to Mallacoota, a delightful village located deep in the wilderness beside Croajingolong National Park. B

Day 17– Friday, April 29: Croajingolong
Croajingolong National Park is considered one of the finest reserves in Australia. It spans the south-east corner of Australia and is a pristine wilderness of eucalyptus forests, coastal heathlands, deep secret rivers and secluded estuaries. Croajingolong was the original Aboriginal name for East Gippsland. The national park has been classified by the United Nations as a World Biosphere Reserve. Mallacoota is located beside a large estuary known as Mallacoota Inlet. The town is a perfect location to explore this beautiful, untouched region. Options today include birdwatching beside the lake system, boating trips to view some of the waterbirds of the region, and a coastal walk on the Wilderness Coast. Your guide knows this area extremely well and will make suggestions according to your personal preferences. B

Day 18– Saturday, April 30: Mallacoota / Canberra
Today say farewell to your guide, and leave Mallacoota for a scenic and often spectacular drive north through the Snowy Mountains to Canberra, Australia’s capital located on the high plains of Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Along the way you’ll travel in the shadow of Australia’s highest mountains, including Mt Kozciusko, at 7350 ft the highest peak in Australia. B

click here to continue with your Australia tour >>>>