Take a 15-day journey through Queensland’s tropical landscapes, from rainforests to savannas and Mitchell grass plains, and from waterlily-covered lakes to mangrove-lined waterways. This tour explores the diverse habitats of Queensland’s remote north to search for some of the country’s most elusive and sought after species. 
Beginning in Cairns, you'll head west through the scenic Atherton Tablelands, into the dry country of the Gulf Plains, visiting Karumba and Burketown for the stunning Purple-crowned Fairywren, Buff-sided and Mangrove Robins, White-breasted Whistler, Sandstone Shrikethrush, and a host of finches. 
From Mount Isa, we’ll work our way back to the coast, looking for grasswrens, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, colourful Crimson and Orange Chats and, with luck, Grey Falcon, as well as a range of other species of the spinifex grasslands and rocky ranges of the inland. This guided tour offers a great opportunity to experience Australia's unique birdlife in a relaxed and scenic setting.

This nine-day tour is designed to target far North Queensland in the Wet Season where we have the best chance of a small number of very special migrants from Papua New Guinea, birds that have a short migration window and which visit our shores for a few months only.

We take in the lowland rainforests of the incomparable Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range National Park), followed by a couple of days in the Wet Tropics, just inland from Port Douglas.

The birds we will be seeking in Kutini-Payamu are the Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii), Black-winged Monarch and Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher. The kingfisher can also be found in the Wet Tropics further south and we’ll have a chance for them there too. Of course, there is a suite of additional amazing birds in this region that we’ll also target, like Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Magnificent Riflebird, Frill-necked Monarch, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Trumpet Manucode and Northern Scrub-robin, to name a few. Several of the species at the tip of Cape York occur no further south, as well as in Papua New Guinea, and represent an ancient avifauna that harks back to the last Ice Age, when there was a land bridge between Australia and PNG.

Around the Wet Tropics area our main target is Blue-faced Parrot-finch, at that time of year found in the highland rainforests. Here we will also look for other high-altitude specialties like Golden Bowerbird, Victoria’s Riflebird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Bridled Honeyeater and Fernwren, amongst others.

Join us on an extensive tour of this remote region of Western Australia, taking in a wide variety of habitats such as spinifex-covered ranges, rocky gorges, mangroves, mulga and extensive mudflats. The scenery throughout the Pilbara and Shark Bay regions is breathtaking, and is home to unique wildlife. Targets include Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, Western Grasswren, Striated (Pilbara) Grasswren, Western Bowerbird, Grey-headed Honeyeater, Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater, Grey Honeyeater, Spinifexbird, Rufous Fieldwren, Dusky Gerygone, Spinifex Pigeon, Flock Bronzewing, Mangrove Robin, Mangrove Golden Whistler, White-breasted Whistler, Painted Finch and, with luck, the rare and elusive Grey Falcon. Mammals also feature on this tour and we will target Red Kangaroo, Common Wallaroo (Euro), Black-flanked Rock Wallaby, Rothschild’s Rock Wallaby, Dugong, Common Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Finlayson’s Cave Bat, Kaluta and Pilbara Pebble-mound Mouse. Expect interesting reptiles and plants too!

The Pilbara also contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including granitoids that are over three billion years old, ancient remains of stromatolites (the earliest fossil evidence of life) whose living relatives we will see at Shark Bay, and Aboriginal rock art. And we cannot forget the famous Red Dog, whose statue we will also visit on this tour.

We are also very excited to visit world-famous and spectacular Shark Bay region which includes a trip to Dirk Hartog Island (seldom offered on itineraries due to the difficulty of organising logistics) where we will search for specialities such as the black and white form of White-winged Fairywren and the isolated Dirk Hartog subspecies of Southern Emu-wren and Western Fieldwren. We also have the chance to see the range-restricted Western Grasswren. This is a tour not to be missed.

Exploring Tasmania's Southern Ocean for Pelagic Birdwatching.

We will board a charter vessel (weather permitting), making our way into the vastness of the Southern Ocean in our quest for pelagic birds. High species diversity and the nearness of the continental shelf have earned Tasmania an international reputation as an excellent place to see pelagic species.

Not long after we depart Pirate’s Bay, we will hopefully encounter Short-tailed Shearwater in considerable number.  This is one of the finest places on the planet to see a diversity of albatross and Wandering, Royal, Shy, Campbell, Black-browed, and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross are all possible.  With land still in sight we will reach the continental shelf and begin to lay a berley trail from the back of the boat.  Possible petrels include White-chinned, Great-winged, Grey-faced, the striking White-headed, Gould’s, Cook’s and Mottled. Shearwater diversity is also good with Hutton’s, Fluttering, Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwater all possible. Wilson’s, Grey-backed and White-faced Storm Petrels and Fairy Prion are also regularly seen. Mammals we may encounter include Australian Fur-seals, Hump-backed Whale, Common and Bottlenose Dolphin.

With its combination of wildlife and spectacular landscape and its glimpse into this ancient continent’s prehistory, this tour is not to be missed.

We are offering several suggestions for excellent day birding & nature tours around the Melbourne area, if none of these suit you then do get in touch for us to craft a day specific to your wishes.

The tours can be combined as a longer tour package of several days and do get in touch if you are interested in longer tours around the state of Victoria

OPTION 1. Mallee and Box-Ironbark Woodlands.
OPTION 2. Coastal Heathlands, Woodlands and Forests.
OPTION 3. Wet Forests.

We can offer either single day tours or multi-day tours by combining several day tour options.  Click the itinerary tab for tour descriptions.

If you would like us to create a longer itinerary for adventuring around Tasmania for several days or weeks, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We have over 30 years of experience as a travel consultant and tour operator and specialize in designing personalised itineraries for nature-based tours throughout Australia. We work directly with clients themselves, as well as with travel companies from all over the world. Inala offers a range of options, from accommodation-only stays to all-inclusive tours, and just about everything in between.  We know Tasmania inside and out.

Your guide can collect and return you to your Hobart area accommodation (We are always very happy to assist with your accommodation arrangements) or can collect you directly from a visiting cruise ship at the Hobart dock.

A property tour is a wonderful opportunity to see some rare and threatened flora and fauna on Inala's Private Conservation Reserve.

Walk with one of our specialist guides around the Inala Private Conservation Reserve, which is home to a variety of threatened species and all 12 Tasmanian endemic birds. This tour gives you the opportunity to observe the Endangered Tasmanian endemic Forty-spotted Pardalote from the purpose-built canopy platform within one of its largest  known colonies. You may also have the chance to view raptors such as the Tasmanian subspecies of the Wedge-tailed Eagle and the white morph of the Grey Goshawk from the raptor viewing hide if they come by during your visit. 

Exploring the rich and varied habitats of Inala will give opportunities to see a broad selection of birds and frequently between 8 – 12 endemic bird species are seen during a tour.  We can tailor the tour to suit your interests and mobility, and your guide will focus on any particular birds, wildlife or plants you were hoping to see at Inala.

This tour is subject to the availability of a Bruny based guide.
View the Itinerary section below, for more information about the property tour.

BOOK on a SCHEDULED DEPARTURE OF THE PROPERTY TOUR HERE.

On these great value, inclusive two or three day comprehensive tours, you can enjoy most of the natural wonders of Bruny Island.

The personalised multi day and night tour package, gives you the opportunity to explore the nature of Bruny Island with a specialist guide and gives you enough time to visit a number of different locations and habitats and really get under the skin of this incredible island.

Your interests and wishes will dictate the course of the days and the locations visited. View the Itinerary section below, as an example of how the tours might run.