Pick-up from your hotel
Our tours commence with complimentary pick-up at your Sydney city hotel or a central city location. Take it easy - today you can sleep in and relax, as our tours don't start until around noon (varies depending on season). A nice break from the usual busy travel schedules! The exact pick-up time will be confirmed to you upon booking, determined by seasonal variations in sunset times, and your location.
Travel to the Southern Highlands
At just 100kms distance from Sydney, the Southern Highlands is easily accessible. The drive to our first stop takes just under 90 minutes, during which time your Guide will brief you on the day, and give you an informative and interesting background on the uniqueness of Australian wildlife. You'll be travelling in our 4WD vehicles, customised to help you get the most out of your day. Our Mitsubishi Delica carries 7 passengers comfortably, with ample space and legroom, air-conditioning, seatbelts and headrests. There's also an onboard television / DVD player so you can relax with a movie on the way home.
Importantly, our 4WD vehicles are customised for a great wildlife-viewing experience. Onboard field guides, binoculars, torches (flashlights) and spotlights are all at your disposal throughout the day. Your Guide also has a 20x zoom video camera, connected to the internal TV, allowing the Guide to zoom in to catch the wildlife so you don't miss a thing. Learn more about our vehicles here.
Fitzroy Falls
Our first stop within the Southern Highlands is at Fitzroy Falls, in Morton National Park. Lying in the path of Yarrunga Creek, the Falls drop 80 metres into the Kangaroo River below, and on through the vast Morton National Park. We'll travel for a short distance along a 4WD fire trail before getting out to explore the bush and the spectacular views. The vegetation here ranges from Sclerophyll (gum tree) forest to light scrub, with pockets of temperate rainforest amidst sandstone plateaux. It's a great place to become initiated with the Australian bush, while taking the chance to look and listen for the distinctive 'mimic' calls of the Lyrebird. You may even catch a glimpse of a Platypus in the river here - though we'll have better chances for that later in the afternoon.
Lunch
At the outskirts of the Southern Highlands we'll enjoy a light picnic-style lunch. Your lunch is included in your tour, and includes an array of wraps, sandwiches, salad, fruit and more, prepared and presented in individual lunch boxes. Dietary requirements may be catered for, but we do need to know any requests before your day or travel please. Juice and water is included with your lunch. Learn more about Lunch here.
Koala Walk
After lunch, we hop back in our 4WD and venture on to the rural community Canyonleigh. This region of the Southern Highlands is still very undeveloped, with no actual towns to speak of - just thousands of acres of farms, uncleared bush and natural hills and canyons. Perfect for experiencing wildlife! Driving along the ridge of a dirt trail we'll venture by foot into the bush to search amongst the forest for Koalas.
Arguably one of Australia's most iconic animals, Koalas are elusive and well-hidden from most bushwalkers. With the help of our experienced Guides however, you have a very good chance of seeing them on our bushwalks. You'll easily find evidence of koalas, including their distinctive 2-thumbed scratch marks on towering Grey Gums (one of their favourite food sources), scats (droppings) and perhaps the low growling roar of a male koala. We find that we see koalas on average about half the time - patience and a keen eye are the key!
Wildlife drive
Descending by 4WD into the valleys we head off in search of other wildlife. The afternoon is getting on now, so our chances of seeing the wildlife is getting better. Here we're likely to come across kangaroos and wallabies feeding in the paddocks or amongst the lightly wooded clearings. Emus are a common sight in small groups, and at certain times of the year we'll find Dad tending for his brood of chicks. Wombats predominantly feed in the evening and night, but we'll often see them here during the day, particularly in rainy weather or during leaner times. Other animals like wild deer and foxes are also around, or hopefully we may chance upon an echidna burrowing into the ground. On an authentic wildlife tour we can never guarantee what we'll see, but you're sure not to be disappointed.
Platypus River Walk
Continuing on, we head to the river in search of one of the world's most paradoxical animals - the platypus. When word first reached London of this strange creature, it was assumed to be a hoax devised by the explorer/scientists of the New World. The time just before dusk is the perfect time to spot this very shy, elusive creature and we know just the spot! We see platypus most tours on our river walk, and it's a thrill every time.
Dinner
For dinner, we call in to a typical Australian inn for - a cosy, fun spot to enjoy a hearty country-style meal in casual surroundings, a definitely rural Australian experience. The dinner menu includes a range of hot meals, with vegetarian options available. Dinner is included in your tour, with drinks of your choice an additional charge. Learn more about Dinner here.
Night-spotting
After dinner we head a short distance north in search of nocturnal life. At night, the Australian Bush is alive with activity. Wombats roam the grasslands, kangaroos and wallabies feed amongst the trees, and in the treetops possums, gliders and bats are foraging for food. With the aid of vehicle-mounted spotlights, as well as hand-held spotlights we'll drive and walk the bush tracks looking for the night creatures. A glowing pair of eyes are easily spotted in the spotlight's glare - an exciting find in the tree canopy.
Heading back to Sydney
Following our night-spotting adventure we return to our vehicle for the 60 minute drive back to Sydney. The onboard TV / DVD comes into its own with a movie or documentary to relax to on the return journey. You'll return to your hotel approximately 10pm (varies depending on season), after what we're sure will be a unique and exhilirating day with Boutique Wildlife Tours.