Australia: Tasmania

  1. 2019
    Thursday, October 24, 2019 to Monday, October 28, 2019
    Tour Duration: 
    5 days
    Tour Price:
     $2,095 CAD, $1,595 USD
    Single Supplement:
     $430 CAD, $325 USD
    Tour Starts/Ends: 
    Hobart, Tasmania
    Guide: 
    Barry Davies
    Number of Persons Limit: 
    12
  2. 2020
    Thursday, October 22, 2020 to Monday, October 26, 2020
    Tour Duration: 
    5 days
Highlights

• Spectacular scenery and pristine forest at Mt Field National Park

• Spend a couple of days birding on Bruny Island to look for all 12 of Tasmania's endemics, including the flightless giant Tasmanian Native-Hen

• Evening/night excursion to search for marsupials including quolls, pademelons and potoroos!

• Peter Murrell Reserve

• Superb country of excellent infrastructure and hospitable people

 

Overview

Tasmania encompasses a wide variety of habitats and climates. The Victorian countryside seems reassuringly familiar due to two centuries of European settlement, but wildlife is specifically Australian. Large flocks of exotic parrots feed on the highway verges and multicolored fairy-wrens and honeyeaters fill the woods, while kangaroos graze in the paddocks. Tasmania holds many endemics, among them some fascinating birds, even flightless ones such as the Tasmanian Native Hen.

Combine this Tasmania birding tour with our Tropical Australia birding tour and our Eastern Australia birding tour.

Itinerary View Short Itinerary

Day 1: Hobart and Mt. Wellington

Our Tasmania birding tour begins after lunch. After meeting, we will visit Mt. Wellington and other birding spots near Hobart. Overnight Hobart.

Day 2: Mt. Field National Park

Today we will travel to Mt. Field National Park, which offers spectacular scenery and pristine forests, looking for birds and other wildlife along the way. This park is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Area and the vast Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. We will enjoy several short walks in the park and keep an eye out for platypus. Night in Hobart.

Days 3 and 4: Bruny Island

After breakfast, we will take a ferry to Bruny Island for our stay on the island. All twelve of Tasmania’s endemic species are found on Bruny: Tasmanian Native-hen, Green Rosella, Dusky Robin, Tasmanian Thornbill, Forty-spotted Pardalote, Tasmanian Scrubwren, Scrub-Tit, Yellow Wattlebird, Black Currawong, Strong-billed Honeyeater, Black-headed Honeyeater, and Yellow-throated Honeyeater.

We’ll spend two full days birding on the island targeting the endemics and the non-endemics that are more abundant on Tasmania than on the mainland, including Hooded Plover, Brush Bronzewing, Swift Parrot, Flame and Pink Robins, Crescent Honeyeater, and the Forest Raven, Tasmania’s only Corvid. Along the coast we should see Fairy Penguins, Black-faced Cormorants Short-tailed Shearwaters, and other seabirds. We will attempt to schedule a visit to the Inala Reserve where we have a good chance of seeing Forty-spotted Pardalote. At night we will spotlight for marsupials including Bennett’s Wallaby, Tasmanian Pademelon, Long-nosed Potoroo, and Eastern Quoll. Overnights on Bruny Island.

Day 5: Bruny Island - Hobart

We will return to Hobart, stopping at Peter Murrell Reserve to search for any species we may have missed. Today is the final day of the tour. Participants can opt to stay in Hobart and fly home the next day or take an afternoon flight to Sydney and fly home from there the following day. 

You can also extend your visit and take an optional flight to the wild southwest corner of Tasmania in search of Orange-belled Parrots.  This is the most reliable site for this species and there is also a chance of encountering Ground Parrot, Black Currawong and Southern Emu-Wren.  The flight is weather dependent and is at an additional cost.  

 

Map

Join us for something extraordinary! Contact us now!

Featured Wildlife

• Tasmanian Native-Hen

• Forty-spotted Pardalote

• Green Rosella

• Black Currawong

• Chestnut Teal

• Flame Robin

• Tasmanian Thornbill

• Yellow Wattlebird

• Fairy Penguin

• Long-nosed Potoroo

• Eastern Quoll

• Bennett’s Wallaby

 

Past Tour Checklists

2018 Australia: Tasmania tour species list (pdf)
2017 Australia: Tasmania tour species list (pdf)
2016 Tasmania tour species list (pdf)
2011 Tasmania tour species list (pdf)

What to Expect

Our daily travel schedule on our Tasmania birding tour varies. Most days involve a full day of birding, usually with a picnic lunch in a prime birding spot. Driving distances vary from short to moderate. We make frequent stops during each day’s travel. You can expect some early morning walks. This tour involves easy to moderate walking and hiking, as well as short forays away from the van. Most days we return in late afternoon to our accommodation. After-dinner activities are optional. Spotting scopes will be useful on this trip; the leader will have a scope for the group to share.

It is likely to be cool in Tasmania, especially on Bruny Island, and nights can be cold. Warm clothing is recommended and rain is possible at any time. Wet weather protection is recommended with light waterproof pants and jacket ideal. The sun can be intense, so sunscreen and a brimmed hat are advised. Our itinerary includes ferry rides to and from Bruny Island. Round-trip fare from Sydney to Hobart is not included. The list of birds and other wildlife seen will be reviewed each evening, and plans for the next day discussed.

Your Adventure Includes

• All accommodations
• All meals included
• Ferry trips included
• One guide and vehicle with 4 - 8 participants, two guides and vehicles with 9 - 12 participants
• All park, conservation, entrance fees
• Gratuities

Not Included:
• Travel to and from start/end location
• Travel Insurance
• Items of a personal nature 
• Optional flight to SW Tasmania in search of Orange-bellied Parrots