australian vacation advice
 

Hello. I am looking for a great spot in australia where there are many opportunities to interact with the wildlife. I am especially interested in swimming with the dolphins. As an animal lover I don't want to go to an animal park but prefer seeing the wildlife. I am not a traveler by any means, but I have a sabbatical from work next year and want to plan a unforgettable vacation. Thanks for any help you all can give!

Hello jacksimone,

>>>>>>I am looking for a great spot in australia where there are many opportunities to interact with the wildlife.<<<<<<

There are many places in Australia where you can do this. Since Australia covers so many latitudes, and has such a wide range of climatic zones, it would help to know when and for how long you plan to be in Australia. Then we can recommend a part of the country in which the weather is likely to be most pleasant.

>>>>>>I am especially interested in swimming with the dolphins.<<<<<<

I have never done this myself, but I gather there are several places in Australia where one can observe dolphins and/or swim with them.

I myself saw dolphins, but did not swim with them, during a cruise in the Whitsunday Islands.

A Calgary friend of mine swam with dolphins somewhere near Melbourne, and enjoyed it very much.

I've read that people go to Tangalooma Island in Moreton Bay near Brisbane to see dolphins. I don't know how close the contact between humans and dolphins is, i.e., I don't know if people swim with dolphins.

I understand people also flock to see dolphins at Monkey Mia in Western Australia.

I once read an article about research that an Australian university had done in the mid 1990s. The purpose of the study was to determine what impact, if any, human contact was having on wild dolphins. The study indicated that the movements, feeding patterns and other behaviours of the Tangalooma Island dolphins were largely unchanged at that time. The Monkey Mia dolphins, however, had become partially dependent on food handouts from tourist boats, to the point that mother dolphins had grown slightly neglectful of their calves, and the mortality rate amongst calves was somewhat higher than normal.

When you said you wanted to "interact" with wildlife, I think what you may have meant was "observe" wildlife. At least I hope that's what you meant. The way I see it, if wild animals get habituated to humans, they're not really wild any more.

From everything I've read, dolphins are very comfortable swimming amongst humans. As long as the dolphins are not enticed with food, I don't know that there is any harm in swimming amongst them. It was quite a while ago that my friend went swimming with the dolphins near Melbourne. I forget the exact details, but I do remember her saying that the boat operator was careful to have minimal impact on the dolphins and gave passengers a list of do's and don'ts.

There are many places in Australia where one can see animals in the wild. One may have some luck and see them on one's own, but one can enhance one's chances if one goes with an experienced guide.

As far as Far North Queensland (the area around Cairns) is concerned, guides whose names repeatedly come up at Fodors are David Armbrust and Pete Baxendell (mainly in connection with the Daintree wet tropical rainforest) and Jonathan Munro (mainly in connection with the Atherton Tableland / Cairns Highlands).

It may pay to go on an evening wildlife viewing tour, as several species of Australian native animals are nocturnal.

This is something that Cairns resident Pat Woolford knows a lot about but, because of the time difference, I'm sure she's still asleep as I type this.

Although I have not been there, Tasmania receives high praise here at Fodors for its wildlife viewing opportunities.

But, as I said before, there are <b>many</b> places in Australia that can fulfill your wishes, and there probably is little point in rambling on until we hear back from you about your timing.

Postscript. I'm not sure <b>how</b> I could have mentioned Australia's wildlife and not included the Great Barrier Reef. That is <b>really</b> worth seeing, but I probably don't need to tell you that because almost everyone's heard of the GBR.

There's also the matter of Australia's islands, not Tasmania, which I've mentioned already, but smaller islands, e.g., Heron Island. See, for example, this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34546098

Coincidentally, the 'Sydney Morning Herald' today reports that the state of New South Wales is considering giving dolphins, porpoises and dugongs protection from curious swimmers and tourists (whales are already protected in this way). An 'exclusion zone' of 30 metres (whales 100m) has been proposed by the NSW National Parks &amp; Wildlife Service.

The article (&quot;Back off rubbernecks: dolphins given their space in the water&quot;) can be found at:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Environme...206053130.html

OK you can swim and feed the dolphins at Tangalooma off Brisbane which is a really nice part of the world - you can see whats available on:
http://www.tangalooma.com/tangalooma/start.asp
You didn't say at what time of year you would be having your holiday and that makes a bit of difference in our replies as there is nothing worse that being somewhere at the wrong time.

Thanks for the replies. Right now I am planning on travelling during the February - March timeframe, but I'm pretty flexible.

Below I've listed some of the places I've been that were good for seeing Aussie animals in the wild or in a natural setting. It's a given that kangaroos and wallabies are seen just about everywhere, especially in most national parks. The birdlife Down Under is amazing and, again, you'll see beautiful birds almost anywhere you go. Koalas are harder to find, but nonetheless can even be seen in some of Brisbane outer suburbs. Large lizards such as goannas are seen in a many places as well.

Carnarvon Gorge, Central Queensland
roos, platypuses, gliders, emus

Warrumbungle Ranges (Central NSW)
roos, koalas, emus

Undarra Lava Tubes (Northern Queensland)
roos, emus, gliders, bettongs

Fraser Island (SE Queensland)- Dingoes, whales

Kakadu National Park - roos, crocodiles, giant termite mounds, birdlife galore, frilled lizards

Wallaman Falls (North Queensland)-cassowaries, platypuses

Noosa Heads National Park (SE Queensland)- koalas

Lamington National Park (SE Queensland) - roos, wallabies, koalas (at Binna Burra), birdlife galore

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (Canberra, ACT)- roos, koalas, emus. Not sure how things are at T'billa after the recent bushfires in the ACT

Eungella National Park (Mid coast Queensland)- platypuses

Tangalooma, SE Queensland - dolphins, but under controlled conditions, understandably

In season, whales and dolphins are seen at various places along the east coast (maybe even the west coast, but I'm not so familiar with WA): Cape Byron, Hervey Bay, Tangalooma, Heron Island

Lots of other great wildlife places, I'm sure. I've not yet been to Kangaroo Island or Wilson's Promontory, but they first come to mind as other quality wildlife spots.

Jack - somewhere in your journey, you will need to visit some of our National Parks, to properly see wildlife in their natural state, as you requested.
RalphR has given an extensive list, and could I just add another National Park to that list...Cape Hillsborough National Park (a coastal park, with kangaroos, scrub turkeys, etc)just north of Mackay, Qld.
I was in Noosa Heads just recently, and we had a bush turkey or scrub turkey, making a next in the garden at the rear of this resort we stayed in. Down on Hasting Street, where it traverses out to Noosa National Park, we had another bush turkey trying to eat a discarded bread roll in the middle of the road, and motorists trying to drive around it. It was a pity to see a wild animal in this position, luckily it didn't get by a car. Then walking along the timber walkway, someone spotted a koala in nearby tree, well then we had every man &amp; his dog standing &amp; staring. I'm sorry I just don't crowds, and Noosa puts me right off now. Jack stick to the National Parks, and try &amp; enjoy viewing wildlife, without the crowds.

trop - brush turkeys aren't very smart. Just the other day we saw one walking down our drive, &quot;Oooh, look&quot; we said &quot;haven't seen one on this side of road for ages&quot;. (they live across the road where there's rainforest bordering Barron River). With that the turkey hopped onto the fence and leapt straight under an oncoming car which had no chance of avoiding it. My husband took him over by the river and buried him. Quite sad.

Sure, I forgot Cape Hillsborough - nice spot, kangaroos on the beach at times. More off the beaten track than Noosa.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Right now I am planning on travelling during the February - March timeframe, but I'm pretty flexible.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

That should be a nice time to travel in much of Australia.

There are those who would recommend staying away from the Red Centre (Ayers Rock/Uluru and Alice Springs) in the summer. But a recent poster reported that he had a good time there, in December if I remember correctly.

The Top End will still be going through The Wet. Again there are those who prefer to avoid The Wet, but the Far North Queensland residents who post here say the forest is bursting with life. Activities are doable, but maybe build in some spare time for glitches (GBR boat can't go out to sea on your preferred day, Tully River floods, or whatever).

Australia is about the size of the lower 48 states of the USA, so much depends on the amount of time you have. Unless you have lots of time (like four months of something), it's better to drive a few, specific routes that you have identified as the ones you want to see in detail, and fly amongst the rest of your destinations. Compare domestic air fares amongst Jetstar, Virgin Blue and Qantas.

Hope that helps.

Postscript. Recommend you travel from south to north within Australia. That way, if you do make it as far as FNQ, you're likely to reach there later in your trip rather than earlier.

I was just on the beach in Western Australia this past week watching my bf surf and there were 2 separate times that a group of dolphins were waiting with the surfers for the &quot;best set&quot; of waves to come in. It was so interesting. No one seemed to be bugging each other. They were all just sitting there. It was really great to see.

Another thing Jack, in Margaret River area is you can see soooo many kangaroos. As well as beautiful birds.

Imanta is right about surfing in Margaret River but if you take out the surf and the wineries there is little else in Western Australia in comparison to the amount of things to see and do which are easily accessible on the eastern side of Australia.
W.A is for the more intrepid traveller with its North Western areas being the best area and most interesting - in the winter time in Australia. W. A. is vast, mostly desert and expensive to get to.

I would highly recommend both Cradle Mountain and Freycinet National Parks in Tasmania for their wildlife and generally astoundingly beautiful scenery. To get there, you would fly to Launceston (via Melbourne, if you can't fly direct). You are able to pick up hire cars at Launceston Airport also. I have attached a couple of weblinks for you to peruse, which might help you to make up your mind:
http://www.freycinetlodge.com.au/freylodg.htm
http://www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au/
http://www.discovertasmania.com/home/index.cfm
I am from Brisbane and my husband and I recently went to Tasmania for our honeymoon. It is really the best place in Australia to see wildlife in their natural habitat and for breathtaking scenery. I wish you well in your journey planning!