Joni

I have never been to Australia and am interested in going next January/February for my anniversary. We are interested in hiking, birdwatching, and general nature walks. <BR> <BR>I have no idea where to begin. First, is January/February a bad time to go? Is it hot? Cold? Rainy season? <BR> <BR>Second, which areas should we concentrate on? I am more interested in rain forest than 140 degree desert. <BR> <BR>Are there any reputable tour groups anyone recommends for day outings? Not interested in big bus loads of people but in small groups or one-on-one guides, specializing in birds especially. <BR> <BR>Thanks for any assistance you can provide. <BR> <BR>

Mike

G'day Joni, <BR>there are plenty of places in Australia for birdwatching and nature walks. <BR>Your timing, ( Jan./Feb. ) will prevent you from doing much of that without having to suffer hot weather. <BR>Up north and in the centre you will strike heat of between 35C and 42C during the days. <BR>Worse still will be the humidity and the rain anywhere north of and as far down as Sydney and in the Top End and the Kimberley. <BR>It's the WET then ( Cyclone season ) with rain practically every day. <BR>This year Cyclones were no problem although there was still plenty of rain, however last year they lasted right through March and even during April we still had some heavy rain up north. <BR>Many tracks and even sealed roads were closed for long times and some tracks ( in the Kimberley and Kakadu ) were only re-opened for traffic as late as mid June. <BR>I was up north in 2000 with people on tours during March and in the Kimberley and Kakadu again during June/July. <BR>If you like I can tell you more about that, just email me. <BR> <BR>If you can't change your dates I would suggest that you forget about anything north of Sydney and concentrate on the south coast, Victoria and of course Tasmania. <BR>There are some rainforests in Vic., although only small areas and larger areas in Tasmania. All these however are temperate climate rainforests. <BR>There are also a couple of small deserts in Vic. and it is not often quite as hot there as it is in the deserts in SA, the Centre and in WA. <BR>There are some rare birds, especially in Victoria's Little Desert. <BR>A good area for all the interests you listed is the Victorian High Country and this is the area I generally take tours to during our summer months. <BR>There are huge forests there although not too much of it is rainforest like. <BR>Another area I often include in tours then is the Great Ocean Road and the Otways N.P.. ( Two small areas of rainforest there. ) <BR> <BR>I usually just take a max. of four participants on my tours, at times also just a couple who want a private tour. <BR> <BR>To sum up, Jan./Feb. is not the best time. Great in Tasmania and not too bad in Victoria. <BR> <BR>Joni I hope this is of help regards your planning. <BR>Cheers from Downunder, <BR>Mike.

Rhonda

Joni, I did a little search for you (I'm also interested). You may be interested in the following sites: <BR> <BR>Birdline Victoria http://home.iprimus.com.au/scooney/ <BR> <BR>www.birdsaustralia.com.au <BR> <BR>Birdwatching Australia <BR>http://www.ausbird.com/index.html <BR> <BR>Mike is right about the weather. <BR>Perhaps start north (NSW)and head south. Vic can be stinking hot in Feb. <BR> <BR>

Rhonda

Joni, to help you identify our birds buy a copy of THE SLATER FIELD GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN BIRDS by Slater, Slater & Slater. It's a handy little guide that'll fit into any bag or day pack. Not only helps with identification but tells you a bit about them too. Have a great trip.

marg

The Grampians area (about 250 km west of Melbourne) is a good place for walks, animals and birds. We almost always see emus, kangeroos, koalas etc plus plenty of birds there. Main accommodation centre is the very small town of Halls Gap which has several motels, B & Bs, camping grounds, restaurants etc.