Celebrating survival after 2 years of Covid lockdowns
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Covid has made Echidna Walkabout more determined to make things right for wildlife.
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To do that we’ve made some big changes.
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Starting today we’ll focus exclusively on our exciting multi-day conservation tours across Australia
We now travel east to west across Australia — from the wildlife-rich forests beside the Pacific Ocean in East Gippsland to the Whale sharks of Ningaloo in the Indian Ocean.
From the desert Outback of Mungo National Park to the wild tropics of Kakadu National Park and far north Queensland.
Plus we’ll keep helping koalas by planting tens of thousands of trees on the western plains near Melbourne
Let’s look at the changes…..
1. Right Across Australia we’ll be giving back to wildlife.
Using our home page Travel Theme selector and our updated Tours Portfolio you can now mix and match to build extended wildlife experiences right across Australia.
These multi-day tours are led by our own experienced Wildlife Guides and can extend from 3 days all the way up to 25 days and longer.
Small groups enhance wildlife viewing
To make things easier we’ll help plan your extended wildlife journey. Or we’ll work with your travel agent to ensure your Australian trip is unique.
Whichever way you choose to go, your trip will be filled with high quality wildlife and conservation-based experiences.
To ensure everything goes smoothly we work closely with our partners at Australian Wildlife Journeys.
All our one day touring will cease (excepting some special group tours)
2. Planting koala forests with Janine Duffy
From March 23rd 2020 (2 years ago today) during the Covid pandemic our touring operations were halted. But that led to a remarkable renewal for Echidna Walkabout, working alongside our not-for-profit Koala Clancy Foundation.
Our aim: to plant “koala forests” that will save the endangered koala.
So for two years we planted tens of thousands of trees for koalas: on the plains surrounding our beloved You Yangs range and in East Gippsland.
Plans are now afoot to plant 300,000 trees by 2030.
Which has led to the biggest change of all.
Janine Duffy, Echidna Walkabout’s much loved Marketing & Wildlife Research Director, has moved full-time as CEO and President of the Koala Clancy Foundation. She’s using her networking skills to build the Foundation’s support base in Australia and across the globe. (Janine is still a Director at Echidna Walkabout).
Janine Duffy, centre, with part of the Koala Clancy Foundation team
You can read more about the last 24 months, including Janine’s achievements for koalas here: Our best 10 conservation travel stories
3. Our heating planet is the biggest threat to wildlife
There’s an undeniable story of a heating planet in the terrible photos of koalas burning in unprecedented bushfires and emaciated polar bears floundering in the ocean where there was once ice.
That’s why we’re taking positive action to stop climate change.
Echidna Walkabout has signed the “Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism” which commits us to reducing carbon emissions by a minimum of 50% by 2030 and to zero by 2050. We plan to meet these commitments much earlier than the due dates!
As a result we’ve decided to cease operating day tours. Why? Compared to extended touring, day tours emit significantly higher emissions.
So we’ll plant trees instead!
4. We’re focussed on our core values: giving back to wildlife and being different
In a world seemingly hell bent on self destruction we’re focussed on following a different course by helping you give back to nature.
We do that by making things better for our wildlife, for wild places, for local communities, for you and for future generations. These have been our core values since we began operating tours in 1993!
And that’s why we go to different places and do things differently. We move slowly and stay longer….so you can learn more — and do more.
5. Find out more: join the Wildlife Journey, our signature tour
Fabulously diverse East Gippsland — a wilderness in the south-east corner of Australia — has been part of our touring portfolio for 25 years.
This 4 day expedition into the tall forests and remote beaches of East Gippsland is simply called the “Wildlife Journey”. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to help make things right for wildlife.
And recently we upgraded this trip with additional conservation actions that will help East Gippsland recover from the terrible 2019-20 bushfires.
So, with careful planning, and the support of locals, this tour has morphed into a unique wildlife experience that covers all our core values including
- Documenting and learning about this wildlife rich region. From wildlife listing (atlassing) to removing ghost nets, helping koalas impacted by fire, checking the movements of rare species and exploring new and exciting locations
- Supporting remote communities by buying supplies locally
- Learning from local Aboriginal People
- Staying 3 nights in the same accommodation which means we use less fuel PLUS you don’t need to repack you bags each day
The Wildlife Journey has become our signature wildlife experience as it encapsulates everything we believe in.
Help wildlife by booking our signature Wildlife Journey as a private tour or join a small group public tour
FACTS & INFORMATION
1. Learn more about our extended tours and how they help wildlife here: www.echidnawalkabout.com.au
2. Donate to the Koala Clancy Foundation: https://www.koalaclancyfoundation.org.au/donate/
3. Check out our dedicated conservation travel site: Conservation Travel Australia
Travel Agents
To find out more about the exciting changes at Echidna Walkabout please email Roger Smith: roger@echidnawalkabout.com.au