Echidna Walkabout’s incredible team
People empower tourism
In March 2020 Echidna Walkabout employed 25 people. Due to the Covid enforced lockdowns in tourism many of those wonderful people have had to move on. The photo below remembers many of those extraordinary folk who helped make Echidna Walkabout what it is today.
The the list under the photo is of our current staff as of March 2022.
Read about the owners and founders of Echidna Walkabout, Janine Duffy and Roger Smith
Martin Maderthaner
Wildlife Guide & Operations Manager
Martin joined us in 2007. He is our most senior Wildlife Guide, and our top Bird Guide.
He was trained as a Field Guide in southern Africa, where he was born, and spent many years guiding at some of Africa’s top lodges. He still runs amazing wildlife tours in Africa every year for his own company Explore Nature.
Martin runs our bird tours, Maximum Wildlife extended tours, 4 day Wildlife Journeys and any of our other tours.
Allan (Bart) Bartholomew
Koala Researcher – Team Leader
Bart lives at Staughton Vale in the Brisbane Ranges, and wakes up to views of the You Yangs every day. His home is a 30 hectare wildlife habitat – home to Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, Laughing Kookaburras, Crimson Rosellas, Speckled Warblers and occasionally, a koala.
Bart has been researching koalas since 2015. In the past he was a food technologist, and has always had a great love of nature – he was an avid scuba diver as a hobby. We think he has now found his true calling in the wild in the You Yangs.
Caz Bartholomew
Accounts & Secretary Koala Clancy Foundation
Caz has been part of Echidna Walkabout from the very beginning – it would not exist without her support and advice. She has filled many roles over the years, and is currently working with Accounts, and also plays a major role as Secretary for Koala Clancy Foundation.
Hayley Forster
Wildlife Guide
Hayley started with us in 2018. The role of Wildlife Guide was a perfect fit with Hayley’s passions – she is a committed conservationist and wildlife watcher. When she is not guiding she is doing wildlife surveys in the forests east of Melbourne with WOTCH. You can see some of Hayley’s work here: https://www.wotch.org.au/
Amy Somers
Wildlife Guide & Operations Support
Amy grew up in the green mountains of the Dandenongs, north-east of Melbourne, then relocated to a coastal town in East Gippsland, then lived near the Murray River in southern New South Wales. She is now back in the green hills north of Melbourne, where she keeps her horses.
For many years Amy was an international tour leader in Asia but is now using her wealth of knowledge working in Australia guiding tours and helping out with logistical support.
Alison Jackson
Reservations
Alison was one of our first team members after she graduated university years ago. She left us for a while to work booking tours around Australia with several Melbourne-based travel agents. She has a wealth of experience with bookings and reservations of all kinds of tours.