IN THE WILD sunset tour
See wild kangaroos at sunset when they are most active!
Walk with wild animals in the afternoon & evening on this fully inclusive PRIVATE tour, led by an experienced Wildlife Guide.
On this afternoon & evening wildlife tour
you’ll not only gain some great experiences, but you’ll also be contributing to the health and wellbeing of Australia’s native animals.
On your private tour meet wild koalas
as you walk through natural bushland, then learn about each one’s history and social life from your Wildlife Guide. Koalas often become active in the late afternoon. Help create new koala habitat for future generations of baby koalas by participating in the Make a Home for Koala Clancy koala conservation project.
(Read more about the amazing work of the Koala Clancy Foundation.)
Dusk is the best time to walk with wild kangaroos
on the plains and in open forests. As evening approaches kangaroos begin to relax and are often easier to approach. Their natural instinct is to flee humans, but with care, your Wildlife Guide will help you get close enough during this tour to observe their complex social life (and take some great photographs!)
Join this afternoon and evening, fully inclusive kangaroo and koala tour, led by an experienced Wildlife Guide.
This tour operates on limited days from 1 November to 28 February each year.
Price with Bush Picnic Dinner
CURRENCY: Australian dollars (AUD) MINIMUM AGE : Child rates are applicable from 2 to 13 years of age inclusive - ask us. Infants to 2 years by arrangement. Child restraints or booster seats are legally required for children up to seven years of age. We can arrange child seats at an additional cost.Private Sunset Koalas & Kangaroos
Pricing varies based on the number of people on the tour and where you come from. Contact us to discuss your wishes. Lower rates apply to groups of over 12 adults.
PRICE: is based on 2 to 8 people
VALIDITY: Valid from 30 June 2021 to 31 March 2023.
* ABORIGINAL ADD ON: note that the price is for the entire group
“Sunset, best time for kangaroos”
Itinerary : in the wild
Melbourne to the You Yangs and return
HELP RESEARCH KOALAS:
We depart Melbourne at around 2.15pm to travel just 45 minutes to the west to the bushland of You Yangs Park.
The park is home to a healthy population of wild Koalas, which we research and monitor to ensure the best possible sightings. We take a very easy walk through the gum trees, searching for koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and birds in their natural setting.
Your Wildlife Guide will introduce you to each koala as an individual, with a history, social life and family. You will learn all about these threatened mammals, and probably have some great photographic opportunities.
Your Wildlife Guide will show you how to approach koalas quietly, and how to watch them from a respectful distance without disturbing them. (For details please see our Sustainable Koala watching Guidelines on our not for profit Koala Clancy Foundation site.) At one of 5 Boneseed-removal sites we stop for 5 minutes to remove some of these noxious weeds to improve Koala habitat. Please go to our Make a Home for Koala Clancy! project for more details
ABORIGINAL CULTURE ADD ON
The area we walk through is of great significance to the local Aboriginal People of the Wathaurong Tribe. The granite rock formations of the You Yangs staged huge meetings of Aboriginal People from all over South-eastern Australia. Many signs of their occupation still remain. If you are interested in learning more about the Aboriginal Culture of the area, please consider booking our Sunset Koalas & Kangaroos with Aboriginal Culture (see next drop down tab).
A picnic dinner is served under the gum trees
WALK WITH WILD KANGAROOS
Leaving the You Yangs, we travel just 10 minutes to Serendip Wetlands national park. Often our entrance is heralded by the screeching of Cockatoos or the chattering of Honeyeaters. We drive, then walk through the gum trees and across grasslands in search of wild mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
Kangaroos are most active in the cool of dusk, and mobs that may have been hiding during the day will start to come out onto the grasslands to feed. They also get quite frisky at this time of day, and its most likely we will see hopping, fighting and interaction between members of the mob.
We also look out for curious Emus, and take a short walk to the billabong to watch waterbirds settling down for the night.
We finish our tour and return to Melbourne around 9.00 to 9.30pm.
NOTE: this itinerary is an indication only. Due to conditions on the day, weather or National Parks instructions, it may change to maximise wildlife viewing opportunities.
Private Koalas & Kangaroos Day Tour
If you cannot take the Sunset trip try our Day Tour which is very similar to this trip
Click here to go to the Koalas & Kangaroos Day Tour page.
Aboriginal Culture (add-on)
Include an Aboriginal educator in your tour
The region we travel through is very significant to Aboriginal People. If you book this add-on you will have the opportunity to meet an Aboriginal person who will share his Culture with you including history, music and education. This is unique, high quality experience provided by a professional Aboriginal performer and educator and lasts for a little over an hour.
Due to high demand please book this add-on as early as possible.
The cost of this add-on is included in the Pricing section. Please ask for it when you book.
NB. If you decide to take this add-on the tour will depart one hour earlier than the standard tour – see the Details drop down
Conservation : giving back
Koala Conservation
Your Wildlife Guide will introduce you to each koala seen on the tour as an individual, with a history, social life and family. You will learn all about these threatened mammals, and probably have some great photographic opportunities. You will learn how to approach koalas quietly, and how to watch them from a respectful distance without disturbing them. (For details please see our Sustainable Koala watching Guidelines on our not for profit Koala Clancy Foundation site.)
While watching koalas we stop for 5 minutes to remove some invasive weeds that degrade koala habitat. Please go to our Make a Home for Koala Clancy! project for more details.
Wildlife encounters
IN THE WILD
Wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Koalas are the main focus of this tour. We also see a large variety of birds, which often include Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Galahs, Laughing Kookaburras, Superb Fairy-wrens, Whitewinged Choughs, Emus, Cape Barren and Magpie Geese, New Holland and White-plumed Honeyeaters, Australian White Ibis, Whistling Kites, Australian Magpies, Magpie-larks, Red-rumped Parrots, Crimson or Eastern Rosellas, Crested Pigeons, Red Wattlebirds and Willie Wagtails.
We sometimes see wild Swamp (Black) Wallabies, Common Brushtail or Ringtail Possums, Common Blue-tongue or Jacky Lizards, Wedge-tailed and Little Eagles, falcons, goshawks, other parrots and cockatoos. We occasionally see an Echidna. Some of these animals are seasonal – please contact us if you want to know more.
We rarely see snakes or spiders, though we are as interested in them as in all wildlife, and will look out for them. You do not need to be afraid of these animals – they are harmless when treated with respect, and your Guide knows how to do this.
Kangaroo information: Kangaroos are marsupials. They are most active at temperatures below 22 degrees Celsius – which means that in summer they are most active at night. You will learn more about them on this tour from your expert Wildlife Guide.
Koala information: koalas are not bears, they are marsupials, so we don’t call them koala bears. You will learn more about them on this tour from your expert Wildlife Guide.
Note: we go to enormous effort to ensure sightings of Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Koalas and have a very high success rate with these species. However, we do not guarantee sightings of any wild animal.
Details - when, where, how?
Travel with the best of the best!
See Australian animals IN THE WILD at your own pace, with a top level Echidna Walkabout Wildlife Guide. Your private kangaroo and koala tour will cater to your needs – if you need extra time for photography, you’ve got it. If you want to specialise in birds, mammals, reptiles, plants, geology – you can do it.
Duration: Afternoon/evening – approx 7 hours.
Departs: 2.15pm from your Melbourne city hotel. (Departs at 1:15pm with Aboriginal add-on)
Note: No tours run on Christmas & Boxing Days (December 25 & 26) or New Years Day (January 1)
Returns: to Melbourne city approximately 9.30pm (same time for Aboriginal add-on)
Minimum/maximum participants: pricing is based on 2 to 8 people. For larger groups, please contact us. Single passengers are welcome – contact us for a quote.
Location: the Great Western Plains near Melbourne including Serendip Wetlands, the You Yangs or Brisbane Ranges National Park.
Grade/Difficulty: easy
Inclusions - wildlife & conservation
Tour Inclusions
Sunset Tour includes: Full interpretation by an experienced Wildlife Guide, bush dinner (see Details tab), entry fees and transport to and from pickup location. Share binoculars, all equipment necessary for conservation activities. A library of Wildlife and Natural History books on board vehicle, available for guest use during the day.
Expert experienced Wildlife Guides: Echidna Walkabout’s Wildlife Guides are recognised as some of the best in Australia. Our Wildlife Guide training program ensures that all Guides have an in-depth knowledge of the wildlife and environments you will see. They are friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife – some of them have over 20 years experience working with wild animals, several are volunteer wildlife carers and rescuers and most have travelled extensively throughout Australia and the world.
Wildlife Research: Many hours of wildlife research work precede the tour to ensure that you see and learn about native wildlife in its natural environment. Guides carry two way radios and mobile phones which link them to other Wildlife Guides and to emergency services. Guest safety is of paramount importance to us.
Easy walking in the outdoors: Although this tour is vehicle based, most of the day is spent outside the vehicle on a number of easy, flat terrain, bushwalks so that you can get close to nature. Passengers must be able to walk unassisted at least 1km on uneven dirt surfaces to ensure wildlife sightings. There may be up to 5 walks of this duration during the day.
Meal on Sunset tour: A substantial bush picnic.
Important: Vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free or other food preferences should be noted at the time of booking. We can only cater for allergies and special food preferences that we are informed of in advance.
Transport from and to Melbourne city: In our comfortable air conditioned vehicle.
What to bring - personal stuff
What to bring on your sunset tour
Strong, fully enclosed walking shoes or boots that completely cover your feet (sandals are not recommended), outdoor clothing to suit variable weather conditions (please check weather forecast for accurate predictions), sun hat, rainproof coat, insect repellent, 15+ sunscreen and 1 litre re-usable water bottle. Camera and binoculars are recommended.
Drinking Water: Tap water in Melbourne is completely safe and drinkable and available at your hotel, and a large fresh storage is carried on board the vehicle each day. We recommend you bring a re-usable water bottle which we can refill during the day. If you don’t like to drink tap water we highly recommend you bring a filter to reduce plastic waste.
Pickups & Cancellations
Melbourne city morning pickup.
At time of booking, we will arrnage a pickup time from your Melbourne city accommodation. Please provide a contact phone number or accommodation details and contact us the day before to confirm.
Please be ready at the pickup point 5 minutes before the pickup time to ensure you get out to The Bush as quickly as possible.
After your Australian wildlife day tour you will be returned to the same location as pickup.