Coast Mountains Outback

Sand Monitor Western Victoria

From coast to outback

NEW

7 to 13 days monitoring the wildlife
of western Victoria

West of Melbourne are some of Australia’s most diverse wildlife viewing locations : Great Ocean Road, Grampians mountains, Outback deserts. Help nature whilst travelling with Australia’s top Wildlife Guides.

Travel to the iconic Great Ocean Road, to the Grampians Mountains and into outback north-western Victoria and south-western New South Wales. In dramatically different ecosystems of oceans, mountains and deserts you’ll monitor wildlife and the impacts of climate change on flora and fauna.

From the wild ocean cliffs and rainforest hinterland of the Great Otway National Park, to the saw tooth peaks of the Grampians National Park and the desert parks of Hattah-Kulkyne, Wyperfeld and Mungo National Parks, this journey is a remarkable expose of the sheer diversity of southern Australia’s wildlife.

Variety is the essence of this trip. You’ll paddle with platypus in the rainforest, walk with koalas in the eucalyptus forests, see cockatoos, parrots and reptiles and climb high into sand dunes in the deserts.

Customised for you: choose from 7 to 13 days in the regions best suited to your interests, timing and budget. Focus on birds, reptiles, mammals or all of them; photography, scenery, or walking. All private, all shared tours or a mix of both.

Coast, Mountains and Outback of Western Victoria + Mungo National Park

Starting in Melbourne and ending in Mildura (northwestern Victoria) this epic journey visits rugged coastline, temperate rainforest, dramatic mountains and pristine arid environments culminating in a visit to the world heritage site of Mungo National Park. A great mix of different ecosystems, wildlife, topography and ancient cultural heritage.

Highlights include: You Yangs Koala conservation project, canoe paddle to look for platypus, Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, the Mallee national parks of Wyperfeld and Hattah-Kulkyne, private Mallee conservation reserve, Kings Billabong on the Murray River and Mungo National Park in southwestern NSW.

Wildlife highlights could include: Eastern Grey, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, Black and Red-necked Wallabies, Koala, Echidna, Platypus, Lace and Sand Monitor Lizards, Jacky and Bearded Dragons and Shinglebacks. A possibility of 175+ bird species including many different cockatoos and parrots and unique birds of the arid Mallee region.

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Prices

This Australian tour is tailored for your interests, party size and duration. Contact us to request a quote. This package can run as All Private (ie just for your party) or Part-Shared/Part-Private. Shared tours operate at limited frequencies, so contact us early in your trip planning if you can. Shared tours operate with a total of 8 adult passengers.

Mountains and Deserts of Western Victoria + Mungo National Park

Starting in Melbourne and ending in Mildura in northwestern Victoria this journey visits dramatic mountains and pristine arid environments culminating in a visit to the world heritage site of Mungo National Park. We visit our acclaimed koala conservation project near Melbourne before continuing to the Grampians National Park where we stay in the peaceful Wartook Valley. From there it’s onwards to the great parks of the Mallee region, eventually crossing the Murray River for a final three nights around ancient Lake Mungo.

Highlights include: You Yangs Koala conservation project, Grampians National Park, the Mallee national parks of Wyperfeld and Hattah-Kulkyne, private Mallee conservation reserve, Kings Billabong on the Murray River and Mungo National Park in southwestern NSW.

Wildlife highlights could include: Eastern Grey, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, Black Wallaby, Koala, Echidna, Lace and Sand Monitor Lizards,Jacky and Bearded Dragons and Shinglebacks. A possibility of 150+ bird species including many parrots and arid Mallee species.

Open Interactive Route Map in new tab

Prices

This Australian tour is tailored for your interests, party size and duration. Contact us to request a quote. This package can run as All Private (ie just for your party) or Part-Shared/Part-Private. Shared tours operate at limited frequencies, so contact us early in your trip planning if you can. Shared tours operate with a total of 8 adult passengers.

Desert Parks of Outback Western Victoria + Mungo National Park

Starting in Melbourne and ending in Mildura this journey visits the picturesque granite outcrop of Mt Korong Conservation reserve en route to the Outback. Once in the Mallee we explore private conservation areas and national parks of this unique region. We then continue deeper into the Outback north of the mighty Murray River as we explore Mungo National Park in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area.

Highlights include: Mount Korong Conservation Reserve, the Mallee national parks of Wyperfeld and Hattah-Kulkyne, private Mallee conservation reserve, Kings Billabong on the Murray River and Mungo National Park in southwestern NSW.

Wildlife highlights could include: Eastern Grey, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, Black Wallaby, Echidna, Lace and Sand Monitor Lizards,Jacky and Bearded Dragons and Shinglebacks. A possibility of 125+ bird species including many parrots and arid Mallee species.

Open Interactive Route Map in new tab

Prices

This Australian tour is tailored for your interests, party size and duration. Contact us to request a quote. This package can run as All Private (ie just for your party) or All Shared. Shared tours operate at limited frequencies, so contact us early in your trip planning if you can. Shared tours operate with a total of 8 adult passengers.

Outback Victoria + Mungo National Park

This outback trip starts and ends in the regional town of Mildura (with flight connections to airports in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney). This fly in / fly out option reduces the driving time getting to the arid Mallee region. First we head south to explore the great Mallee parks of Victoria, Hattah-Kulkyne and Wyperfeld, as well as a private conservation reserve. We then explore parts of the mighty Murray River before continuing deeper into the Outback as we spend three nights at Mungo National Park in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area.

Highlights include: Hattah-Kulkyne and Wyperfeld National Parks, private Mallee conservation reserve, confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers, Kings Billabong on the Murray River and Mungo National Park in southwestern NSW.

Wildlife highlights could include: Eastern Grey, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, Black Wallaby, Echidna, Lace and Sand Monitor Lizards, Jacky and Bearded Dragons and Shinglebacks. A possibility of 125+ bird species including many parrots and arid Mallee species.

Open Interactive Route Map in new tab

Prices

This Australian tour is tailored for your interests, party size and duration. Contact us to request a quote. This package can run as All Private (ie just for your party) or Part-Shared/Part-Private. Shared tours operate at limited frequencies, so contact us early in your trip planning if you can. Shared tours operate with a total of 8 adult passengers.

Your trip will help conserve wildlife

You will be involved in Echidna Walkabout’s “Citizen Science” conservation efforts in the following ways on this journey:

  • During each day you will help record all the species of birds, reptiles, mammals and other wildlife we encounter. We provide you with the tools to help with this work including a comprehensive list of previous sightings and a library of books to help with identification.
  • At the end of the tour the recorded sightings are “atlassed” ie. recorded on a number of internationally available ID lists. These lists enable scientists to determine the movements and conservation status of species over time and help with ongoing conservation efforts. We can give you access to some of these lists after the tour OR you may like to create and share your own lists (many of our guests do this)
  • We also monitor the impacts of climate change and feral species intrusion on native species diversity, this is extremely important work especially as we see longer and hotter droughts in the arid regions of Australia
  • Due to the constant erosion of the sand dunes in Mungo we often find exposed examples of unusual or extinct fauna. We record these sightings and, if they are significant, we report them to the relevant authorities. We do not share this information publicly.

Your involvement is crucial to the success of these projects. Over many years Echidna Walkabout’s wildlife monitoring efforts have enabled a number of scientific projects to gather important long term insights into the conservation status of wildlife in the regions that we travel to.

Local extension to your trip

Round trip extension in Central Victoria  3-4 DAYS

Instead of flying out of Mildura at the end why not return to Melbourne via some great parks and features in central Victoria. From Mungo we travel south and visit Lake Tyrrell, one of Australia’s largest salt lakes, fantastic at sunset and also a great spot to look for some elusive dry country birds. From here we explore Mt Terrick National Park on the way to the gold rush heritage town of Bendigo. A couple nights here allows us to visit different habitats in the Greater Bendigo National Park and nearby wetlands that produce good waterbird sightings. On the final morning we look for birds, mammals and reptiles in and around the granite outcrops of Mount Korong Conservation Reserve before continuing to Melbourne.

Highlights of extension include: Vast salt lake of Lake Tyrrell, Mt Terrick NP, Greater Bendigo NP, Mt Korong Conservation Reserve and Kooyoora State Park.

Wildlife highlights could include: Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Black Wallaby, Grey-headed Flying Fox, Echidna, Marbled Gecko, Jacky Dragon and Shingleback. A possibility of 100+ bird species including many iconic woodland and waterbird species.

 

Further afield

Kangaroo Island Option

Add on 2 days of Sea-lions, Kangaroo Island Kangaroos, Tammar Wallabies and more with Kangaroo Island wildlife specialist Exceptional Kangaroo Island. Flights from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island can be arranged on Day 15; or as a pre-trip. Best time to travel: August to December

Phillip Island Penguins & Whales Option

Add on 2 or 3 days in Phillip Island prior to the Wildlife Journey/East Gippsland section, to see Humpback Whales, Australian Fur Seals and seabirds on boat cruises with Wildlife Coast Cruises.  Phillip Island is also famous for its Little Penguins.  Read more about this option here. Best time to travel: June, July, September, October

Far North Queensland Option

Add on 4 days to visit Cairns in far north Queensland – famous for tree-kangaroos and cassowaries.  Travel with FNQ Nature Tours, the best wildlife operator in the region.  Read more about this option here. Best time to travel: March to September

Whale Sharks and the Wild West Coast Option

Add on 4 days after Mungo Outback section to fly to Exmouth in Western Australia to swim with Whale Sharks with the experts: Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks NingalooRead more about this option here.  Best time to travel: May, June, July

Prices

This Australian tour is tailored for your interests, party size and duration. Contact us to request a quote. This package can run as All Private (ie just for your party) or Part-Shared/Part-Private. Shared tours operate at limited frequencies, so contact us early in your trip planning if you can. Shared tours operate with a total of 8 adult passengers.

In Memory of Michael Williams

“Coast Mountains Outback” is dedicated to Michael Williams, Echidna Walkabout Wildlife Guide, Nature Photographer and much much more. Michael left us in March 2019 – he loved the desert, frogs and Sharon. Some of Michael’s extraordinary photos appears in this page; he could bring magic to almost any photo. We’ll feature more of his work in future posts about this trip. See more of Michael’s kangaroo photography. Check out: It’s a Wildlife on Facebook for the continuation of Michael’s story by his wife Sharon.
RIP

photographers and wildlife guides Roger Smith & Michael Williams at Mungo

Michael Williams (left) with Echidna Walkabout’s Operations Director, Roger Smith, Lake Mungo, June 2018
(Photo: Michael Williams !! – click pic to see it full size)

Wildlife stories

Cockatoos of the Grampians (Gariwerd)

Cockatoos of the Grampians (Gariwerd)

See up to 7 of Australia's 14 species of cockatoos in the Grampians (Gariwerd) More cockatoos live in Australia than anywhere else in the world and the Grampians Range (Gariwerd) is one of the best places to see them. Gariwerd is the Aboriginal name for the Grampians...

Reviews of our extended tours

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