Orcas, Numbats & Birds of the South West - an exclusive Australian Geographic Wildlife Adventure

After pick up from your Perth CBD Hotel, we spend a leisurely morning driving down to Bunbury, a town that boasts amazing wildlife amongst the paperbark forests, rocky coastal headlands and shorelines. There are good chances of seeing South Western Shinglebacks, Bottlenose Dolphins offshore and both Side-Necked and South Western Snake-Necked Turtles. For birds, we hope to find the Spotted Scrubwren and Western Gerygone, a Letter-Winged Kite and/or a Regent Parrot. We will have lunch in Bunbury before heading down to the gorgeous dark green wet forests that surround the old timber town of Pemberton, now a sleepy town that has been able to retain its charm. Just before we arrive in Pemberton, we will have a brief stop in Manjimup, at a Giant Jarrah Tree, surrounded by marri forest. Black Cockatoo, Western Rosella, RedCapped Parrot, Gilbert's Honeyeater are commonly found here, starting off our birds of the South West. For those up for the challenge, there is the possibility of some spotlighting in the evening, after dinner. Quenda (Western Brown Bandicoot), Yellow-footed Antechinus and even the shy quokka. The mainland quokkas are not as photo friendly as those instagram individuals on Rottnest Island. Accommodation in Pemberton.

After breakfast in town, we head off to Beedelup Falls for a short circuit walk. Giant 70 metre tall karri trees loom over Beedelup Lake, for a serene backdrop, the beauty emphasised by the sound of the Beedelup Falls in the background. Baudin's Black Cockatoo, Australian Ringneck, White Breasted Robin, Western Whistler, Western Spinebill, Carnaby's Black Cockatoo often show themselves, but this forest is also home to motorbike and ticking frogs, a variety of skinks, red and black spiders, wood scorpions and many orchids, including spider orchids and enamel orchids. After lunch back in Pemberton, we will have a short stop at Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, a huge karri tree that was one of three trees in the Pemberton region used as natural fire towers. Metal rods protrude from the trunk for the brave (or foolhardy) to climb to the top to peer out over the forest canopy in search of any sign of fires in the region. There is a short circuit walk here that is great for wildflowers in all seasons, with the chances of Yellow-footed antechinus possible, even during the day. The afternoon is spent driving down to Walpole-Nornalup National Park, home of the Giant Tingle Tree. at 30 metres tall, and 22 metres in circumference, this is a tree that has to be seen to be believed. As well as being marvelled by the Red Tingle Tree, there is plenty of chances to see Mainland Dugite (Snake), Crowned Snake, Bardick (Snake) and Short winged stick insects, as well as Letter-winged Kites and if we’re lucky, an Owlet nightjar. We will have dinner and stay in the town of Walpole tonight. The accommodation is close to Pioneer Park, for those that want to stretch their legs at the end of the day, or walk off their meal after dinner.

After breakfast we take a walk through Pioneer Park and along the creek to join the World Of Walpole Wilderness Cruise on the Walpole-Nornalup Inlet Marine Park. The journey takes us out to the mouth of the Inlet for a guided walk along the beach. The local guides will share stories of the land, the history and what WOW are doing to better the future of this for not only the local area, but for the nation. A truly amazing business. We will have lunch at Walpole before heading to Greens Pool and Elephant Rock, 2 iconic stops along the south coast. Greens Pool is a pristine beach with turquoise waters in a sheltered bay, with large grey granite Layered with orange lichen. Elephant Rock, named from the erosion of the granite Headland to look like elephants coming into shore, also has a secluded beach, but is only easily accessible at low tide. There's often reptiles sunbaking, and always silver gulls and a variety of terns and waders on the shorelines. Albany follows, where we will check in and relax, as after dinner we will head out to Torndirrup National Park in search of honey possums, south Western Carpet pythons, Western ringtail possums and the Western Brown bandicoot. Accommodation in Albany.

After breakfast we head directly to Porongurups, a granite mountain range that has been in existence for over a billion years!! For most of this time it has not only been isolated from the rest of Australia, but even from its closest neighbour, the Stirling Ranges. This makes the Porongurups full of endemic species, many still being discovered today. We will go on a couple of short walks here to see if we can discover anything new for science, collating anything we find on iNaturalist, one of the world's great Citizen Science Projects. Our final destination today is Bremer Bay, where we have the luxury of unpacking our bags for 2 nights.

After breakfast we head out on one of the most amazing trips in Australia. Naturaliste Charters, a family run business takes us out on a vessel to the Bremer Canyon, where the Flinders current forces the cold, nutrient rich waters from the south into the warm waters off the coast to create a haven for all kinds of marine wildlife. Sperm whales and long finned pilot whales can be found here on some occasions, but this is home to the highest density of the marine apex predator, the Orca, and they stay here for the summer to feed. The Naturaliste Charters team, including onboard marine biologist, bring these Animals to life and know each individual like they are part of the family. If we are lucky, we may even see them on the hunt. We will have lunch on the boat and dinner back in Bremer Bay.

We have a bit of a drive today, so an early breakfast before heading to Stirling Ranges, a billion year old sandstone and metamorphic mountain range that, like the Porongurups, has been isolated from Everything else geologically, that there are plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth. Our destination for the night is the town of Narrogin, which we stay at for one night, our final night. This evening we drive out to Dryandra Woodlands, where we will meet a guide from Barna Mia, a sanctuary and breeding area for endangered species, such as Bilbies, Burrowing and Brush-tailed Bettongs, Western Brown Bandicoots and Rufous Hare Wallabies. There is almost zero chance to see these animals in the wild, so to be able to get this opportunity is special.

After our final breakfast, we will load up the vehicle and head straight back out to Dryandra Woodlands where we will try to search for a Numbat. This striped marsupial is rare in the wild, but Dryandra is famous for its wild population. These beautiful creatures feed on termites, and since termites are active during the day, so too are the numbat. We will spend a couple of hours here in search of these elusive animals before having lunch and driving the final leg, to Perth where we bid you farewell and hope to see you on another journey somewhere.