TOP AUSTRALIAN ECO-TOURS OF 2018

Eco tours show off the best the world has to offer though adventure and education…

Top Australian Eco-Tours of 2018

Today, you holiday goers want more than cocktails on the beach. You want to dive into local heritage, explore the regions natural beauty, and truly experience what a places has to offer. This shift has pushed travellers like you towards eco-tourism — a booming industry that celebrates local biodiversity, ecosystems and culture through education and exciting adventures. In Australia, there’s no shortage of adventure or biodiversity — making it one of the planet’s top destination for travellers seeking epic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that highlight ecological uniqueness. In Australia, you can do just about everything — from Aboriginal tours to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with whales, walking with the local wildlife at night, e-biking along the coast, catching a surf, and taking high-speed boat rides through pristine waters to remote beaches. In fact, there’s so much to do in Australia, holiday goers from abroad couldn’t possibly do it all. So Aussies, take note. There’s plenty of ideas in here to help you plan your next adventure. Australian Eco-Adventures 1. Paul’s ECO E-Bike Tours | 2. Pemberton Discovery Tours | 3. Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience | 4. Luridgii Tours | 5. Mamu Tropical Skywalk | 6. Tasman Venture | 7. Magnetic Island Sea Kayaks | 8. Red Cat Adventures | 9. Oyster Farm Tours | 10. Emeraldene Inn & Eco-Lodge |11. NSW Segway | 12. Sunshine Cycles | 13. Ecotreasures | 14. 4WD Tag-Along & Passenger Tours | 15. Seals by Sea Tours | 16. Wombat Discovery Tours | 17. Surf N’ Dirt Adventure Tours | 18. Splendour Tailored Tours | 19. Otway e bikes | 20. Little Desert Nature Lodge |21. Naturewise Eco Escapes | 22. Tweed Eco Cruises | 23. Wolgan Valley Eco Tours | 24. Vision Walks | 25. WaterMaarq | 26. Drop Bear Adventures | 27. Great Ocean Road Surf Tours | 28. Live Ningaloo | 29. Ocean Rafting Whitsundays | 30. Ocean Safari Cape Tribulation | 31. Cairns Tableland Tours 1. Paul’s ECO E-Bike Tours

Type: Ocean, Lake, Eco-Adventure, Outdoor, Cultural, Location: Perth, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Spring and Summer Website: http://www.paulsecoebiketours.com.au Rate: $87 Explore Western Australia in a whole new way with Paul’s ECO E-Bike Tours. The half-day Rottnest Island Guided Tour takes you along the bays, the Wadjemup Lighthouse, Military Barracks and the Village Centre all on electric bikes. The e-bikes make seeing the entire island fun and effortless — all you have to do is pedal to kick the e-motor into gear for your 40km ride. Epic views, lunch break and beach swims included! 2. Pemberton Discovery Tours

Type: Eco Adventure, Outdoor, Wilderness Location: Pemberton, Australia. Seasonal Operating Dates: Open year round. Wildflower season is stunning (15th September through to 20th November). Website: www.pembertondiscoverytours.com.au Rates: $125 per adult, $55 Child Go off-roading with Pemberton Discovery Tours as you ride through the secluded Southern Forest National Parks most magnificent attractions — all while someone else drives. On the half-day tour, your guide will take you to the best spots such as visiting the old growth Karri Forest before climbing through the Yeagarup Dunes, the largest landlocked sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere — making it the perfect tour for a true experience of adventure. The four-wheel-drive adventure is a whole lot of fun and adventure, all from the comfort of a 4WD car driven by a local expert. 3. Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience

Type: Marine Eco Adventure Location: Baird Bay, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: December 1 through until March 15 Website: www.bairdbay.com Rates: $160 per adult, $80 per child As South Australia’s first and original sea lion and dolphin swim experience, the Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience gets you up close to local sea lions bottlenose dolphins for an unforgettable experience. What makes this experience different is that these animals are out in the wild and untrained — meaning you’ll get an authentic experience and the chance to see these magnificent creates thriving in their natural habitat. The tour lasts anywhere between two and four hours, but we think the memories will last way longer than that. 4. Luridgii Tours

Type: Aboriginal Cultural Eco Adventure Tour Location: Outside Perth, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: May 2 – September 30 Website: www.luridgiitours.com.au Rates: $890 On this Aboriginal Eco-tour with Luridgi Tours you’ll start your day in the air in a private plane and end it with a sunset cruise of Lake Argyle. This adventure tour takes you back to the dreamtime — stories of the world, of its creation, and the beginning of knowledge — as it’s known to the Aboriginal Miriwung people. On this tour, you’ll follow the path of the Barramundi as your guide recounts the enchanting story, and along the way you’ll see Sandalwood plantations at Kingston’s Rest, the awesome Ragged Ranges, and of course the Argyle Diamond’s pit and mine site at Matso Range where the Jaliwang came to rest. The full-day tour of air, land and water will leave you wondering if it was a dream itself. 5. Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Type: Eco-Adventure, Outdoor, Rainforest Location: Innisfail, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Year round except for Christmas Website: www.mamutropicalskywalk.com.au Rates: $25 Ever dreamt of walking in the clouds? Well, the closest experience you can have to that is at the Mamu Tropical Skywalk at the Wooroonoon National Park. Up on the elevated walkways you can peer down over the rainforest canopy — hovering in the fog — looking out over panoramic views of the World Heritage rainforest landscapes and walking down close to the forest floor. But the views aren’t just epic, they’re responsible. The walkway allows visitors to get up close to the biodiverse rainforest filled with vast arrays of plants and animals — all without disturbing their complex ecosystem. 6. Tasman Venture

Type: Eco-Adventure, Ocean, Wildlife, Outdoor Location: Hervey Bay, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Peak is late December until late January, off-peak January to March Website: www.tasmanventure.com.au Rates: From $175 There are just some experiences that are once in a lifetime — getting to swim with humpback whales is one of them. The experts at Tasman Venture will take you on a full-day Remote Fraser Island Experience where you’ll soar along the coast spotting dolphins, swim with whale, and head in shore to explore the beaches and Wathumba Creek where you can snorkel with turtles. During the epic day-long tour they’ll also feed you breakfast and lunch, and you’ll get to enjoy guided tours and a plethora of water activities like kayaking and supping. 7. Magnetic Island Sea Kayaks

Type: Eco-Adventure Location: Magnetic Island, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Year round. Morning tours 8-12 and sunset tours from 4 to 7 Website: Seakayak.com.au Rates: $60 Sunsets, kayaks, wine — does it get better than that? The folks at Magnetic Island Sea Kayaks had the brilliant idea to combine their sunset kayak tour with an evening picnic to watch the local green sea turtles come into the bay while participants munch on snacks and sip wine. You’ll start the tour over at Horseshoe Bay — spotting marine life and birds along the way — and end on one of the islands most secluded islands to watch nature’s magic unfold before your eyes. Some of their other tours will take you over the world-famous coral of the Great Barrier Reef, or alongside the coast to spot giant clams and wallabies all from your kayak. 8. Red Cat Adventures

Type: Eco-Adventure, Relaxing Retreat Location: Airlie Beach, Whitsundays, Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Year round Website: https://redcatadventures.com.au/ Location: $589 per person Red Cat Adventures wants to show off the best of the pristine Whitsundays — a world-class group of 74 tropical islands off the shore of Queensland and in the middle of the Great Barrier reef. On this all-inclusive island resort package, you get access to the private villa estate by night, and by day you’ll have full reign over the island to snorkel the reef, walk the white sand beaches, and sunbathe on some of the globe’s most treasured islands. If you’re short on time but still want to see all these islands have to offer, this is the best way to do it. 9. Oyster Farm Tours

Type: Eco-Adventure, Outdoor, Seafood Tasting Experience Location: Coffin Bay, South Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Year round Website: www.oysterfarmtours.com.au Rates: $40 Oyster lovers, rejoice! On this tour you’ll get to hunt, shuck and slurp as many oysters as you can handle. This unique experience, run by the experts over at Oyster Farm Tours, is the only one of its kind in the world to let visitors pick and eat their own fresh oysters. You’ll start out on a floating pontoon hunting the freshest oysters right out of the nutrient-rich bay and end the day floating in a haze of pure joy and relaxation. It’s truly a once in a lifetime experience, and a delicious one, too. 10. Emeraldene Inn & Eco-Lodge 10. Emeraldene Inn & Eco-Lodge

Type: Eco-Adventure Location: Hervey Bay, Fraser Coast, Queensland Australia Seasonal Operating Dates: Year round Website: http://www.emeraldene.com.au Rates: $1025 per person (twin share) for 5 days and 5 nights If you want to see all the see three of Australia’s best natural attractions — World Heritage Listed Fraser Island, the Great Barrier Reef off Lady Elliot Island, and humpback whales of Hervey Bay — this all-inclusive 5-day tour one of the best ways to do it. With the Emeraldene Inn & Eco-Lodge you’ll get to stay on Fraser island for two days and one night to explore the world’s largest sand island. Then, you’ll head to Elliot Island to explore the Great Barrier Reef for two days and one night. Finally, you’ll have 3 nights accommodation in Hervey Bay at their award-winning boutique eco-lodge. Warning: we can’t guarantee you’ll ever want to leave. ​To read the full article visit FlightNetwork -https://www.flightnetwork.com.au/blog/top-31-australian-eco-tours/