Australia has evolved like nowhere else in the world, its mix of wetland and rainforest combining with the harsh, arid central desert to create some unique wildlife species. The land ‘down under’ hosts such bizarre and wonderful creatures as kangaroo, koala, echidna, kookaburra and cassowary.
12 recommended trips.Our trip ideas are offered to inspire you and can be tailored to suit your requirements.
This small-ship expedition takes you on an adventure into the wilderness, showcasing Tasmania's rugged coastal beauty and unique wildlife. Pristine World Heritage areas and national parks teem with native wildlife, from wombat, kangaroo, wallaby, and pademelon, to rare bird species, like the orange-bellied parrot.
Find out more about Coastal Wilds of Tasmania
Price
(exc. flights): 11 days
from £4,800
Trip type:
Voyage
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Join award-winning wildlife photographer Bret Charman on this photographic journey through the states of Victoria and Tasmania to capture images of some the most iconic and fascinating endemic species in Australia including platypus, Tasmanian devil, kangaroo, koala and short-beaked echidna.
Find out more about Australian Wildlife Photo Safari
Price
(inc. flights): 17 days
from £8,495
Trip type:
Group Tour
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Enjoy Queensland’s unique wildlife on this tailor-made itinerary. Fraser Island is home to dingos, dugongs, turtles, mangrove swamps and many migratory birds, Kondalilla National Park boasts wallabies, possums and birdlife, and on the Great Barrier Reef Lady Elliot Island offers marine biodiversity.
Find out more about Wildlife of Australia’s Nature Coast
Price
(inc. flights): 11 days
from £2,845
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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This self-drive trip covers the best of the Top End, visiting four national parks: Mary River, Kakadu, Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) and Litchfield. Various excursions designed to showcase these iconic locations are included, but there’s still time to do your own thing and arrange activities locally.
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Find out more about Crocodile & Jabiru Self-drive
Price
(inc. flights): 13 days
from £3,395
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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Explore two of South Australia’s finest wildlife locations: Gawler Ranges and Kangaroo Island, travelling from the Outback to the sea. Visit a koala colony, study geological formations, swim with sealions, and seek out rare species such as echidna, glossy black cockatoo and the elusive platypus.
Find out more about Kangaroos, Sealions & the Gawler Ranges
Price
(inc. flights): 11 days
from £7,995
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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This comprehensive self-drive visit to Northern Queensland includes the great ‘must-dos’ – a relaxing cruise on the Great Barrier Reef and a stay in Daintree Rainforest – as well as an opportunity to explore lesser known places and see the region’s wildlife on excursions with expert local operators.
Find out more about Tablelands, Reef & Rainforest Self-drive
Price
(inc. flights): 17 days
from £4,195
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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Staying in luxury properties at Kangaroo Island and Flinders Ranges, explore the picturesque landscapes of South Australia in search of its wildlife, including Australia’s largest macropods: red kangaroo, western grey kangaroo and common wallaroo, as well as fur seal colonies and prolific birdlife.
Find out more about South Australia in Style
Price
(inc. flights): 12 days
from £7,095
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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This innovative itinerary combines self-drive, a short small group tour and excursions around Melbourne. Visiting the contrasting areas of Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island, East Gippsland and the Wilderness Coast, you’ll see the best of Victoria’s wildlife, including many iconic Australian species.
Find out more about Penguins, Koalas & Great Ocean Road
Price
(inc. flights): 13 days
from £4,395
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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Northern Queensland boasts an astonishing diversity of habitat, flora and fauna. This distinctive journey visits iconic locations such as the Daintree Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback, to see the best of this rugged land while staying in unabashed comfort at the finest accommodation.
Find out more about Northern Queensland in Style
Price
(inc. flights): 14 days
from £8,295
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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Flying over Kakadu National Park, and into Bamurru plains and Arnhem Land, gives you a fantastic bird’s-eye view of the incredibly rich biodiversity. The coastal floodplains of Northern Australia are home to prolific birdlife, while Kakadu and Arnhem Land are the heartland of its indigenous culture.
Find out more about Wings over the Top End
Price
(inc. flights): 12 days
from £5,845
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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The remarkable Kimberley Coast is home to towering waterfalls, rugged outback landscapes, ancient Aboriginal art and abundant wildlife – there is no place on earth quite like the Kimberley, and no better way to discover it than on an unforgettable small ship cruise between Darwin and Broome.
Find out more about Wildlife of Kimberley & Bamurru Plains
Price
(inc. flights): 22 days
from £8,595
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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This special journey through Australia’s tropical Outback – the Top End – is for curious adventurers with a taste for wilderness and wildlife. During your stay in Arnhem Land at Kakadu and Mary River National Parks, you’ll walk and visit rock art sites, and learn about the Top End’s remarkable fauna.
Find out more about Kakadu Wildlife Bonanza
Price
(inc. flights): 17 days
from £7,495
Trip type:
Tailor-made Holiday
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Wildlife Locations
36 recommended locations.Please contact us for further suggestions.
This is one of Australia’s newest and most important nature reserves. The Dry Creek Salt Fields in the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary support 25,000 waterbirds including the vulnerable curlew sandpiper. This pristine coastline is a must for any bird-lovers passing through the city of Adelaide.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: Pacific golden plover, curlew sandpiper, sharp-tailed sandpiper, red-necked stint, lesser knot
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Self-drive
Located in the north-eastern corner of Australia’s Northern Territory, around 500 kilometres from the capital Darwin, Arnhem Land’s prolific wildlife includes the region’s largest predator – the saltwater crocodile – along with dugong and nesting turtles. It is home to hundreds of bird species.
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The Atherton Tablelands occupy 32,000 square kilometres of fertile plateau in part of Queensland’s Great Dividing Range, inland from Cairns. Classified by BirdLife International as one of Australia's important Bird Areas, 12 species of bird are endemic to the area and surrounding mountain ranges.
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Where: Queensland
Ideal for viewing: Atherton scrubwren, bush stone-curlew, sarus crane, pied monarch, tooth-billed bowerbird
Excellent for: River safaris
Lying 2,240 kilometres north of Perth, on the traditional lands of the Yawuru in the Kimberley region, the coastal town of Broome is famed for its pearling industry. Home to the Broome Bird Observatory, millions of waders and shorebirds feed here on the intertidal mudflats and roost on the red sand beaches.
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Where: Kimberley region
Ideal for viewing: red-collared lorikeet, flying fox, flatback turtle, broad-billed flycatcher, mangrove golden whistler
Bruny Island is the ultimate Tasmanian wilderness experience with preserved natural environments, abundant wildlife, tranquil beaches and soaring sea cliffs. A birdwatchers’ paradise, the island’s national park attracts all 12 of Tasmania’s endemic birds including the rare forty-spotted pardalote.
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Where: South-east Tasmania
Ideal for viewing: forty-spotted pardalote, white wallaby, little penguin, short-tailed shearwater, Australian fur seal
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Wildlife cruises
Cooktown is a small town at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in the far north of Queensland, where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, in 1770. The surrounding area is rich in biodiversity and is home to many rare or unusual plants and animals.
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Where: Queensland
Ideal for viewing: laughing kookaburra, southern cassowary, Bennett’s tree kangaroo, striped possum, yellow-bellied glider
Excellent for: Self-drive
Stretching more than 130 kilometres, Coorong National Park forms a wetland of international importance, where saltwater lagoons, sheltered by the sand dunes of the Younghusband peninsula, provide a sanctuary for bird species including the Australian pelican, Eurasian coot and Cape Barren goose.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: Cape Barren goose, emu, fairy tern, Australian pelican, red-necked avocet
Excellent for: Birdwatching,
Daintree is home to the largest range of flora and fauna on earth within Australia’s largest remaining tract of rainforest. This area of around 1,200 square kilometres contains the highest number of plant and animal species that are rare or threatened with extinction of anywhere in the world.
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Where: Queensland
Ideal for viewing: Bennett’s tree kangaroo, swamp wallaby, saltwater crocodile, southern cassowary, striped possum
Excellent for: Self-drive
Due east of Melbourne, East Gippsland stretches east and north from the western watershed of the Mitchell and Thomson Rivers to the border of New South Wales, covering some 14% of the state of Victoria. The region is famous for its forests and wildlife – particularly big mammals, birds and reptiles.
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Where: Victoria
Ideal for viewing: koala, swamp wallaby, superb lyrebird, yellow-tailed black cockatoo, southern hairy-nosed wombat
Excellent for: Vehicle safaris, Self-drive
With over 2,000 kilometres of coastline, pristine Eyre Peninsula offers the opportunity for close encounters with a rich variety of wildlife, on land and in the sea. Explore Gawler Ranges and Lincoln National Parks to see rare endemics in their own environment, and swim with sea lions and dolphins.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: southern right whale, Australian sealion, koala, yellow-footed rock wallaby, red kangaroo
Flinders Ranges is South Australia’s largest mountain range and one of the region’s two ‘National Landscapes’ – famous for dramatic rock formations, national parks, aboriginal rock art, wildlife which includes yellow-footed rock wallabies, and flora specially adapted to the semi-arid environment.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: yellow-footed rock wallaby, wedge-tailed eagle, Lake Eyre dragon, emu, common wallaroo
Stretching for more than 123 kilometres, with a maximum width of 22 kilometres, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. A precious part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage, its UNESCO World Heritage listing places it alongside Uluru, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef.
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Where: Southern Queensland
Ideal for viewing: humpback whale, swamp wallaby, short-eared possum, black flying fox, dingo
Excellent for: Whale watching, Self-drive
Occupying most of the Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania's dramatic east coast, the Freycinet National Park, with its pink granite mountains and beautiful white beaches, is a haven for birdlife. The park’s jewels include a RAMSAR wetland, home to migrants such as black swan and white-bellied sea eagle.
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Where: East Coast Tasmania
Ideal for viewing: Tasmanian pademelon, Australasian gannet, white-bellied sea eagle, black swan, little penguin
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Wildlife cruises
Well known for its stunning rock formations, Gawler Ranges is a refuge for wildlife and home to over 162 mammal and bird species, including the brightly coloured Australian ringneck parrot, the pink cockatoo and the southern hairy-nosed wombat. The park also supports over 400 species of plant.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: yellow-footed rock wallaby, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, wedge-tailed eagle, red kangaroo, blue-breasted fairywren
Gluepot Reserve is one of South Australia’s best regions for spotting resident and migrant birdlife. It is the largest expanse of protected mallee scrubland in the country and supports many nationally threatened bird species as well as an astonishing variety of wildlife and flora.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: malleefowl, black-eared miner, Gould’s wattled bat, red kangaroo, short-beaked echidna
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Self-drive
The world's largest coral reef system of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands covers an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. The biggest single structure made by living organisms is composed of, and built by, billions of tiny coral polyps and is easily discernable from space.
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Where: Queensland / East Coast
Ideal for viewing: dugong, green turtle, saltwater crocodile, white-bellied sea eagle, roseate tern
Excellent for: Wildlife cruises
A piece of Australian national heritage, the 243-kilometre-long Great Ocean Road runs along the southeast coast of Victoria from Torquay to Allansford. The road winds along the coast through Port Campbell National Park, which supports a remarkable diversity of plants and fauna.
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Lying 240 kilometres east of Darwin, Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park. Covering almost 20,000 square kilometres it is a place of huge biodiversity whose rare endemic animals include more than a third of the country’s bird species and a quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species.
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Surrounded by the Southern Ocean, Kangaroo Island is a haven for Australia’s endemic wildlife – more than 60 percent of the island comprises national parks and reserves. Here is nature at its best; amongst sheltered beaches, rugged cliffs and bushland, kangaroo, koala, birds and sealions abound.
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Where: Southwestern Australia
Ideal for viewing: tammar wallaby, Australian sealion, short-beaked echidna, glossy black cockatoo, Kangaroo Island kangaroo
Excellent for: Penguin watching, Birdwatching,
This park is located near Montville in the scenic Blackall Range some 100 kilometres north of Brisbane, in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. Named after the spectacular Kondalilla Falls, which plummet 90 metres into a rainforested valley, it is an important refuge for native plants and animals.
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Where: Southern Queensland
Ideal for viewing: short-beaked echidna, red-necked wallaby, yellow-bellied glider, king parrot, cockatoo
Excellent for: Self-drive
This coral cay lies at the southern tip of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Great Barrier Reef, roughly 80 kilometres northeast of Bundaberg and between Fraser Island and Lady Musgrave Island. It is the closest Great Barrier Reef island to Brisbane, Queensland’s capital.
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Where: Southern Queensland
Ideal for viewing: whaleshark, manta ray, brown booby, green turtle, red-tailed tropicbird
Excellent for: Whale watching, Dolphin watching,
World Heritage listed Maria Island mixes convict-era architecture, industrial heritage and diverse wildlife. One of Tasmania's great wildlife hot spots, this is one of the rare locations to see healthy Tasmanian devil in the wild, together wtih other rare species such as the Cape Barren goose.
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Where: Tasmania
Ideal for viewing: common wombat, Bennett’s wallaby, Tasmanian devil, dusky robin, Cape Barren goose
Excellent for: Wildlife cruises
150 kilometres east of Darwin, Mary River National Park consists of various small reserves that protect the catchment area of the river and its floodplain. Freshwater billabongs, paperbark and monsoon forests offer excellent opportunities for watching wildlife, fishing, bushwalking and photography.
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Where: Northern Territory
Ideal for viewing: saltwater crocodile, magpie goose, black-necked stork, white-bellied sea eagle, water buffalo
Excellent for: Vehicle safaris
The Murray River is one of Australia’s most important inland waterways. Its floodplains are teeming with native and migrant birdlife as well as a striking variety of land mammals. This giant river meanders between vast red-gum forests and lofty mountain gorges, offering a variety of habitats.
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Where: South Australia
Ideal for viewing: platypus, Australian pelican, eastern grey kangaroo, Australian white ibis, regent parrot
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Self-drive, River safaris
Nitmiluk a.k.a. Katherine Gorge is a system of 13 immense gorges carved from the region’s ancient stone over the millennia by the Katherine River. The gorges are of huge cultural significance for their traditional owners, the Jawoyn, for whom Nitmiluk is the place where the spirits of creation dwell.
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Where: Northern Territory
Ideal for viewing: freshwater crocodile, saltwater crocodile, great bowerbird, osprey, Gouldian finch
Excellent for: Self-drive
Outback is the term used to describe Australia’s vast, remote, arid interior – even more remote than "the bush" which refers to any area outside a main urban zone. Due to low, erratic rainfall and infertile soil, it is sparsely settled and over 90% of Australians live in urban areas on the coast.
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Excellent for: Fly-in safaris, Vehicle safaris, River safaris
Lying only 80 kilometres north of Townsville amidst the turquoise waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Orpheus Island boasts 11 kilometres of immaculate coastline, and comprises a pristine national park while the surrounding waters are a UNESCO World Heritage-listed marine park.
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Where: Northern Queensland
Ideal for viewing: manta ray, humpback whale, green turtle, short-beaked echidna, orange-footed scrubfowl
Named after the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip, the island’s southern and western coasts are an Important Bird Area, with significant populations of little penguins, short-tailed shearwaters and Pacific gulls. At the western end of the island, Seal Rocks is home to Australia’s largest colony of fur seals.
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Where: Victoria
Ideal for viewing: eastern grey kangaroo, little penguin, swamp wallaby, fur seal, short-tailed shearwater
Excellent for: Penguin watching, Vehicle safaris
At over 600,000 hectares, South West National Park is Tasmania’s largest park, and one of Australia’s wildest places. Amongst its avian highlights are the flame robin, black-headed honeyeater and endemics such as Tasmanian scrubhen and Tasmanian thornbill, and the endangered orange-bellied parrot.
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A dramatic coastline consisting of soaring 300 metre cliffs and monumental rock formations form this spectacular area of natural beauty. Wildlife is in abundance with Australian fur seals, little penguins, brushtail possums, swift parrots, and the endemic forty-spotted pardalote all seen here.
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Where: Tasmania
Ideal for viewing: forty-spotted pardalote, brushtail possum, little penguin, Australian fur seal, swift parrot
Excellent for: Birdwatching, Wildlife cruises
The Kimberley region occupies the far north of Western Australia, lying between the Great Sandy Desert and the Timor Sea/Indian Ocean. Animals found here include huge saltwater crocodiles and a particularly rich variety of birds – such as channel-billed cuckoo, Pacific koel and several endemic species.
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Where: Western Australia
Ideal for viewing: northern quoll, golden bandicoot, saltwater crocodile, purple-crowned fairywren, Gouldian finch
Excellent for: Wildlife cruises, Vehicle safaris, River safaris
The gateway to one of Australia’s finest wine regions, Adelaide boasts colonial buildings, lively markets, art galleries and an array of festivals. Just a short drive away you can find beautiful beaches and the Adelaide Hills, home to some of Australia’s best known national parks.
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Where: South Australia
Excellent for: City stopover
Cairns is the perfect location to experience Australia’s wonderful biodiversity. From the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and its marine wonders, to the tropical rainforest of Daintree National Park, or the dry, remote outback, everything is just a short distance away.
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Where: Queensland
Excellent for: Beach stay, City stopover
The capital and largest city of Australia’s sparsely populated Northern Territory, Darwin lies on the Timor Sea. Originally a pioneer outpost, the area is the ancestral home of the Larrakia Aboriginal people and gateway to the impressive Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land.
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Where: Northern Territory
Excellent for: City stopover
An eclectic mix of modern and historic, the small city of Hobart has a vibrant art scene and interesting museums, alongside several bars, cafes and restaurants. It provides access to some of Tasmania’s best natural attractions – including Maria Island National Park and Bruny Island.
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Where: Southern Tasmania
Excellent for: City stopover, History & culture
Victoria’s state capital and most populous city, second in Australia only to Sydney, Melbourne is frequently called Australia’s cultural capital, and is home to many of the country’s largest and oldest cultural institutions. It is the hub of the Australian film industry and gateway to the stunning scenery of the Great Ocean Road.
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Australia is as much of a continent as it as country, and is therefore a year-round destination. Visiting different areas throughout the year allows an incredible number of memorable wildlife encounters with some of the country’s most iconic species.
Seasons
Winter
Jun to Aug: The coldest period of the year
Spring
Sep to Nov: The transition months leading into summer
Summer
Dec to Feb: The three hottest months
Autumn
Mar to May: The transition months before the arrival of winter
Wildlife events
Jun to Sep:
Southern right whales arrive on the South Coast
Jun to Sep: Humpback whales migrate along the East Coast
Dec to Dec: Red crabs come ashore on Christmas Island
Dec to Feb: Hatching turtles of the Barrier Reef coastline in Queensland
Dec to Feb: Largest fur seal colony in Australia has pups on Phillip Island
Jan to Feb: Walking with baby wombats on Maria Island, Tasmania
Wildlife cruise vessels
2 recommended wildlife cruise vessels.Please contact us for further suggestions.
Coral Discoverer offers the ultimate in small ship expedition cruising around the coastal waters of Australia. Her shallow draught means access to areas larger vessels cannot reach, perfect for exploring the wild coasts of Tasmania and The Kimberley, and a superb choice for wildlife cruising.
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Coral Expeditions I & II are fully equipped for the ultimate expedition cruising experience in Australian coastal waters, and are the ideal choice for discovering the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, Western Australia’s remarkable Kimberley region, Cape York, Arnhem Land and Tasmania.
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