Nature and Wildlife Tours in Victoria
Nature and Wildlife Tours in Victoria
4 Day / 3 Night Wildlife Journey – from Melbourne
Four days with the best of Australia's wildlife!
Connect with nature on this fully-inclusive small group journey into the wildlife-rich forests of southeast Australia's coastal wilderness.
Find Koalas in magnificent stands of giant eucalypt forest, walk in rainforest listening for lyrebirds, watch White-bellied Sea-Eagles soar along untouched ocean beaches and spot huge goannas beside secluded rivers and waterways. Your highly experienced wildlife guide will also show you where to look for wild wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, parrots, cockatoos, black swans and many other animals.
Help conserve the beautiful places and wildlife you see. Spend a little time on a glorious beach removing fishing nets that trap fish, birds and sea mammals.
Share this remote area with your experienced wildlife guide and each night return to the comforts of owner-operated lodge-style accommodation.
At the end of the journey all participants will receive a certificate of thanks for helping wildlife, a full species list of everything they've seen, and the satisfaction of knowing they have given something back to the environments and animals visited.
Day 1 – Melbourne to East Gippsland
Depart Melbourne and travel east towards the internationally recognised RAMSAR wetlands of the Lakes District. We take a ferry to a forested island sanctuary with a thriving population of wild Koalas, and walk among towering eucalypts searching for these charismatic marsupials. Echidnas, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, and colourful parrots and honeyeaters may also be seen. Sightings are recorded to support local conservation efforts.
Overnight in Orbost
Day 2 – East Gippsland’s Mountainous Forests
Explore the rugged high country and old-growth forests of East Gippsland, including both dry slopes and cool temperate rainforest gullies. Walk through towering mountain ash forest, follow fern-lined creeks, and learn how fire and geology have shaped this landscape. Wildlife highlights may include Superb Lyrebird, goannas, wallabies, honeyeaters and other forest birds. Encounters are often close and human visitors are few.
Overnight in Orbost
Day 3 – East Gippsland’s Coastal Wilderness & Wetlands
Begin the day in warm temperate rainforest before continuing along forested rivers to a secluded estuary on the Wilderness Coast. Here we look for White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Black Swan, kingfishers, cockatoos and large Lace Monitors (Tree Goannas). We walk a remote beach backed by sculpted dunes and may spot ocean birds or explore coastal rock pools.
In the afternoon, we visit a nearby headland and pause at 90 Mile Beach – an untouched stretch of sand known for its wild beauty. Before returning to the homestead, we take time to collect discarded fishing nets and marine debris, helping to protect coastal wildlife.
Overnight in Orbost
Day 4 – East Gippsland to Melbourne
After a final beach walk at the mouth of the Snowy River, we begin our journey back to Melbourne. Along the way, we stop at the Krowathunkoolong Keeping Place, an Aboriginal cultural centre in Bairnsdale offering insight into the heritage of the Gunaikurnai people. We also visit a known roost of Grey-headed Flying-foxes before arriving back in the city in the late afternoon.
Shared tour – minimum of 2 and maximum of 8 participants. Departs Mondays from September to May (excluding 25–26 Dec and 1 Jan).
Tour Code: NM4WJ
To add this tour to your itinerary enquiry, please include the tour code.
Great Ocean Road Wildlife Adventure – from Melbourne
Explore one of Australia’s most iconic landscapes on this immersive three-day journey along the Great Ocean Road. From wild Koalas in ancient eucalypt woodlands to dawn canoeing with Platypus, dramatic sea cliffs and volcanic plains teeming with raptors, this privately guided experience combines spectacular scenery with unforgettable wildlife encounters.
Day 1 – The Great Ocean Road
A short drive west of Melbourne brings us to the You Yangs, where we walk among towering eucalypts in search of wild Koalas. Your guide will share insights into the lives and behaviour of individual animals you encounter. Join the “Make a Home for Clancy” project – a Koala Clancy Foundation initiative – by helping to regenerate Koala habitat in this threatened woodland ecosystem.
In the surrounding grasslands, we often spot Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, and a variety of birdlife including cockatoos, kookaburras, and parrots.
After a picnic lunch, we travel to the coast to begin our journey along the Great Ocean Road, then head inland to the lush forest village of Forrest in the Otway Ranges to settle in ahead of an early start.
Overnight in Forrest
Day 2 – Forrest to the Shipwreck Coast
At dawn, we embark on a canoe trip on Lake Elizabeth, a mist-shrouded crater lake nestled deep in the Otways. This is one of the best places in Australia to see wild Platypus, and paddling silently across the still water offers a rare and intimate glimpse into their secretive world.
After breakfast, we walk through Otway National Park, where rainforest gullies, giant ferns and ancient trees are home to wallabies, koalas, kookaburras and forest birds.
In the afternoon, we travel west into Port Campbell National Park, part of the dramatic Shipwreck Coast. This stretch of coastline is famed for its towering limestone formations – including the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge – and for the shipwreck stories that gave the region its name. The surrounding heathlands support echidnas, lizards, wallabies and a wide range of birdlife.
Overnight in Port Campbell
Day 3 – Shipwreck Coast to Melbourne
We begin with a final look at the coastline in the golden morning light before heading inland across the vast Western Plains – a savannah landscape formed by thousands of extinct volcanoes. Climbing to the summit of one such volcano, we take in panoramic views across the plains, dotted with volcanic lakes. This is prime country for raptors, and we’ll be watching for Wedge-tailed Eagles, Brown Falcons and Nankeen Kestrels.
We continue past Lake Corangamite, Australia’s largest permanent lake, often alive with waterbirds, before returning to Melbourne in the late afternoon.
Private tour – departs any day, subject to guide availability.
Tour Code: NM3GR
To add this tour to your itinerary enquiry, please include the tour code.
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