QUEENSLAND PAPUA NEW GUINEA NORTHERN TERRITORY SOUTH AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA TASMANIA NEW ZEALAND Cairns Darwin Mount Hagen Port Moresby Kimberley Broome Shark Bay Cape Naturaliste Perth Hyden Fitzgerald River National Park Cape Le Grand National Park Leeuwin- Naturaliste National Park Gladstone Heron Island Lizard Island Melbourne East Gippsland Sydney Hobart Brisbane Stewart Island Fiordland Mount Cook Westland Daintree National Park Kakadu National Park Ningaloo Reef Lamington National Park Great Barrier Reef TA S MAN SEA PA CIFIC OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN Kangaroo Island Adelaide Barossa Clare Valley Ayers Rock Gawler Ranges Arthur’s Pass Paparoa Nelson Lakes Abel Tasman Tongariro Rotorua Wellington Kaikoura Christchurch Dunedin Auckland Australasia 108 F O R R E S E R V A T I O N S C A L L U S O N 0845 130 6982

Visit the southern hemisphere’s ancient lands that have evolved separately from the rest of the world. For the wildlife lover this means unique species and landscapes that can be found nowhere else on earth. Kangaroos, kiwis, koalas, echidnas and kookaburras are just some of the unusual endemics. We invite you to travel with us to some of the most beautiful destinations down under and to see some of their most bizarre and wonderful inhabitants. Visit the magnificent Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory - still managed by its Aboriginal owners and full of the same rare, endangered and endemic marsupials, reptiles and birds that inhabit their legends. The World Heritage site of Daintree River in Queensland is a must - where backwaters teem with birdlife and the infamous ‘salty’ crocodiles. The Great Barrier Reef provides unlimited viewing of marine life and on the west and southern coasts there is excellent whale-watching at various times of the year – with opportunities to swim with dolphins and sealions. New Zealand’s spectacular scenery and empty roads lends itself to some wonderful self-drive holidays through glacier topped mountain ranges, ancient temperate rainforests, fjords and volcanic lakes. Along the route you will encounter unique flora and fauna such as the rare Yellow-eyed Penguins or breeding colonies of albatrosses. The rich surrounding seas are home to whales, dolphins and fur seals amongst many other marine species. For something completely different why not visit Papua New Guinea, justifiably world-renowned for its birdlife (with numerous endemics) of which the highlight must be the magnificent birds of paradise. Naturalists come from world wide to study this island where new discoveries are still being made on a regular basis. Highlights February • Leatherback, and Loggerhead Turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches of Western Australia. March • Whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea, visit the shores of Western Australia at Coral Bay (Ningaloo Reef) – they remain until May. June • June marks the beginning of winter and the ‘dry’ season in Australia’s north. Much of the Kimberley region and far north Queensland becomes accessible. July • Southern Right Whales arrive into the bays of Australia’s south coast to calve. They stay until October. August • In late August there are magnificent wildflower spectacles in south-west Australia. • Humpback Whales head south on their epic migration to Antarctic waters. They can be seen from now until the end of October. November • Yellow-eyed Penguins breed and are readily observed from November to May near Dunedin, New Zealand. December • December to August is the best time to visit the Royal Albatross colony on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin, New Zealand. Climate The Austral summer (November to May) in the north of the region is generally hot, humid and wet. The Australian interior is very hot and dry during the summer months, but the southern and western coasts have hot, Mediterranean style summers. Winter brings cooler, wetter moderate temperatures to the south and west, but is the best time for visiting the northern areas and interior where temperatures are pleasant and the skies generally clear. New Zealand’s island climate is complex and more moderate - warm subtropical in the far north to cool temperate in the south. Like the UK it is known for a high rainfall, particularly along the west coast, with severe alpine conditions in the mountainous areas. The whole region suffers from high solar (UV) radiation. S E E U S O N T H E W E B AT wildlifeworldwide.com 109 Australasia / Introduction Crocodiles