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Animals

Study Tours

  • Activity Tour of Tropical Australia

    This trip has been designed for more general interest and younger student groups. It visits a range of iconic regions, from the Great Barrier Reef, to the rainforests and rivers of the Daintree, to the caves and bush of the outback, and to the mountains, lakes and waterfalls of the Atherton Tablelands. We conduct a range of activities within the trip including hikes, ‘bushwalks', boat cruises, snorkeling to wildlife viewing and night-spotlighting. We see tropical rainforest, coal reefs, kangaroos, shops and beaches. With sufficient lead time, the trip can have it's focus and design changed to suit the…

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Plants

Syzygium: australian 'apples' and lilly-pillies
There are about 500 species in the genus Syzygium, with almost 60 species in Australia. The flowers are often showy, and dominated by many colourful shaving brush like stamens. They develop fleshy fruits that are also often colourful.
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Birds

Magpie Geese
The Magpie Goose is so named because it resembles a goose and is coloured a striking ‘magpie’-like black and white. Despite the common name, it has been separated from both and is currently placed in it’s own single species family due to various differences. Unlike most ducks and geese that have fully webbed toes, Magpie Geese have only partially webbed feet. They also undergo a graduated moult, not a complete moult as do the ducks and geese after breeding.
magpie goose
Magpie Goose
 

Mammals

Echidna
It has recently been recognized that there are at least 3 species of echidnas. Most of these inhabit the jungles of New Guinea. There is one very widespread species found in Australia. It is an unmistakable animal; about the size of a small cat, it is covered with brown spines, has a long beak-like nose and tiny, squinty eyes. The Echidna walks with a distinctive rolling gait.
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