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Educational Tours Australia

Educational Tours Australia (ETA) runs nature-based and other educational tours and programmes for schools, universities, colleges, and various special interest groups.

students at a waterhole

Tours and programmes include our 3, 7 & 10 day biology & ecosystems study programme , and our more holiday based activity & sightseeing tour . There are also some "Trip reports" of our previous tours and programmes.

We are a small company with biology and ecotourism qualified staff . When you make enquiries, you will be dealing with the guides directly. Apart from our set itineraries, given enough lead time we can also develop an itinerary for your group that focuses on many different special interest subjects, including ecotourism, birdwatching and geological study. We also hire out Damon Ramsey and Jane Moores to tour companies and organizations as Biology and Ecotourism guides & lecturers.

ETA is based in Cairns (North Queensland) and specializes in what we think is the best part of Australia. However, our itineraries have also included other parts of the country.

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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

Fungi
Fungi actually belong to a completely different kingdom from the animals and the plants and are not particularly related to either. There are thought to be about 250,000 species of fungi in Australia, and thus they far outnumber the regular vascular plants but most of these species are too small to be noticed.
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Birds

Pelicans
Pelican
Pelican
The seven species of Pelican can be found wherever there is water, all around the world. They are all huge, instantly recognizable birds, with large bills and big webbed feet. They are usually white, with additions of yellow, pink, grey and/or black. Pelicans feed mainly on fish. The bottom of the bill is extremely elastic and can carry large prey. When it is fully distended, pelicans have a larger bill than any other bird. Even though they look awkward on land, they are graceful swimmers. They are also magnificent fliers, and have been found at heights of 3000 metres. The Australian Pelican is Australia’s largest flying bird, with a wingspan of almost three and a half meters. It can be found wherever there is water all around Australia and New Guinea, being especially common around estuaries. Like many other pelicans around the world, they can become quite tame, and can be found hanging around fishing jetties and taking handouts. When not breeding, they are often nomadic, having been recorded in New Zealand when there are droughts in Australia.
 

Mammals

Bats - general
A group well represented in the tropical rainforests of Australia are the bats. This is one of the most successful groups of mammals in the world, and in Australia there are at least 70 species; almost a quarter of this continent's mammals.
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