Home
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.

Read more...
 

Study Tours

Plants

Lichen
Lichen is actually a life-form that is the result of an inter-dependent relationship between two very different organisms; usually a fungus and an algae, (or a cyanobacteria, a common occurrence in the lichens lower down in the rainforest strata).
Read more...
 

Birds

Cormorants and Shags
Cormorant
Cormorant
Cormorants and Shags are large birds, usually black with some white or grey. They have a long body shape with short legs and big, webbed feet set back on the body so as they stand upright when on land, much like penguins. Unlike most waterbirds, the feathers of cormorants, shags and darters are not waterproof. This reduces buoyancy, which allows them to submerge without effort and splashing and with an absence of bubbles; this means they do not disturb or alert potential prey. However, this also means they have to ‘hang their wings out to dry’ and are often seen standing with their wings outstretched. These birds often dive underwater to catch their prey. They swim by kicking with their big webbed feet. The wings are tucked by their side and they do not use them to ‘fly’ underwater like penguins.
 

Mammals

Bandicoots
Bandicoots are a distinctive order of only about 19 marsupials in Australia and New Guinea. Bandicoots are roughly rabbit-sized and shaped. They have shorter, but strong, forelimbs for digging and longer back legs used in their bounding, rabbit-like gait.
Read more...