Sydney Wildlife Safari

About this tour

Escape Sydney's sprawl for a 10-hour nocturnal adventure in the Southern Highlands. Your guide leads you through private farmland and bushland to track kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and emus by day, then stakes out a riverside spot at dusk hunting for platypus—one of Australia's most elusive monotremes. After dinner at a heritage pub, you'll spotlight gliders and possums under torch beam before heading back to the city.

Highlights

• Search for platypus at a quiet river at dusk
• Spotlight nocturnal gliders, possums, wombats after dark
• Walk private farmland and untouched bushland with expert guide
• Learn about Great Western Wildlife Corridor conservation link
• Dinner and drink at Australia's oldest licensed inn
• Binoculars and handheld spotlights provided
• See kangaroos, wallabies, emus, native parrots

What to expect

You'll depart late morning and spend the afternoon rambling through open farmland and native scrub, stopping frequently to observe grazing macropods and birdlife. The pace is steady but unhurried—your guide knows where animals congregate and reads the landscape for signs. As light fades, you'll head to a river to wait for platypus activity, a genuinely rare sighting if conditions align. After a country-style meal and a drink at a historic pub, torches come out for the final two hours of spotlighting, when nocturnal marsupials become active in the trees and undergrowth.

Good to know

Moderate fitness required; you'll walk roughly 1km at a time over uneven, sometimes slippery terrain and river banks. Wear closed-toe shoes and check Southern Highlands weather beforehand. The tour isn't suitable for those with spinal injuries, cardiovascular concerns, or limited mobility. A photo ID is required if consuming alcohol.