Page 35 - Explore Magazine Winter 2018

BIRDWATCHING AUSTRALIA 33
Australia’s birdlife is diverse and intriguing and Echidna Walkabout gets
you up and close to it with knowledgeable guides. The tours take time to
watch the birds as well as enjoy the spirit of the environment because a
bird is not alone – it needs an ecosystem to support it. Watching leads to
understanding, and understanding leads to better protection for the birds.
This style of birdwatching is comfortable. Early morning and late afternoon
walks and drives are still recommended but are optional; the middle of the
day is for relaxing over lunch and taking a siesta. The tours also allow time
for looking at plants, scenery, other animals, people, culture and history
where it is relevant and important.
The full-day (lunch included) Tawny Frogmouths and Sandpipers tour is just
one of a selection of birdwatching tours on offer. After pick-up in Melbourne
by a wildlife guide, the tour travels 45 minutes west of Melbourne to the
bushland of You Yangs Regional Park. As well as koala-spotting, the tour
looks out for the dry woodland birds that are special to the You Yangs
including Tawny Frogmouths. Several pairs nest in the park along with
White-winged Choughs, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Common Bronzewings,
and many other bird varieties. The area of the tour is of great significance
to the local Aboriginal people of the Wathaurong tribe, and the granite
rock formations of the You Yangs have staged huge meetings of Aboriginal
people from all over Southeastern Australia.
Leaving the You Yangs, the tour travels to the nearby Serendip Wetlands
for a walk through the gum trees and grasslands in search of wild mobs of
Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The animals are secretive and tours often walk
quietly along kangaroo tracks using trees and bushes as shelter. The tour
also looks out for Emus and Cape Barren Geese and includes a short walk
to a billabong that is home to Magpie Geese, Ducks, Stilts and Spoonbills.
Captive breeding populations of Australian Bustards and Brolgas are also
managed for conservation purposes on the site.

MEXICO REAL FOOD ADVENTURE
Experience Mexico’s distinctive cuisine while travelling through
Oaxaca, Puebla, Mazunte and Mexico City on a Real Food
Adventure with Intrepid Travel. This journey through some
of the country’s most famous culinary regions gives you the
chance to taste authentic Mexican cuisine and takes you to the
source of some of the nation’s most iconic foods, from tacos to
mole and beyond.
In Oaxaca the tour meanders through the city’s aromatic
markets and enters the heart of pre-Hispanic cuisine: taste
chiles, chocolate, mezcal and the surprisingly delicious
chapulines (grasshoppers).
In Puebla, the city streets are the place to sample local
specialties and while a Lucha Libre (theatrical freestyle
wrestling) match it may not be edible, it’s an entertaining and
memorable cultural experience.
In Mexico City the tour again takes to the streets on a taco
crawl to experience a delightful culinary heritage that goes
back thousands of years. And then top it all off with a boating
expedition out on the Pacific Ocean followed by fresh ceviche
on one of the best beaches on Mexico’s southwest coast.
If you’re after cultural richness, authentic experiences and
flavoursome food that’s tinged with fiesta, this Real Food
Adventure is perfect.

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : WINTER EDITION