Tasmania – Through the Lens A Photography Tour with Craig Greer
03-09 December 2023
We are once again pleased to offer a collaboration between Photographer Craig Greer and Inala Nature Tours after 2018 and 2019's successful photographic workshops.
The Tour
A photography workshop and tour in Southern Tasmania including a pelagic cruise, a flight to the South West Wilderness and several days on Bruny Island staying at and near the Inala Private Reserve where all of Tasmania’s endemic bird species can be seen and photographed. You will have access to all of the photography hides and platforms which will give you incredible proximity to Tasmania’s raptors and endemics.
This combination will give you an exceptional experience, you will gain a better understanding of nature photography techniques, a better ability to use your own equipment and an immersion in knowledge of the flora, fauna, habitats, landscapes of Tasmania. A beautiful photograph is one thing, being able to tell your friends and family about the behaviour and context of the wildlife you have photographed is even more fulfilling.
This workshop is suitable for photographers of all levels. Participants will benefit from both group and one-on-one photography and post-processing tuition from Craig and ecological education from a specialist Inala guide.
The Guides
Craig Greer. A former Tasmanian, Craig Greer now lives in Adelaide where he runs bird and wildlife photography workshops. His interest in wildlife goes back to his childhood growing up in the bush in Victoria and Tasmania. In the last five years Craig has combined his love of nature, wildlife and photography and has spent countless hours photographing a large range of animal species, particularly bird life, from Adelaide to Alice Springs and Malaysia to Bruny Island. Craig has a background in teaching, training and communications and his photos have appeared in field guides and conservation publications.
Karen Dick. Inala guide Karen relocated with her family from the UK to Tasmania in 2012 and now calls Hobart home. She part of a keen network of Tasmanian birders and continually traverses the whole state both on guided tours and for her own birding pleasure. As well as being able to impart her excellent knowledge of birds, mammals and the whole environmental world in a clear and interesting manner, Karen is also a pleasure to spend time with. Friendly, thoughtful and always willing to go above and beyond for every guest, we are delighted to have her as part of the Inala Family. Karen is a highly motivated, enthusiastic environmental specialist with more than 25 years’ experience of ecology, environmental management, research and education, with specialist expertise in ecology, ecological impact assessment, ornithology, biodiversity conservation, and sustainability issues. She has practised ecology since 1988 and has worked on projects in several countries around the world.
ITINERARY OUTLINE:
Day 1. Sun 3 Dec 23. Arrive Hobart. Accom: Hobart.
Day 2. Mon 4 Dec 23. Flight to South West Tasmania, travel to Tasman Peninsula. Accom: Tasman Peninsula.
Day 3. Tue 5 Dec 23. Pelagic ex Eaglehawk Neck, travel to Bruny Island. Accom: Bruny Island.
Day 4. Wed 6 Dec 23. Bruny Island. Accom: Bruny Island.
Day 5. Thu 7 Dec 23. Bruny Island. Accom: Bruny Island.
Day 6. Fri 8 Dec 23. Bruny Island to Hobart. Accom: Hobart.
Day 7. Sat 9 Dec 23. Depart Hobart.
DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1. Sunday 3rd Dec 2023. Arrive Hobart.
Today has been set aside as an arrival day so you are free to arrive at any time that suits your travel plans. You are to make your own way to the hotel in the city and check in to the hotel before meeting at 3pm for a Wildlife Photography talk and camera set up until 5pm. Afterward we will meet for a welcome dinner at 6:30pm Accommodation: Hobart Hotel (en suite rooms). Meals Included: D.
Day 2. Monday 4th Dec 2023. Orange-bellied Parrot excursion: flight to South West Wilderness.
This morning we will leave civilisation behind us and embark on a spectacular flight (weather dependent) to Tasmania’s remote South West World Heritage area. Inaccessible by road and breathtakingly scenic, this is one of the most remote areas in Australia and is famed, not only for its unspoilt wilderness and clean air (arguably the cleanest in the world), but also for its birdlife. Today aim to see and photography one of Australia’s rarest birds, the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. With less than 50 individuals left in the wild, this vivid parrot is teetering on the brink of extinction. Other specialties we hope to see are the elusive Eastern Ground Parrot, Striated Fieldwren, the delightful Southern Emu-wren and the aptly named Beautiful Firetail. The area is also rich in history and we will learn of the fabled adventurers who braved this region in a bygone era. On our return we will travel to the Tasman Peninsula, arriving in time for dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel, Tasman Peninsula (en suite rooms). Meals Included: B, L, D
Day 3. Tuesday 5th Dec 2023. Southern Ocean Pelagic.
This morning we will board a charter vessel (weather dependent) making our way into the vastness of the Southern Ocean in our quest for pelagic birds. High species diversity and the nearness of the continental shelf have earned Tasmania an international reputation as an excellent place to see and photograph pelagic species. Not long after we depart Pirate’s Bay, we will encounter Short-tailed Shearwater in considerable numbers as well as our first albatross species. This is one of the finest places on the planet to see a diversity of albatross and Wandering, Black-browed, Shy, Southern Royal and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses are all possible to name a few. With land still in sight we will reach the continental shelf and begin to burley off the back of the boat. Possible petrels include Great-winged, the striking White-headed, Gould’s, and Mottled. Shearwater diversity is also good with Hutton’s, White-chinned, Buller’s, Sooty, Short-tailed (common in Tasmanian waters) and Fluttering Shearwater all possible. Wilson’s, Grey-backed and White-faced Storm Petrels and Fairy Prion are also regularly seen. There are often surprises in store and with 30 plus species possible in these waters there is bound to be something new for everyone. Mammals we may encounter include Australian Fur-seals, Hump-backed Whale and Bottlenose Dolphin. After the pelagic we will make our way down to Bruny Island. Situated 40km south of Hobart, Bruny Island is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and accessed by a vehicle ferry. The ferry trip takes approximately 15 minutes where one can enjoy some wonderful scenery and possibly Little Penguins or dolphins alongside the ferry. arriving in the early evening. Accommodation: Cottage style at and near Inala on Bruny Island*. Meals Included: B, L, D.
Day 4. Wednesday 6th Dec 2023. Bruny Island.
We will spend most of today at Inala Reserve, Inala Nature Tours’ owner Tonia Cochran’s privately owned 1,500-acre sanctuary on South Bruny Island. Our photography targets will be endemic birds, with Strong-billed Honeyeater. Dusky Robin and Forty-spotted Pardalote likely highlights. We will also have access to the Mulcahy platform and the assorted photography hides on the island, which include the new raptor photography hide.
Over the next 3 days Craig will also work with participants on field craft and photography skills tailored to each participant, while Karen will provide the local knowledge to find them.
When night falls, we will set out to find and photograph a range of Tasmania’s nocturnal marsupials, including Eastern Quoll and Tasmanian Pademelon (both species now restricted to Tasmania) as well as Bennett’s Wallaby and Brush-tailed Possum which also occur rarely as golden/albino morphs on Bruny Island. We will also search for Tawny Frogmouth and Tasmanian Boobook (Morepork). Accommodation: Cottage style at and near Inala on Bruny Island*. Meals Included: B, L, D.
Day 5. Thursday 7th Dec 2023. Bruny Island.
Today we will start early with a trip to nearby Adventure Bay where there is a possibility of finding and photographing Hooded Plover and critically endangered Swift Parrot. We will also visit a Rainforest walk where we aim to find and photograph more endemic species. Tasmanian Thornbill, Tasmanian Scrubwren and the secretive Scrubtit are the main targets, as is Pink Robin. This part of the tour will provide plenty of opportunity for participants to learn the skills required to shoot in a dark rainforest environment using fill-flash. After dinner we will have another opportunity for nocturnal photography. Tonight, we may visit the Little Penguin and Short-tailed Shearwater rookery to view these species at their burrows and photograph using red light torches (no flash photography to minimize impact on the birds). We can also target more marsupials and night birds. Accommodation: Cottage style at and near Inala on Bruny Island*. Meals Included: B, L, D.
Day 6. Friday 8th Dec 2023. Bruny Island to Hobart.
Today we will visit Bruny’s southern coastline to view the second-oldest lighthouse in Australia where the striking building, the crashing waves and the towering columns of Jurassic Dolerite cliffs provide excellent opportunities for landscape photography practice. The habitat of the area may provide opportunity to photograph Brown Quail, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Olive Whistler and Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo. Here we also have a chance to see the Tasmanian subspecies of Short-beaked Echidna, one of Australia’s two egg-laying mammal (monotreme) species. In the afternoon we will travel to Hobart using any time on route to visit further sites of birding interest and search for any key species that may have eluded us.
Accommodation: Hobart Hotel (en suite rooms). Meals Included: B, L, D.
Day 7. Saturday 9th Dec 2023. Depart Hobart.
Today participants will make their own way to Hobart airport for return travel home, hopefully with lots of great images and some new and improved bird and wildlife photography skills.
Accommodation: none. Meals Included: B.
Please note: Whilst we aim to follow the itinerary as planned, please note that the itinerary provided should only be used as a guideline. Depending on individual trip circumstances, weather, and local information, the exact itinerary may not be strictly adhered to. The guides reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary as they see fit.
Tour Price: (AU$): $5,800 per person twin share. Single Supplement: $580* Based on a group size of 2-8 participants plus two leaders.
*The costings are based on each couple, twin share and single having their own room but sharing a bathroom on Bruny Island. If you require your own en suite bathroom throughout, please let us know and we will check availability and send through a quote for the additional cost.
** These prices are based on the current rate of GST and may need to be adjusted it there are significant changes.
Group Size: Based on a group size of 6-8 participants plus two leaders for the highest level of one on one tuition and guiding and the best access to the Inala Raptor Hide and Pardalote platform.
Inclusions: 6 nights’ accommodation, specialist guiding and transport for day and night tours as outlined above, all meals and activities as outlined in the itinerary (including the South West flight and the pelagic cruise), snacks and unlimited water refills, National Park entry fees, Bruny Island ferry fares and GST (=VAT).
Exclusions: international or domestic Australian airfares (except the flight to South-west Tasmania), activities and breakfast and lunch on day 1, airport transfers, drinks and expenses of a personal nature (travel insurance, internet, laundry, tips). And of course photographic equipment and binoculars.
Photography Ability: Suitable for all levels of photography and birding knowledge.
Photography Equipment: DSLR, Mirrorless or Superzoom (bridging) camera, and lenses with a minimum focal length of 300mm is preferred. For the pelagic trip, a lens of 300-400mm is ideal as handholding is required. Longer lenses, for those who have them, will of course be put to good use on the rest of the trip. A wide-angle lens is optional for landscape photography opportunities. A macro lens may also be of use but keep airline luggage limitations in mind!
Other recommended equipment:
Along with equipment listed above, Craig recommends that you bring the following things to the workshop:
Tripod or monopod (depending on lens size)
Spare camera battery(s) and battery charger
Plenty of memory cards. You will want to bring at least 3 x 32GB memory cards.
Wide-angle lens for landscape photography (optional)
Rain/weather cover. If you don’t have one, we suggest purchasing one to fit your camera/lens set-up. Craig uses and recommends Lens Coat products (you will need this to protect your camera/lens on the pelagic trip).
Natural coloured clothing- greens, browns, greys or camouflage clothes, throw, Ghillie or Yowie suit.
Laptop and external hard drive to download your images, laptop charger, installed copy of Adobe Photoshop (available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan) to take part in post-processing workshop sessions.
Skimmer Ground Pod with Tripod head for wader/ground-level photography (optional)
External flash (with fully charged and spare high-powered batteries (Energizer/Duracell/Eneloop)
Flash extended (Better Beamer or MagMod) for nocturnal photography.
Small torch with spare batteries (Craig uses a Led Lenser P7 or similar for owl photography).
Please note:
Arrival in Hobart: There is a regular shuttle bus service between Hobart airport and the main hotels in the city. Details on the costs and timing of the shuttle can be found on the Skybus website. Alternatively, you may wish to take a taxi to the city – there is no need to pre-book these as they are readily available outside the terminal building.
Meals and drinks: Breakfast generally consists of a continental style breakfast with cereal, fruit and yoghurt and tea/coffee. Full cooked breakfast is not generally offered at most locations. Lunch will generally consist of a packed lunch style meal eaten in the field, with sandwich/filled roll, fruit, and a drink. Dinner is usually two course and consists of several options for main with the choice of either an appetiser or dessert. Drinks (soft and alcoholic) are generally not included but at lunches and breakfasts juice may be made available.
The itinerary: The pelagic and the South West flight: Both of these activities are weather dependent and there is no guarantee that we will be able to do either. While we will do what we can to reschedule if the weather is not suitable no guarantees can be made in this regard.
