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Category / Australia’s best guides

Australia’s Best Guides – Sab Lord | Kakadu and Arnhem Land

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Sab Lord is a larger than life character, and has been hosting guests in the Top End for 16 years. Sab grew up in the area that is now Kakadu and Arnhem Land and has a rather unique relationship with many local Aboriginal people. We interviewed Sab Lord to find out a little more about him…

Please explain a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I am a tour guide in the Northern Territory of Australia, I was born on a crocodile/buffalo station called Munmalary near the South Alligator River, I have been guiding for 25 years after working as a Jackaroo and bull catcher, managing stations in The Kimberley.  I also played the best game in the world – rugby union.  I grew up surrounded by Aboriginal people and their children were my playmates in an environment where you had to make decisions for yourself – unlike today.

What got you started with your passion and what do you find most interesting about it?

I loved learning about our environment and explaining the difference to visitors about Aboriginal People and how they live.

How do you bring Australia to life on your tours?

I speak my mind – I am not politically correct but with age comes wisdom so I enjoy discussing the environment and how humans impact it.

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about the Australian environment?

Because its where we live!  People now have lost the understanding of living in the bush, now that so many people live and work in cities they have become very out of touch with nature.

If people wanted to find out more about the Australian environment are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

I love environmental warriors!  I support The Sea Shepherd and Wildlife At Risk. I often recommend a book called The Future Eaters by Tim Flannery. Also Carl Warburton’s book Buffalos – Adventures in Arnhemland and The Green Eyes Are The Buffalos by Alan Stewart.

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Wallabies, because of their freedom of movement at a quick pace.

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

Arnhem Land

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

Tasmania, to see the wildlife.

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lordssafarisnt/

Twitter – @lordssafarisnt

 

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Australia’s Best Guides – Paul Bester | Nature & photography

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Paul Bester is living the dream. Based at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, his passion for nature and photography, as well as his upbringing in Africa make him one of Australia’s best guides. We found out more about him…

Please explain a little bit about who you are and what you do?

As the Head Guide at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef I spend a lot of time out in the field with our guests, taking them on guided kayaking or bush walking in the Cape Range National Park, however, as we are a small team and in a remote location, I get involved in all aspects of the Camp from maintenance to training of the new guides and even waiting on tables at night. It is a varied life but I feel privileged to be in such a beautiful and natural location.

What got you started with your passion and what do you find most interesting about it?

My great passion is for the natural world, it always has been. I grew up on a tobacco farm in Zimbabwe and after studying in Cape Town spent time as a Ranger at a private reserve adjoining the world famous Kruger National Park. During these years I decided to focus on photography – it began as a way to connect with guests – helping them operate their, often very new, cameras. Soon I was spending all my free time expanding on my photography skills. I still love photography but I don’t get as much time as I would like for it. I could not be happier than when I am out in nature, surrounded by rugged, beautiful and wild landscapes with time to focus on my photography.

How do you bring the Australian natural world to life on your tours?

It is easy to bring the nuances of the Australian bush to life, there is so much that is completely unique here – flora and fauna that evolved differently and uniquely. You need to be out on foot, driving around you miss so much, the combination of a good walk, blue sky, the sounds of birds and insects, stopping to study tiny flowers or discover an ancient fossil …. All around us is life and once you get chatting about it, there are so many stories and fascinations to share.

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about the Australian natural world?

I think connecting with nature is something we all need to do more of. Disconnecting from the digital age and being totally surrounded by the Cape Range and Ningaloo Reef is an opportunity for most guests to slow down. What we do out here is good exercise for the body and for the soul. Bush walking, swimming, kayaking, leaping into the ocean to swim with a whale shark, seeing whales breaching as you have your breakfast, I can’t help feeling that if people feel connected to our natural world they will be better at protecting it in the future. To me it is important that I give them this chance to connect, by sharing my knowledge.

If people wanted to find out more about the Australian natural world are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

There are endless Field Guides to Australia’s plants, fish, reptiles, animals etc and once a traveller has found their particular interest they might care to invest in a good one. Out here we don’t have TV or internet so I am a bit out of touch with documentaries etc. We have a good library here at Sal Salis and I am working my way through it, I am currently reading a book at the Yamatji aboriginal people of the Gascoyne region, it is a collection of their memoirs and it spans the last 100 years.

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Black footed rock wallaby, because it is endemic to the Cape Range National Park and because it is a positive conservation story, its numbers are increasing and we certainly see them on most of our Mandu Mandu Gorge walks. I love that I can share this beautiful creature with our guests.

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

Well perhaps I am biased but I would have to say Ningaloo Reef!!

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

OK, perhaps I am a little addicted to white sand and snorkelling and plenty of bush to explore but I would love to get over to the Whitsunday Islands.

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

I am not very good at social media because, as I said, I don’t have internet at the camp but when I do spend time in town I pop up a photo on …

https://www.facebook.com/paulbesterphotography

https://www.instagram.com/paulbester88/
Photo thanks go to guest Nanda Haensel, Singapore.

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Australia’s Best Guides – Ray Andrews | Naturalist & Birder

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Ray Andrews

Ray Andrews has a CV to beat most when it comes to knowledge of nature. His bespoke tours are a fascinating way to learn almost anything about Australia and our unique wilderness.

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I call myself a naturalist but I have so many more interests. My degree is in Tropical Plant sciences. I am a big birder, and have worked with frogs, mammals, insects, planted 10,000’s of trees, done aboriginal rock art tours for years, operated biking, canoeing, sea kayaking, hiking and camping tours. I ran a wine tour company and was featured on many docos and travel productions. I currently run a tour company specialising in adventures into Papua New Guinea and do bespoke tours in Australia.

My favourite place to visit is the Cape York peninsula and the far flung Islands of Melanesia. I am just as happy sitting down half naked in a village hut in Papua New Guinea gorging on wild pig with my bare hands as to being a wine snob sipping on gorgeous chardonnays (if you don’t like chardy you haven’t tried enough of it) at top notch restaurants. My wife would prefer me to be the later.

I love history and especially the contact periods when Europeans first meet indigenous cultures and have a special interest in the Wallace line in Indonesia where the flora and fauna of Australia (Sahul) meets the Asiatic (Sunda) fauna and flora.

I live in beautiful Eumundi on the Sunshine coast with an amazing wife and two great kids. My latest project is setting up a film shoot for National Geographic in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea where I am taking my son along with me.

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Love platypus and spend way too much time stalking them in the river on my property.

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

I haven’t been to the Coral Bay or Hamelin pool of WA. Best secret spot in Australia is the Quinkan Rock Art bodies on Cape York peninsula, but if you haven’t experienced the Trobriand Islands in PNG you are missing out of everything.

 

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Australia’s Best Guides – Brett Graham | Aboriginal culture & Central Australia

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Brett Graham

Based at Ayres Rock (Uluru), Brett Graham is one of Australia’s best outback guides. His deep knowledge and passion for Aboriginal culture brings it to life for his guests in only a way that few people can.

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

My name Is Brett Graham, Director and part owner of SEIT Outback Australia. I love the bush especially the outback and have spent a lot of time with the Aboriginal people of the central desert regions around Uluru.

I spent a lot of time travelling and camping around Australia by 4WD since I could drive, always going somewhere – the more remote the better! I grew up in Melbourne but was always in the bush on weekends exploring a new area. As owner and tour guide I spend a lot of time with our staff ensuring that their cultural knowledge and general touring knowledge and practices are the best they can be. I love to get out bush and just spend time with the Aboriginal people as they have so much to teach us all.

What got you started with your passion for Central Australia and what do you find most interesting about it?

I have alway had an interest in all things outback and then the opportunity presented some 12 years ago. I have been learning ever since. I love the challenges that the outback and remote Australia throws at you, the logistics are never ending but rewarding when it all comes together.

How do you bring Central Australia to life on your tours?

I think people sense that I have a lot of experience in the outback and who I am is part of the tour. People come for a cultural / outback experience and because I live and breath the outback it naturally becomes the flavour of my touring experiences.

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about Central Australia?

Understanding comes from experiences with people who spend time on the land and with the people, and hence are able to pass on knowledge to guests.

People come to Uluru and surrounds to get connected. This takes time and knowledge, and this is an area that we have built connections in.

If people wanted to find out more about Central Australia are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

There are many books and films that tell stories and depict Central Australian culture and most are a great source of information about all aspect of outback life. I think it really depends on your focus on the outback as to where you start .

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Thorny devil – prehistoric! A true survivor of the outback, a fascinating reptile.

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

Mt Woodroffe South Australia – spectacular scenery.

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

Kimberly region and Cape York. On the must-do list – just need the time to do it properly. Extreme regions of Australia is where I like to be.

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

Facebook

 

Click here to find out more about Australian travel with Alquemie

 

Australia’s Best Guides – Jason Miller | Australian wine & food

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Jason Miller

Jason Miller is one of the lucky ones – he gets to taste wine for a living and share his love of it with people on his tours. We talk to him about his passion for his craft as one of Australia’s best wine and food guides.

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I’m Jason Miller and I get paid to drink wine. Or more specifically to taste wine and to talk about it. I run a food and wine tour company called Rich & Lingering, which covers South Australia. Being based in Adelaide we are surrounded by wine regions, so one of the great joys I have is to be able to show visitors our regions, and also our wine and our food.

In my spare time I also write about Australian wine on a wine blog called Que Syrah, provide wine reviews and have also worked as a wine judge.

What made you passionate about wine and what do you find most interesting about it?

Having always been a foodie, wine is just part of that broader experience. Good wine is essential to good food. In fact I’m sure that wine is one of the four main food groups; along with chocolate, cheese and something else.

What I love most about it, is no matter how much you know, how far you have travelled, there is always something more to learn. It’s a never ending voyage of discovery. There always seems to be new varieties, new regions, and new vintages.

How do you bring wine to life on your tours?

I’m lucky enough to have various wine qualifications, and to have tasted many great wines. But when you travel there is always that ‘ah ha!’ moment when you visit a location and the product make sense given that context.

I love being able to help my guests interpret that context, to discover the intricacies and the influences of wine and food. This comes from the location, the people and their history. Wine at its most basic is fermented grapes. But what make it even more interesting is to understand the history and the culture of the people who made it. How they were influenced by their location, their climate, and their way of life.

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about wine?

Unfortunately with wine there is often an aura of mystery that surrounds it. As people learn about anything (including wine) they are less hesitant. I’m all for making a product more approachable, and more understandable.

If people wanted to find out more about the North of Australia are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

There are many books and movies for a broad audience, from the complete novice through to official ‘cork dorks’ like myself. There’s also plenty of wine blogs, like Que Syrah. But really the best piece of wine advice I was ever given was to ‘taste promiscuously’. Not necessary drink a lot, just tasting a broad range of things. Wines you have never heard of before, regions you can’t pronounce, countries you have never visited. This ultimately helps to develop your palate.

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

The echidna; I know very little about them but have been lucky enough to come across them in the wild occasionally. The whole idea of a mammal, which lays eggs, and has quills is pretty amazing and something you would only find in Australia.

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

Flinders Ranges (especially Arkaba Homestead). An amazing location to enjoy the landscape, the climate, the wildlife, the stars and the vastness of Australia.

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

There is so much on my ever growing list. I would love to visit the far north of Australia – in both the wet and dry seasons. I would love to swim with the whale sharks at Ningaloo. At the other end of the country I can’t wait to explore the breadth of Tasmania. The wine and the produce of Tasmania are sensational. But I would love to understand it more – their influences, their climate and the location.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that hasn’t been covered by the questions already posed?

There’s an important difference between tasting and drinking.

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

Rich & Lingering
Twitter: @RichLingering
Facebook: @RichAndLingering
Que Syrah
Twitter: @Que_Syrah_
Instagram: Que_Syrah

 

Click here to find out more about Australian travel with Alquemie

 

Australia’s Best Guides – Rusty Miller | Champion surfer

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Rusty Miller

Rusty Miller is a former USA Surfing Champion and Hawaiian big wave rider. Today, he is one of our favourite Australian guides, showing guests the joys of surfing at Byron Bay.

 

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I am a native Californian who came to Byron Bay in 1970 and have lived and surfed here ever since with a few stints away in other places. My surf sessions are combined with my publishing/writing. In 1973 I started the first alternative newspaper in Byron Shire and and in 1984 began publishing the annual Rusty’s Byron Guide. Because I appreciate where I live I have advocated for the social, physical and cutlural environment in Byron since arriving.

What got you started with surfing and what do you find most interesting about it?

I started surfing when I was ten years old in Southern California. I grew up next to the ocean where I didn’t have to lift my head off my pillow to see the surf. In those days there was no career in it. I surf (and still do) for the love of it. In the 1960s I began to compete and in 1965 was the United States surfing champion. I began teaching surfing informally in the ‘70s in Byron Bay and have taught here ever since. I don’t like the word “school” and “teaching” as they imply something that surfing isn’t about. I say that I offer surf sessions to people. I only teach personalised surfing, not big groups of people who don’t know each other. To me surfing is an art form, not a sport. We dance on the waves. This is what I try to explain to people.

How do you bring surfing to life on your tours?

As I have lived and surfed in Byron Bay/shire since 1970 I bring a 46 year history of the place to my surf sessions and Byron town/hinterland tour. I’ve been here through it’s major changes of being a working-class, primary industry community to a one based on tourism, with surfing being a big part of that. I approach my surfing sessions/cultural tuning on a most personal level relative to how I read what my clients might be inclined towards. First of all for the surfing I endeavour to find out what kind of relationship they have previously had with the ocean, if any, and what their physical activity experiences have been. Relative to our community we often talk of history, politics and travel. My Rusty’s Byron Guide byline is People, Politics and Culture. I say that you get more than a surf session with me. The first thing we do is I take you up to the Byron Bay lighthouse and explain the geography and culture of the place. This gives you the context of where you are.

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about surfing?

Surfing is such a joy. It is infinite and allows you to be completely in the moment. I endeavour to demonstrate that the standard perceptions we obtain from media, advertising and promotional material about surfing do not always represent it’s actual essence. Surfing waves can appear to be relatively simple with the appropriate equipment when conducted in the right place at the right time. However, there is a lifetime of learning the ocean and its ways. And, of course, I want people to understand Byron and its unique place in Australia.

If people wanted to find out more about surfing are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

In Australia there are dozens of books about people who surf and some good ‘how to’ books. Along with my wife, Tricia, we have published two books of my surfing life through my photographs taken between 1968-1973 both here in Byron Bay/Bells Beach and in Hawaii, where I lived for three years from 1967-1970. Our website has a little video filmed by local filmmakers showing how I explain the art of surfing. These same filmakers have made a documentary called Byron, The Meeting Place, which is available as a full length film or a shortened version on-line. It is well worth a look before you get here.

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Dolphins because they are the best wave riders in the world.

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

A secret is a secret.

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

Discover a beach with a good wave I have never surfed before.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that hasn’t been covered by the questions already posed?

The two best learning beaches in the world, The Pass and Wategos Beach, are in the Cape Byron National Park. rustymillersurf has exclusive rights to teach at the main section of these two beaches. On any given day you’ll be surfing with dolphins in clean, blue water. Mornings and sunsets are the best time to be out there as Cape Byron is the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Uniquely in Australia, The Pass Beach faces west so that not only do we enjoy the sunrises but sunsets as well, about the only place in Australia that this happens.

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

Instagram: RustyMillerSurf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rusty.miller.surf/

 

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Australia’s Best Guides – Craig Wickham | Kangaroo Island naturalist

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Craig Wickham

Craig Wickham is one of Australia’s leading experts on the fauna and flora of Kangaroo Island and he has been sharing Kangaroo Island’s secrets with guests for since 1990.

 

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I grew up on Kangaroo Island and always had a keen interest in nature and wildlife. I spent a year living and travelling in Africa and studied wildlife and conservation management at University before working as a wildlife ranger with the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. My family has a long history with hospitality and accommodation so the opportunity to work for myself with a professional guiding and tour service provided the chance to blend nature and hospitality.

 

What got you started with wildlife observation and what do you find most interesting about it?

Growing up with a strong sense of curiosity meant I was constantly observing and learning about the wildlife which surrounded me. Living on a spectacular coastal farm meant there was a constant stream of visitors and I was always keen to show people around and share what I knew. Once I started studying more formally it was clear how little we know about the natural world and guiding provides a chance for continuous learning. One specific element to wildlife observation which intrigues me is wildlife behaviour and habituation – how we are able to amend our behaviour and develop a level of trust in the animals we go to observe. The ability to blend into the background and watch animals doing what they would ordinarily do – not fearfully watching us ready to flee but grooming, joey kangaroos jumping in and out of their mothers’ pouch, or interacting with each other.

 

How do you bring wildlife observation to life on your tours?

A really positive message to share with our guests is the method by which we develop that habituation – not by providing artificial food sources but by carefully and quietly moving through the landscape and when we see the animals we stop and observe them, and then slowly move closer. Once they start to react we take a step back and sit down. We do not have to be totally silent – the animals will tolerate us speaking at a low volume. Over time this approach distance reduces and the animals start to ignore us – proceeding to feed, lay down to rest and even turn their backs to us, a clear indication that we are no threat to them.

 

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about wildlife observation?

I think this is a technique which is clearly transferrable and people can take this home and try it with their local wildlife species. It also gives an alternative to feeding which whilst in the short term would meet the objective of animals being habituated, it also rapidly leads to dependance, higher than usual densities which has environmental consequences, and often leads to conflict as animals become more demanding.

 

If people wanted to find out more about wildlife observation are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

I am unaware of specific books or documentaries relating to wildlife observation through benign habituation but there is plenty of commentary in research articles such as this one which outlines quite a few of the elements of the topic. A couple of favourite wildlife documentaries are: Faces in the mob – summarised in this short clip ; and The Ocean’s Supermum

 

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

The short-beaked echidna  – they are incredibly adaptable and flexible – being the most widely distributed native animal in Australia both in terms pf habitat type and climatic range. They are similarly diverse in their behaviour – one echidna will immediately “go to ground” digging into the earth and remaining absolutely still and I have been “out-waited” by echidnas for over 40 minutes! Another will appear very bold – trying to nudge people’s feet out of the way, tipping over camera bags left on the ground and appear to have no fear of people at all. I find it interesting that is a popular culture sense outside of Australia the platypus is very well know as “the egg-laying mammal” yet echidnas are virtually unknown despite being a far more widespread animal.

 

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

A favourite place of mine is Cape Gantheaume on Kangaroo Island’s south coast. Incredibly remote – half a day of walking to get there and I have fixed in my mind a day which held so many elements. White-bellied sea-eagles and ospreys wheeling overhead, Australian sea-lions on the whitest sand beach, thousands of long-nosed fur-seals out on the rocky point to the east and at the base of cliffs lay several long wooden beams – the fractured remains of the masts from the SS You Yangs which wrecked off the coast on Pelorus Islet on 14 June 1890. To me this spot epitomises the diversity of Australia, our wildlife and rugged coast and the powerful natural forces which continue to define our land and our history.

 

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

Whew – that is a long list! I am yet to dive with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, I would love to explore the extraordinary fossil beds at Riversleigh, I have not visited the Kimberleys and then there are thousands of places I have been once and would love to go back to!

 

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

Twitter: @craigwick
Instagram: craig.wickham
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exceptional.kangarooisland
Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/craigeki
Google+ +CraigWickham
Pinterest craigonki

 

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Australia’s Best Guides – Brendon Bevan | Naturalist & conservationist

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Brendon Bevan

We talked to Brendon Bevan from Arkaba, one of Australia’s most experienced guides and a passionate conservationist.

 

Please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

My name is Brendon Bevan and I manage Arkaba Conservancy (A Luxury Lodge of Australia), The Arkaba Walk (A Great Walk of Australia) and the property’s conservation model.

 

What got you started with conservation and what do you find most interesting about it?

I guess since my younger years when my parents purchased a series of cattle farms in Africa and we set about de-stocking and restoring the land. Conservation is a pretty broad subject, but when you get to actually witness change and habitat improvement as a result of your efforts, it is truly the most rewarding thing on earth.

 

How do you bring conservation to life on your tours?

I like to get folks out of vehicles and into the thick of it! See it, feel it, smell it, taste it! Don’t make them spectate – let them participate.

 

Why do you think it’s important that people learn about conservation?

It’s everywhere! It is right under our noses and we get so caught up in “The real world” we take it for granted. We all have a roll to play in conservation.

 

If people wanted to find out more about conservation are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?

To the contrary, I would say put down your book, switch off your television and disconnect your Wi-fi! Go outside and explore. Question the world!

 

What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?

Got to be a Wedge-Tailed-Eagle! Just look at it!!!

 

What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?

Has to be Arkaba!

 

What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?

So, so many things! Spending time in Arnhem Land would have to be right up there…

 

Is there anything else you’d like to add that hasn’t been covered by the questions already posed?

I guess the only thing I’d add is that there’s more to conservation than being a “Greenie”! There’s a real harsh coal face of conservation involving feral animal control and population dynamics. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it is an absolute necessity.

 

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

I guess they can’t really! I’m on Facebook I suppose, but really need to get better at that sort of thing.

 

Click here to find out more about Australian travel with Alquemie