Monthly Archives: February 2021

Congratulations to Beyond Byron E Bikes for achieving Ecotourism Certification!

Based in the Byron Bay hinterland, in the charming Mullumbimby, Byron E Bikes offers guided tours on electric mountain bikes so everyone, no matter your fitness level, can enjoy a day out in nature.

Photo: Beyond Byron E Bikes / Instagram

Beyond Byron E Bikes’ vision is to bring everyone closer to nature with their tours and to promote the use of electric bikes as a sustainable way of transport. They believe, as do we, that the deeper people’s connection with nature is, the more they will fight to protect it.

Beyond Byron E Bikes is fully licensed by National Parks NSW to operate. They offer four different tours to discover the Byron Bay hinterland area and the local national parks. Discover secret beaches, country lanes, hinterland cafes and other hidden spots that only the locals know.

Photo: Lush Hinterland & Beach – E-Bike Tour

Hells Hole & Rainforest, their most popular tour, goes for about five to six hours and will allow you to explore Mount Jerusalem National Park rainforest by bike. It also involves a short hike to the Hells Hole falls where you can go for a refreshing swim in the pools.

Photo: Hells Hole & Rainforest – E Bike Tour

All food provided in their tours is locally sourced, and they assess their suppliers based on a set of sustainability principles. The batteries used for the bikes are recharged in a facility fully powered by renewable electricity and are easily recycled. Plus, you can also buy an e-bike while you are there! Not only are e-bikes a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but also to help improve your physical condition, and therefore your health.

Their partnership with ReForestNow.org means they plant one tree for every tour they run, going beyond offsetting their carbon footprint. ReForestNow.org is a local environmental NGO based in Byron Bay whose mission is to grow and plant trees that will reforest cleared land in subtropical Australia.

Congratulations once again to Beyond Byron E Bikes for achieving ECO Ecotourism certification and welcome to the Ecotourism Australia family!

For more information about Beyond Byron E Bikes visit their website, Instagram, or Facebook page

Douglas Shire Region

Low Isles the Seaside Paradise

Low Island consists of a small sandy cay with vegetation and a Commonwealth Heritage listed lighthouse. Low Isles and the surrounding Great Barrier Reef have been described as one of the most spectacular, complex, but fragile eco systems in the world. Operating in such a sensitive location can cause severe damage to the environmental quality, biodiversity and cultural heritage, if not controlled appropriately.

Low Isles and the surrounding area have proved how important stewardships with community, researchers and governmental organisations can be. To establish innovative approaches, different stakeholders have been working together for decades.

Tourism operators contribute to reef monitoring, coral restoration, adhere to responsible reef practices and deliver interpretive information to thousands of tourists. Read more on Douglas Shire Region’s Story.

Photo: Douglas Shire

Lorde Howe Island

Restoring Paradise – Predator Free Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island is getting ready to celebrate the success of 40 years protecting its unique species by removing the last introduced feral mammal pests. In 1980 the conservation story began for Lord Howe Island. There is now a spectacular increase in all flora and fauna further enhancing Lord Howe Island as hotspot for biodiversity. The success of the restoration of Lord Howe Island will enhance its World Heritage values, and its reputation as a world leader for ecotourism. Continue reading about Lord Howe Island’s Story here

Photo: Lord Howe Island

Townsville

Transforming an Industrial City – One Sustainable Story at a Time

Unlike other cities, Townsville isn’t telling anyone ‘what sustainability is’ and ‘how it is done’, rather it aims to communicate and implement sustainability differently and relevantly so that the community can ‘figure it out for themselves’ and ‘act in ways that matter to them’. Townsville, as a destination, is reducing the ‘flight, fright and fight’ reaction of the community by making sustainability easy to process and relevant to them. Townsville’s Citysolar (Design System for Change) is a whole-of-Community Collaborative framework for action, which begun in 2004. This framework for action introduced tools and processes for communicating in meaningful ways within the city which led to community collaboration and action. People creating their own preferred sustainable and resilient future. Read more about Townsville’s sustainability story.

Ecotourism Australia is delighted to welcome Off-Road Adventures to our growing community, as we congratulate them on their achievement of the Nature Tourism Certification for their range of nine adventure tours. This certification recognises Off-Road Adventures WA’s dedication to creating exciting tourism products in natural areas that leave minimal impacts on our environment.

Off-Road Adventures operates in Albany, a port city in Western Australia filled with waterways, lush beaches, and historical rugged coastline known for its tourism, natural environment, and preservation of heritage. Surrounded by spectacular coastline and turquoise seas, Off-Road Adventures WA is in the perfect environment to offer luxury off road adventures through which adventurers can take in the magnificent mountain ranges, towering ancient forests, rolling deserts, stunning wildflowers, and whale migrations. 

If you have ever been deterred from going on a 4WD adventure for fear of getting stuck in a bog or getting lost in an unknown forest, fear no more on the Pemberton 4WD Tag-Along Adventure where you will spend 2 nights and 3 days in a bush camp experience like no other.  Guided by the capable and knowledgeable Off-Road Adventures WA hosts, this tour offers the perfect balance of exploring and learning with time to stop, relax and get those perfect insta snaps with the most stunning of views along beaches, river crossings and scenic forest drives. Perfect for friends, families and couples, this tour is an excellent introduction to four wheel driving, scaling the largest inland dune system in the Southern Hemisphere.

For all our fishing and beach camping aficionados, Off Road Adventures WA offers the Bremer Bay to Fitzgerald National Park 2-night, 3-day tour.  This fun-filled trip treks along remote beaches and botanical wonderlands full of breathtaking views.  Take a break from your phone as you explore, fish, enjoy views and relax in the tour’s refreshing no rush schedule.  Adventurers will have the opportunity to explore sealed roads in one of the biggest and most botanically important national parks in Australia, assuring you some spectacular, once in a lifetime sights. 

Having spent much time exploring Western Australia, Rick and Liz Muller, the owners and guides of Off-Road Adventures WA can not only share their magical spots but also their invaluable knowledge and understanding of the history and nature in the area.  They are also are conscious of using expert contacts to gain information on special heritage or significant aboriginal sites to ensure adventurers have the most complete experience possible whilst also respecting the areas and traditional owners of lands explored. 

Off-Road Adventures WA are very conscious of the potential impact of 4-wheel drives and for this reason ensure that cars are only driven on designated tracks to cause minimal damage on eco-systems.   Another element that we may never even consider, is the importance of proper tire pressure to reduce damage to the land.  Off-Road Adventures WA also pride themselves in minimal impact-camping which includes elements such as choosing campsites and parking at least 100m from rivers or lakes and staying for short amounts of time especially when it comes to otherwise undisturbed sites.  

As we can see, Off-Road Adventures WA have all the elements necessary for an exciting, ecologically conscious adventure in the wilderness of Albany and we welcome them with open arms to the Ecotourism Australia family!

To find out more about Off Road Adventures WA, visit their website or Facebook page. 

Tropical North Queensland is one of the most diversely beautiful and powerful Australian tourism stories. In 1978 the Far North Queensland Promotion Bureau was formed to focus on destination marketing and as a result tourism slowly overtook agriculture, forestry and mining as an economic driver for the community. Today, Far North Queensland Promotion Bureau Limited, trades as Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, with the vision of becoming one of the world’s most inspiring nature-based destinations.

Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland

TTNQ provides leadership and guidance to the Tropical North Queensland tourism industry and community stakeholders to maximise sustainable tourism growth for the economic and social benefit of all Tropical North Queenslanders.

 TTNQ aims to be a leader in destination management and champion of world’s best practice in sustainable tourism by building destination awareness in Australia and selected international markets through targeted marketing activities.

Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland

TTNQ’s marketing, communications and partnership strategies are prioritised as they explore new digital and content opportunities that are changing the way leisure and business markets consume tourism products.

Their goal is to initiate high-level conversations with major airlines, tourism bodies, journalists, influencers, trade and online search engines to drive visitors to the region.

Photo: Tourism Tropical North Queensland

TTNQ has ambitious goals that are achieved by working closely to their 2020-2021 Strategic Direction.

TTNQ are proud to market the region to the world through stories founded around reef, rainforest, Indigenous, outback, lifestyle and adventure. If you are interested in working together with TTNQ they can help you unlock the story of The Tropics and build tourism success.

EA are happy to welcome Tourism Tropical North Queensland to our Ecotourism Australia family as a Business Member.

For more information, visit the Tourism Tropical North Queensland webpage or check them out on Facebook & Instagram       

Ecotourism Australia congratulates Tracks 4×4 Tagalong for achieving Nature Tourism Certification for their 4×4 tagalong tours. Some of the amazing destinations that Tracks 4×4 Tagalong can take you to are, The Simpson Desert, Cape York, The Canning Stock Route, The Gulf, The Darling River Run. To see what they are up to visit their website www.tracks4x4tagalong.com.au

Photo: Tracks 4×4 Tagalong

The Oakhampton Heights based operator is a newly operational business led by Adam Smith and his wife Lynda. Tracks 4×4 Tagalong is a small family run operation in which Adam organises and runs the day to day functions of the business and Lynda takes care of the operation in the office.

The business offers adventures that can be experienced in a safe and professional atmosphere. Guests participate in an off-road tagalong trip that is developed with extensive knowledge of four-wheel driving. During the tour, the group will stop for walks along formed tracks only and during the drive, vehicles will avoid passing through sensitive areas such as alpine grasslands, dunes, salt pans, steep hillsides and new forests.

Photo: Cape York Tagalong Tour / Facebook

Tracks 4×4 Tagalong offers overnight trips, with accommodation offered within the itinerary and the majority of those being camping based.

The tagalong 4×4 touring business is committed to working with local landholders to gain the full history of the location they are travelling through. These landholders may be the indigenous custodians, station owners or national park officers.

Tracks 4×4 Tagalong aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible and commits to only purchasing from environmentally responsible vendors. Where possible, supplies are bought locally, and local shops are supported during the tours. Vehicles are also serviced regularly. Adam and Lynda are passionate about running a sustainable business and strive for continuous improvement.

Congratulations to Tracks 4×4 Tagalong for joining the EA family! To learn more, visit their Facebook page or website.