TOUR COSTS AND GENERAL INFO

CONTACT DETAILS.

Email sandastarr@bigpond.com,
Address 106 Marfleets Road, Pyramid Hill, Victoria 3575, Australia.
Phone 0438 520780


GENERAL TOUR INFORMATION.

One, two or three day tours are available ( longer tours of up to eight days may be possible depending on the time of year). Every trip is custom designed
to meet your own personal requirements and to fit best with the current local conditions.
If you are wanting to see very specific species,
let me know, and I will advise on the liklehood of success.
My aim is for my tours to be completely flexible, to suit indivicuals needs.
Each trip can make the best use of available daylight hours. In the long days of mid summer a break in
the heat of late afternoon would be normal, with some more time spent birding in the evening when possible . In planning each itinerary I aim to maximise your time spent birding.

Transport on tour is in a comfortable 2WD vehicle, with plenty of room for equipment/luggage.
Up to 4 people can be taken at one time.
Children under 16 are welcome at no charge if
space is available.

Tours may start from my home base near Pyramid Hill, or at a location of your choosing ( such as Melbourne or Bendigo ), whichever is most
convenient for the itinerary planned.

DIRECTIONS TO OUR HOME BY CAR. If coming
from the south, drive north from Bendigo on the Loddon Valley highway, through Serpentine and on
to the locality named Durham Ox. After "the Ox" travel about another 1 km and then turn right at
the sign for Pyramid Hill. After approx. 10 kms
turn right on the Yarrawalla south road ( at the
Major Mitchell sign ) and travel 3 or 4 kms to Marfleets road, on the right. We are 1 km along Marfleets road on the right hand side ( north side
of the road). Look for the polyhouses.

TRAIN SERVICES. There are at least two train
services (one morning and one evening) per day
from Melbourne to Pyramid Hill. These trains are
on the Swan Hill line and they leave from Southern Cross station in central Melbourne. I can provide details of train times and arrange pick-up from Pyramid Hill station. Timetables are on the net
at the Viclink website. It is a 3 hour trip.
Arriving on an evening service allows us an early
start for birding the following day.

ACCOMODATION.
I am happy to assist you in booking your accomodation needs for your stay. There are a variety of options near my home in central Victoria.

FOOD/DRINKS.
Food and drinks can purchased as we travel around. These are not included in the cost of the tour.

WHAT TO BRING.
The weather in Victoria is very variable at any time
of year. Winters can be surprisingly cold, and even
in summer, cool changes can bring out the jumpers. In the heat of summer light fitting
clothing is a good idea, pale colours reflect
more heat, and long sleeves and pants protect
from the sun and insects. Snakes are rarely encountered and acting sensibly whilst in their
habitat makes the risk extremely low. 
At all times of year, long pants, sturdy footwear
and sun protection (sensible clothing and
sunscreen on exposed skin) are essential.
Your own water bottle is a good idea.
I have a telescope on hand, plus field guides and
a spare pair of binoculars should they be required

TOUR COSTS.

For the year 2012 the fee for each full day of birding for up to two people is Aus$350. 
Each additional person adds $50 per day to the
cost, so for 3 people one full day is $400, and
for 4 people $450.

The cost for an evening looking for Plains
Wanderers and other grassland flora and fauna
(up to 3 hours walking with spotlights) is $200
for up to two people, $220 for 3 people and 
$240 for 4 people. There is no charge if no Plains Wanderers
are found.This tour must be in conjunction with a daytime tour.

Payment.
Deposits are not required for tours.
Payment may be made prior to or at the end of each tour.
We can accept cash, cheque or direct deposit. Due to high bank fees and our wish to keep tour costs as low as possible, we unfortunately cannot accept credit cards at this time.