Field Trips on offer for ESA 2023
The following field trips are available for 2023. Some field trip tickets are available via the conference registration site, others are booked direct; please see further information below.
Territory Wildlife Park (Bus Service Only)
The previously advertised trip is not proceeding but we are offering a bus service only to and from the park. You will purchase your own park entry on arrival.
Date: Friday 7 July
Time: 9:30 am (depart DCC) – 3.00 pm (depart from the park) – Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Cost: $50 per person for the bus fare
Please contact us if you are interested.
Introduction to Nature Journaling at Binybara Lee Point
Facilitated by Louise Harrison (ECNT) with local artist Elizabeth Martin and special guest, author and artist, Paula Peeters.
Date: Friday 7 July (8:15am – 11:30am); departing DCC 8:15am, returned to DCC around 11:30am. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Venue: Binybara Lee Point
Cost: $60
Catering: Morning tea will be provided
Binybara Lee Point, a wild stretch of coast in Darwin’s backyard, has long been a popular place for locals and visitors alike. Vast tidal flats support significant numbers of migratory shorebirds, sand dunes are nesting sites for marine turtles, and seagrass meadows and natural reefs ensure abundant sea-life. Other habitats along the coastal fringe such as mangroves, vine thickets, and woodlands also support diverse fauna, including more recently, the iconic Gouldian finch.
Join the Environment Centre Northern Territory (ECNT) and local artist Liz Martin under the shady Casuarina trees to slow down, look closely around, and use drawings and writing to respond to and record nature. You will learn simple exercises to allay your fears and get those creative juices flowing. The practice calms your mind, enhances observation skills, and promotes a deeper connection with nature and culture.
The field trip will involve a short walk from the Lee Point carpark to the shady Casuarina trees where we will sit for the workshop. A few chairs can be made available for those who need them plus a large grass mat to sit on. No strenuous activity or rough terrain but walking shoes are recommended. Participants should be in cool comfortable clothes & well protected from the sun with hat and long sleeves. Participants will need to bring a water bottle, a cushion/ towel/sarong to sit on, preferred tools for journaling (or option to purchase on the day), and any special requirements.
Participants will have the opportunity to purchase the following with cash or card at the workshop: • Introduction to Nature Journaling booklet by Paula Peeters $15 • Nature journaling kit (pencils, art paper booklet etc) $10.Tickets can be booked via the conference registration site.
Pudakul Cultural Tours – Aboriginal Ecological Experience
The 2 Hour Cultural Ecological Experience provides visitors with a chance to learn and understand the local customs and traditions of the Aboriginal people of the wetland region. A very informative tour based on Aboriginal land delivered by local guides is an experience not to be missed. Come along and learn something new.
Date: Friday 7 July
Time: 9.00 am depart DCC – 2.30 pm depart Pudakul. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Cost: $190 per person
Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site (tickets are limited).
https://www.pudakul.com.au/rooms
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT)
MAGNT’s Natural Science collection comprises approximately 750,000 specimens from across terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, and has the largest representation of Northern Australian, and specifically Northern Territory fauna in the world. It is the only natural sciences collection of its size in northern Australia, and will continue to grow with the help of researchers like yourself. The collections are a significant reference resource for NT Government, taxonomic and other researchers, educators, natural resource managers, artists, public enquiries and visitors to MAGNT.
This tour will take you through the wet and dry stores of the MAGNT Natural Science Collection and give you a glimpse at the cultural collections and galleries at MAGNT. Your tour guide, Dr Kirsti Abbott, Head of Science, will give you an insider’s view of the significance of the collection to ecologists, how the collections are used, and plans for future natural history exhibitions at MAGNT.
Meet Kirsti Abbott, Head of Science, at the MAGNT front desk at 2pm. Tour will run from 2pm to 4pm. Please wear closed shoes.
Date: Friday 7 July
Time: 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm (meet at MAGNT)
Cost: $15 per person
Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site (tickets are limited).
Macrophotography Field Trip
Join wildlife photographers and naturalists Nick Volpe & Lucyna Kania on a field trip in the Holmes Jungle Nature Reserve searching for critters to photograph! Bring along your camera or your phone and learn some tips and secrets to making the tiny world around us look large.
Date: Friday 7 July
Time: 8.00 am depart DCC – 12 noon returned to DCC. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Cost: $95 per person
Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site (tickets are limited).
Birdwatching Trips
We are pleased to offer daily birdwatching trips. They are all easy walks in around Darwin.
Please note the starting points – each walk starts from a different location. You will be welcome to either catch a bus from the Darwin Convention Centre at 6.30am or make your own way to the starting point and be ready for a 6.45am departure.
Esplanade (Bicentennial Park)
Monday 3 July, departing from the Darwin Family War Memorial, corner of Esplanade and Herbert street at 6.45am and returning by 8.15am.
A leisurely stroll to see a variety of our local species, common in urban areas, including Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Forest Kingfisher, Bush Stone-curlew, Rainbow Bee-eater (pictured), Red-collared Lorikeet and Australasian Figbird. The highlight will be Barking Owl which can be usually found roosting in the area. Please note the use of stairs is involved. For your wellbeing and safety please bring hat, drinking water, enclosed walking shoes, binoculars and camera. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing & sun protection. A limited number of binoculars will be available for borrowing. A range of insect repellent will be available.
$15 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site.
East Point Mangrove boardwalk
Tuesday 4 July, departing from the Mangrove Boardwalk carpark at the northern end of Lake Alexander at 6.45am and returning by 8.15am.
A lovely, easy walk along a paved track to the boardwalk through monsoonal vine forest into the mangroves. Speciality species include Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Red-headed Honeyeater (pictured), Mangrove Gerygone, Black Butcherbird, Broad-billed, Shining & Lemon-bellied Flycatchers and Mangrove Robin. For your wellbeing and safety please bring hat, drinking water, sun protection, enclosed walking shoes, binoculars and camera. Preferably wear long sleeved shirt and long pants. A limited number of binoculars will be available for borrowing. A range of insect repellent will be available.
$15 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site.
George Brown Botanic Gardens
Wednesday 5 July, departing from the Geranium Street carpark (accessed from Stuart Highway) at 6.45am and returning by 8.15am.
A beautiful walk through our Botanic Gardens. The best location to see Rufous Owl (pictured). Other notable species are White-gaped & Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, White-quilled subspecies of Blue-faced Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Northern Fantail, Crimson and Double-barred Finches. For your wellbeing and safety please bring hat, drinking water, enclosed walking shoes, binoculars and camera. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing & sun protection. A limited number of binoculars will be available for borrowing. A range of insect repellent will be available.
$15 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site.
Darwin International Airport (Gurambai Trail)
Thursday 6 July, departing from the carpark along Sir Norman Brearley Drive at 6.45am and returning by 8.15am.
A hidden gem in the northern suburbs located next to the airport. An easy walking track along Rapid Creek, Darwin’s only freshwater system, and the edge of wetland and woodland habitats. Species include Pheasant Coucal, Blue-winged Kookaburra (pictured), Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Red-winged Parrot, Spangled Drongo, Crimson & Double-barred Finches. For your wellbeing and safety please bring hat, drinking water, enclosed walking shoes, binoculars and camera. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing & sun protection. A limited number of binoculars will be available for borrowing. A range of insect repellent will be available.
$15 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site.
Muirhead Bushland
Friday 7 July, departing from the pathway entrance along Lee Point Road, next to the communication tower at 6.45am and returning by 8.45am.
The famous location of Gouldian Finches (pictured) in the northern suburbs! An eucalypt woodland surrounding a dam, there are various tracks to explore during this 2 hr walk. The focus will be on finches (Crimson, Double-barred, Masked Long-tailed), Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and hopefully, Gouldian & Star Finches, depending on seeding grasses. A variety of other species including Brahminy Kite, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-winged Parrot, Red-backed Fairywren, Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Yellow Oriole, Northern Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher and Golden-headed Cisticola. For your wellbeing and safety please bring hat, drinking water, sun protection, enclosed walking shoes, binoculars and camera. Preferably wear long sleeved shirt and long pants. A limited number of binoculars will be available for borrowing. A range of insect repellent will be available.
$15 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the conference registration site.
