We Would Love To Share Our nature Experiences With You

Expert guides. Fabulous scenery. Fascinating creatures.

Metallic Starlings at their nest site in Cairns, Queensland.

Sapphire Nature Tours offer a grand day out for people interested in nature as well as the history of the local towns. We show you iconic places and some of the local Australian wildlife as well as a taste of the local delights.

Private wildlife, history and nature tours are also available for your group.

WINTER SPECIAL: Book by text for the fascinating 'Secrets of of Merimbula' 2h walk.

$35 adults and $15 for school-aged young people if with their parents. Under 5's are free. Family price is $90 for 2 ad & up to 3 ch.

Call or text Sam on 0428 111 927 for more information or to book. Available on demand for 2 or more people.

FIND YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE !

Curious Creatures of Merimbula Lake
More Info Here
From 15 Australian dollars
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Mallacoota Day Tour
More Info Here
7 hr
240 Australian dollars
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Sapphire Coast Day Tour
More Info Here
170 Australian dollars
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Sapphire Coast Half Day Tour
More Info Here
120 Australian dollars
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Canberra Nature Day Tour
More Info Here
7 hr 30 min
220 Australian dollars
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Secrets of Merimbula Walking Tour
More Info Here
2 hr
From 20 Australian dollars
Book Now

NORTH QUEENSLAND WILDLIFE 6 DAY TOUR

$2400pp

Join us for this exciting journey into a wildlife paradise.

Click on button below for more information or to register your interest.

VIEW DETAILS HERE

It would be nice if our pelicans could be given similar roosting beams in our lakes on the Far South Coast of NSW. Meningie has these beams in Lake Albert which are very popular with the local pelicans as they are away from animals that seek to chase them. #visitmeningie #birdlifeoz #birdsofaustralia #samnerriephotography

What is the difference between the purple-crowned lorrikeets and the musk lorrikeets? Not much actually but if you look closely at the previous post you will see that the red colour above the beak does not extend as far past the eye as the musk and there is some orange and yellow in the smudge above the beak. The musk has a more definitive red colour above the beak and past the eye. The purple-crowned has an orange blob behind the eye. There are other small differences of course.
They look similar at first glance as they are very small in size and sometimes hang around the same tree feeding on the same blossoms. Both can be found at the Lake Albert Caravan Park when the trees are in flower. Some of the trees are in flower in February and a different species, the Ironbark eucalyptus species, is in flower end of April and beginning of May.
#visitmeningie #visitcoorong #meningie #birdsofaustralia #birdsofsouthaustralia #birdsofoz #birdphotography #birdphotographyaustralia #naturetoursaustralia

Meningie is the place to view the musk lorrikeet close up as they feed on the nectar in the gum blossoms around the town and in the caravan park. They particularly love the iron bark blossom. This tree flowers in May. Locally common around the town but sometimes hard to photograph as they are one of the smallest parrots and they zoom around at supersonic speeds. #meningie #samnerriephotography #birdsofoz #australianbirds #touringaustralia #natureexplorationau #explorecoorong #southeastsa

Came across this adorable Mulga Parrot in Lake Hattah-Kulkyne National Park trying to get s few measly seeds from the top of the porcupine bush. There weren't many plants with seeds on them at this time of year so this parrot had to brave the prickly porcupine bush to get some breakfast. They seem to feed in pairs with the male leapfrogging ahead first to find some food and the female catching up to share in the find.
There were a few interesting birds around but not as many as I have seen on previous trips here. Spring is good and after a decent rainfall. They do have many rare birds here for some reason. The mallee fowls are still about but best seen early morning or at dusk, generally near or on a road. #birdsofaustralia #birdphotosoz #birdphotos.au

The tour group also enjoyed having the Rainbow Lorrikeet feeding right in front of them on the coral gum flowers. #sapphirecoastnsw #visitmerimbula #merimbula #wildlifesapphirecoast

A Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo conveniently sat on a flag pole showing an Australian flag for my tour group who were from the USA. They were from one of the cruise ships that dock at the Port of Eden and they loved being here in Australia. They especially love seeing the kangaroos in the wild and our quirky cockatoos and lorrikeets. #merimbula #cruiseshiptours #sapphirecoast #cruiseshipaustralia

Found this fur seals at the Spencer Park jetty having a seal siesta! There are two kinds of fur seals in southern Australian waters, New Zealand and Australian fur seals. Both look very similar but in this case I’ll hazard a guess that it’s an Australian fur seal due to the nose and ears. They moved into town after the salmon returned to our ocean and lake in Merimbula. #merimbula #sapphirecoastnsw #visitmerimbula #visitsapphirecoast

Yes! It’s a sand eel out and about in Merimbula Lake. Dark clouds were overhead and the water was crystal clear allowing this curious creature to be spotted. Not common for them to be out during the day. It appears to be looking for somewhere to bed down until nightfall. #visitmerimbula #sapphirecoastnsw #sapphirecoast #merimbulalake

In Australia we have different flowers blooming across the whole year as our animals don't hibernate and need some food. In late winter it is the wattles that bloom in astounding glowing yellows with grey--green leaves (although biologically-speaking they are not leaves but flattened leaf stalks called phyllodes). Photos taken in Canberra with the smart phone during a tour. #tidbinbilla #canberranature #canberratours #australianaturetours

The Imperial nudibranchs certainly look rather regal with all their decorative papillae down both sides of their backs. These little protrusions actually glow if they are disturbed. The orange colour varies a great deal depending on the light around them. Recently there was a plethora of them around Spencer Park in Merimbula a month ago but their numbers have recently decreased now. #merimbula #visitmerimbula #sapphirecoastnsw #sapphirecoastwildlife

Tis the season not only for being jolly but for bluebottles and other stingers unfortunately. The summer winds blow in the blue layer in from distant places in the ocean and the beach is where they end up. Recently the beaches around Melbourne have been inundated with them and here on the Sapphire Coast we also occasionally get these painful visitors. They are a part of the blue layer which is comprised of bluebottles, blue buttons, the blue dragons and the by-the-wind sailors. Bluebottles are underrated as a colony of creatures (they are actually made up of 4 zooids) as they are quite dazzling with their myriad of colours and their clever design. #visitsapphirecoast #samnerriephotography #australianature #australiamarinelife #sapphirecoastnsw #merimbula #melbourneaustralia #melbourne #turabeach

Love the inventive behaviour of this heron - dining on lizards instead of its usual fish diet. Discovered this bird on the path to Bar Beach in Merimbula. I was leading a walking tour called Secrets of Merimbula so it fitted in well with this theme! Had to stall the tour to do some traffic management in order to make sure this heron survived its delicious meal. #visitmerimbula #sapphirecoastnsw #visitsapphirecoast #merimbula #merimbulatourism #merimbulabirdlife #sapphirecoast

The call of the Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo is quite arresting and distinctive. They are commonly seen in this region. #sapphirecoastnsw #visitmerimbula #visitsapphirecoast #sapphirecoastbirds #merimbulawildlife

The magnificent ephemereal blue dragons that appear on the beach occasionally after a storm or strong winds are a nudibranch with the latin name of Glaucus atlanticus. They float around on the surface munching their way through other blue layer creatures such as the by-the-wind-sailor, the violet snail and the man-o'war jellyfish with it's long tentacles. It actually absorbs the stinging cells and uses them to ward of other creatures who want to dine on them. The stinging cells are stored in their appendages and will sting anyone who touches these delicate-looking creature #sapphirecoastnsw #wildlifephotography #sapphirecoasttourism #glaucusatlanticus #merimbulansw #wildlifesapphirecoast #marinelifensw

Some of the fabulous clients I have had in the past few years. They always love meeting our surf life savers. One family from Finland were avid watchers of Bondi Rescue in Finland. When I offered to introduce them to our local life savers they were overwhelmed! Had their photo taken and the Pambula Beach crew were more than happy with meeting some fans from Finland. #naturetouraustralia #shoreexcursionaustralia #sapphirecoast #pambulabeach #visitnsw #cruiseeden #visitnsw

I had to wait in the coffee queue behind these two kangas. After reading the community news board the two locals ordered cappuccino with infused grass flavours. #pambulabeach #aquapambulabeach #sapphirecoastnsw

This varied sitella was voraciously combing up and down on the tree for insects as I ate my lunch nearby. The bird was moving, at a guess, at 100km/h through the foliage so a high ISO of 1000 and an exposure time of 1/640 was required to capture this insatiable bird. Photographed in Mallacoota. #mallacoota #mallacootbirds #eastgippsland #australianwildlife

What might you see in Mallacoota?
A plethora of bird life as well as koalas and kangas of course. Stunning beach scenery and wilderness landscapes. It is a fab place for photography and the nature/wildlife enthusiast. We're offering day tours to Mallacoota from Eden of Merimbula so feel free to contact us if you are interested.

Mallacoota has some fabulous wilderness landscapes. It is located south and north of quite isolated national parks. On our tours we walk some of the trails through these parks and visit some of these magnificent beaches and lakes. Join us for our new day tour to Mallacoota. #mallacoota #mallacootaphotography #visitmallacoota #eastgippsland

Can you spot why the lyrebird jumped onto the log so fast?
Lyrebirds are found on the south-east coast of Australia and this one was spotted in Mallacoota doing its thing. They eat worms, insects and sometimes seeds. Fabulous to see that the lyrebird population has bounced back after the fires in 2019/2020. ##mallacootabirds #mallacoota #visitmallacoota #visitvictoria #eastgippsland #samnerriephotogaphy

Met this adorable couple of (juvenile?) silvereyes at Mallacoota yesterday. They were too busy grooming each other to notice me clicking away. #mallacoota #mallacootawildlife #mallacootabirds #samnerriephotography

More of the burgundy mudstone at Bar Beach in Merimbula... Bar Beach is a favourite hangout for many visitors and locals. It is also a hangout for the tropical juvenile fish that get swept down by the Eastern Australian Current as plankton. They grow to a teenage (or sometimes adult) size and then die when the water temperature drops to less than ~16 degrees Celsius. #visitmerimbula #visitsapphirecoast #merimbula #barbeachmerimbula #sapphirecoastnsw

The colours of the burgundy mudstone against the aqua coloured sea are a quite a treat to see on this coast. Photo taken in Eden on the New South Wales coast of Australia. #visiteden # #edennsw #farsouthcoastnsw #sapphirecoastnsw

Cattle Bay in Eden was home to a factory which produced canned tuna from 1940 to 1999. #visiteden #sapphirecoastnsw #edennsw

Mitchies Jetty is always an adorable place whatever time of day you are there. Some would say it encompasses the soul of Merimbula. Great spot for snorkelling as well as for swimming or for chilling out. #mitchies #sapphirecoast #sapphirecoastnsw #merimbula #merimbulalake #visitmerimbula

Far North Queensland is the place to go to see lizards, snakes, birds and many other animals. This is the Boyd's Forest Dragon Lizard seen at the strangler fig near Yungaburra.Quite a charming creature. This one was photographed over 100 times by a large group of delighted tourists and it smiled all the way through the process. Not sure what it was really thinking. #visitqueensland #explorefnq #wildlifequeensland #fnqwildlife #farnorthqueensĺand #farnorthqueenslandtourism #yungaburra

Found this cutie, an Olive-backed Sunbird, in the car park of the Cattana Wetlands. Seems many tropical birds nest in October. Then the rains come in November and December. Chicks grow up in the hottest and wettest season. They breed them tough up there. #cairns #cairnswildlife #cairnsbirds #visitcairns #visitqueensland #visitfarnorthqueensland

Cassowary chick seen with dad at Etty Bay south of Cairns. The dad is the mum in the Cassowary world, taking on the care of the chicks. #visitcairns #cassowary #fnq #ettybay #wildlifequeensland

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We Would Love To Share Our nature Experiences With You

FIND YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE !

Curious Creatures of Merimbula Lake

Mallacoota Day Tour

Sapphire Coast Day Tour

Sapphire Coast Half Day Tour

Canberra Nature Day Tour

Secrets of Merimbula Walking Tour

NORTH QUEENSLAND WILDLIFE 6 DAY TOUR

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