Join a Research Expedition and Ecological Tour

Planning a trip to Tasmania in 2026 or beyond? If so, you can support our ongoing conservation work — and have a great time doing it — by joining us on a Tasmanian devil research expedition and ecological tour. Starting in 2026, The Carnivore Conservancy will begin offering 14-day, 13-night trips that combine hands-on field research experience and pleasure excursions focussed on north-western Tasmania’s unique and beautiful habitats, flora and fauna. We call it “volun-touring”—a mix of conservation volunteering and sightseeing.

Led by a professional zoologist with extensive experience working with devils and quolls, each trip includes eight days of fieldwork interspersed with four full-day bushwalking, sightseeing and wildlife-watching excursions.

fieldwork

This trip really is a working holiday. We start early, the days can be long, and we work regardless of the weather. As a volunteer fieldwork assistant, you’ll record data as the trip leader processes animals, clean and disinfect traps, and do a variety of other tasks. If you have a low tolerance for animal faeces, raw meat, or (especially in summer) flies, the trip might not be for you. But you'll get a real sense of what it's like to work as a wildlife biologist, and if you're anything like us, you'll love it!

During fieldwork, you’ll see plenty of devils up close — we average 10 to 12 captures per day at most of our study sites. Quolls are captured less frequently, so we can’t guarantee that you’ll see one on your trip, but there’s a very good chance.

excursions

In addition to eight days of fieldwork, the trip includes four full-day excursions to scenic and ecological highlights of north-western Tasmania:

• Temperate rainforests of the Tarkine, including a 2-hour bush walk and several shorter nature walks

• Caves and waterfalls, including a tour of one of the glow-worm caves at Mole Creek Karst National Park

• Coastal landscapes, including a 2-3 hour bush walk at Rocky Cape National Park

• Bushwalking and wildlife watching at Narawntapu National Park, which has been dubbed “the Serengeti of Tasmania”

We typically see wildlife throughout the trip, especially during two evening spotlighting excursions. Common sightings include kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons and brush-tailed possums, along with a wide variety of birds. If we’re lucky we might spot a bandicoot, ring-tailed possum, echidna, wombat or platypus as well. And in the summer months, we may see the highly venomous tiger snake—look but don’t touch!

itinerary

(Order of activities may vary)

Day 1      Pick-up at Burnie airport in morning; fieldwork preparation in afternoon (L,D)
Day 2      Tarkine rainforest excursion (B,L,D)
Day 3      Fieldwork; wildlife spotlighting in evening (B,L,D)
Day 4      Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 5      Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 6      Caves and waterfalls excursion (B,L,D)
Day 7      Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 8      Fieldwork; wildlife spotlighting in evening (B,L,D)
Day 9      Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 10    Coastal landscapes excursion (B,L,D)
Day 11    Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 12    Fieldwork (B,L,D)
Day 13    Narawntapu National Park excursion (B,L,D)
Day 14    Wrap-up; drop-off at Burnie airport in afternoon (B,L)

what's included

• Transfers between the Burnie airport and the field accommodation

• 13 nights’ accommodation at our large and comfortable fieldwork house

• All meals (13 B, 14 L, 13 D), featuring locally sourced meat, fish and produce

• a variety of Tasmanian beers, ciders and fine wines on offer every evening (unlimited, unless degree of consumption exceeds what is permitted under Australia's Responsible Service of Alcohol regulations)

• All excursions, including national park entry fees

• Unlimited high-speed internet access/wifi

• Unlimited laundry facilities on a self-service basis

• Souvenir memory stick with photos from the trip

• 20% discount on Carnivore Conservancy merchandise

2026 voluntour dates

We plan to conduct four expeditions/tours in 2026, most likely one in each quarter. With sufficient notice, we can tailor the dates to fit your travel plans.

cost

We are still finalising prices for 2026 volunttours. Three levels of accommodation will be available, from twin beds with shared bathroom to a queen-size bed with ensuite bathroom. For solo participants, a single supplement charge may apply depending on which level of accommodation you choose.

accommodation

Our field station is a large and quirky farmhouse set on a ten-acre block. While the block is mostly paddock, it does include a two-acre patch of virgin native forest, and we have begun a bush regeneration project to return all ten acres to native forest habitat.

The facilities are not luxurious, but we have the basic mod cons (high-speed internet access, laundry facility, electric blankets on every bed). There are three levels of accommodation available:

• Basic accommodtion: Two twin beds, shared bathroom facilities

• Intermediate accommodation: Queen-sized bed, private (but not ensuite) bathroom (single supplement applies for solo travellers)

• “Deluxe” accommodation: Queen-sized bed, walk-in wardrobe, ensuite bathroom (single supplement applies for solo travellers)

maximum group size

Given the size of our fieldwork vehicle, each expedition/tour is generally limited to three participants. (We will consider booking four if it’s a single group; the vehicle has seating for four passengers, but three people in the back seat might be a bit too cosy unless you’re already good friends!)

inquiries

To inquire about the Research Expedition and Ecological Tour package or to make a booking, contact us using this form or email us at info@carnivores.co.

Photo Credits
Tarkine rainforest: Photo © M. Brown.
Transferring devil to sack: Photo © M. Curotte.
Liffey Falls: Photo by JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Tasmanian pademelon: Photo © S. Adamczek.
Short-beaked echidna: Photo © S. Adamczek.
Tiger snake: Photo © L. Verde Arregoitia.