Each of the resort's Field Guides is a skilled driver, highly knowledgeable of the demanding terrain and can tailor a safari tour around each guest's special interests to help you catch awe-inspiring views of the Blue Mountains and encounters with Australian wildlife.
For those with an inquisitive mind, Wolgan Valley's activities offer a chance for botanists, bird watchers and naturalists to discover the area is still abundant with the same intriguing species that so fascinated Charles Darwin.
Special interest tours are also available; please see below for further details. These take place all year round and are scheduled according to weather conditions on the day.
Duration: 2.0 hours
Grade: Easy
An all-encompassing tour of the Wolgan Valley reserve, the journey includes wildlife spotting and a trip to the Wollemi Pine Grove; home to the world's oldest and rarest tree, endemic to the greater Blue Mountains area.
Guests are met at the Homestead either just as the sun rises, or approximately 30 minutes before sunset. These are the best times to observe Australia's native wildlife as most are nocturnal.
Kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, and a variety of smaller, lesser-known species are the focus, as are the Valley's many native Australian birds. Field Guides are also well-versed in local bush lore and history.
The Wollemi Pine Grove is one of only two locations where the species is known to grow in the wild. The delicate pine belongs to a 200 million year old plant family, previously known only from fossil records. In fact, the tree is so rare that until its rediscovery in 1994, botanists presumed it to be extinct. The find is considered to be the botanical revelation of the 20th century.
Evening tours allow guests to try their hand at the art of 'spotlighting', using a torch to sweep their surrounds for the glowing eyes of nocturnal creatures as they start their nightly foraging for food. Canapés accompanied by regional wines and fresh juices round off the day, as the sun disappears over the horizon.
Duration: 1 hour
Grade: Easy
On scheduled evenings, the Resort Duty Manager hosts 'Sundowners', which provides guests with an opportunity to witness the resort's inimitable connection with nature. Driving over grassland, across creeks and through the forest in a luxury four-wheel drive, the journey ends with a leisurely stroll culminating with the sun descending over the sandstone cliffs.
Next, various wildlife such as kangaroos, wallaroos and wallabies start to wake from their day's slumber, and appear on grassy knolls to feed, while birds come in to roost for the night. Fresh canapés and hors d'oeuvres, made from the resort's home-grown produce, are served with chilled juices or fine regional red, white or sparkling wines.
'Sundowners' take place through the late autumn, winter and early spring, and are subject to weather conditions on the day. Due to daylight saving hours in the summer, Sundowners can only be enjoyed as an after-dinner excursion.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Grade: Easy
Guests are invited to explore the nocturnal world of the Australian bush when the wildlife is at its most active. After an early dinner, the Field Guides drive guests out into the reserve in a luxury four-wheel drive.
From within the trees, torchlight reveals the flashing eyes of possums, while in the meadows, wombats, wallaroos and wallabies graze among a host of other animals. The excursion takes in the reserve's secure reintroduction area, which contains protected, rare and endangered species until their release into the greater Wolgan Valley Reserve.
Next, guests are escorted to the Heritage Precinct, where on a clear night, constellations such as Australia's famous Southern Cross can be seen. Here, guests can enjoy a civilised drop of port or sherry with petit fours as they study the night sky.
Tours depart at 2100 hours each evening. This excursion is conducted all year round and is scheduled according to weather conditions on the day.
