Date: 21-September-2011

Where the rainforest meets the reef, two natural World Heritage listed areas and some of the best eco holidays in Australia.
Amazing eco escapes in Tropical North Queensland and all certified with Ecotourism Australia – including award winning eco lodges, an island eco resort, an eco friendly holiday house in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest and a luxury overnight boat charter to the outer Great Barrier Reef.

1. Enterprise Charters, Port Douglas
Enterprise offers exclusive private day and overnight charters to the Outer Great Barrier Reef with personalised service and gourmet cuisine. With a maximum of 6 guests for overnight charters, destinations include Low Isles, Hope Island, Lizard Island, Escape Reef, Ribbon reefs & Outer Reef sites – Opal Reef, Tongue Reef, Agincourt Reef, St Crispins Reef, Undine Cay, McKay Cay. Day charters to Low Isles and the Outer Great Barrier Reef can accommodate up to 12 passengers. Enterprise Charters is committed to the sustainability and protection of the reef and it’s inhabitants and there is a qualified marine naturalist guide on board.

Enterprise Charters

2. Green Island Resort, Great Barrier Reef
Green Island Resort is located just 27 km offshore from Cairns on beautiful Green Island, Tropical North Queensland. This eco-sensitive resort offers a unique blend of luxurious accommodation, first class service and unparalleled access to the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, lush rainforest and walking tracks, and a spectacular array of bird and marine life to explore.

Green Island Resort

3. Silky Oaks Lodge, Mossman Gorge
A luxury boutique eco lodge and spa – an oasis of elegance in the oldest living rainforest. The luxury accommodation consists of 50 stylish River and Tree houses each featuring wide verandahs and set within the pristine natural environs overlooking the Mossman River. Relax and enjoy as the beautiful blue Ulysses butterflies and bright yellow Sunbirds flit by.

Silky Oaks Lodge

4. Stonewood Retreat, Daintree Rainforest
A private rainforest eco getaway, Stonewood Retreat is a unique holiday house is located in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest. Sleeping up to 6 people, this rainforest retreat features a private natural rock pool swimming hole with waterfalls set in 2.5 acres of lush Australian Tropical Rainforest only 20 minutes drive away from Cape Tribulation.

Stonewood Retreat

5. Thala Beach Lodge, Oak Beach
Located on the coast between Cairns and Port Douglas, this secluded coastal eco resort has sweeping views from rainforest clad mountains to the Coral Sea. Great sensitivity has been applied to the design of the resort accommodation at Thala Beach Lodge, the timber bungalows are carefully placed amongst the resort’s 145 acres of wooded headland and beaches. Set in a pristine natural environment and a habitat for a range of plants and animals, tropical birds and butterflies, the resort offers bird watching with a specialist guide and personalised guided nature walks.

Thala Beach Lodge

Date: 2-August-2011

The newest development at the award winning Lane Cove River Tourist Park in Sydney is their unique tent style eco accommodation  ‘Tandara‘ – luxury camping amidst the bush at Lane Cove National Park.

Located within the 3.5 star Lane Cove River Caravan Tourist Park, the entrance to Tandara is unassuming. The drive there is via the North Ryde business park, past a cemetery and vet hospital to arrive at the caravan park reception. The guest parking is along side caravans and other campers, however once inside the gates at Tandara, the caravan park and the rest of the city is world away.

Tandara is a truly unique, private and tranquil luxury camping experience immersed in the National Park eucalypt forest and bushland. Superbly furnished and fully self contained, Tandara boasts a king size bed, luxury ensuite bathroom and even a large flat screen TV.

Tandara luxury camping - the spacious canvas tent is designed for two people, perfect for a romantic eco getaway. Enjoy being close to nature at this sustainable luxury escape for couples.

Self contained with a fully equipped outdoor kitchen including a gourmet barbeque, oven and spit (and a personal chef can be arranged on request).

Tandara 'glamping' - glamourous camping with luxury ensuite bathroom including dual shower heads and a bath.

Ecotourism environmental initiatives - overlooking the National Park, the guest car park for Tandara is equipped with solar cells which feeds back into the Lane Cove River Caravan Tourist Park power grid.

Date: 3-July-2011

Every year Humpback whales migrate along the Australian coastline from their summer feeding grounds in Antarctica to their winter breeding and calving grounds in the warmer tropical waters… Where are the hot spots?

Whales can be seen along the Australian coastline as they begin an annual migratory route north in late autumn, and then again when they they return south in spring. On average Humpback whales travel around 5000km on their annual migration, one of the longest migratory journeys of any mammal on Earth.

On the New South Wales coast the latest sightings are tracked by Wild About Whales, with a map of whale watching hot spots along the coast.  The Wild About Whales website has been developed and is maintained by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.  During each Humpback migration season (June-November) the whale sightings map is updated with whale sightings up and down the New South Wales coastline, populated with sightings recorded on the @wildaboutwhales twitter feed.

On the West Coast of Australia Eco Beach Broome is the perfect place to sight whales. Eco Beach Broome is a multi award-winning eco resort set amongst a pristine and untouched environment just over an hour’s drive south of Broome. Eco Beach offers two-hour whale watching cruises to experience the splendour of these marine mammals up close.

Date: 25-June-2011

The 2011 National Accommodation Industry Awards for Excellence on Friday 24 June at a  gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel Sydney. Congratulations to the winners and finalists for Sustainable Tourism.

Award Recipients:

And congratulations to Andrew Daff (Lane Cove River Tourist Park, NSW) for winning an ACES (attitude, commitment, enthusiasm, service) award – presented to long-serving members of the accommodation industry in recognition of them embracing hospitality values of attitude, commitment, enthusiasm and service.

For the full list of 2011 award winners see the Accommodation Association of Australia

I started the ecologic.com.au web directory in 2007 while I was based in Tropical North Queensland. With the proximity of two natural World Heritage listed areas central to tourism in the region – the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest, many local tourism operators are eco accredited, adopting sustainable tourism practices and initiatives to protect their natural environment. However, there was no published guide for the eco conscious traveller to the best of these eco tourism experiences.

ecologic.com.au was developed to provide a guide to high quality eco tourism experiences all on one website; including places to stay, attractions and tours based on their eco initiatives and sustainable environmental and green tourism practices as well as being a great holiday experience!

As I have travelled around Australia (now residing in Sydney), I have added more destinations, eco accommodation and tours to the site to provide an extensive guide to genuinely environmentally friendly accommodation options and experiences Australia-wide.

Australia offers a vast range of nature and eco experiences from ancient landscapes, natural pristine wildernesses and lush green rainforests to untouched beaches, with unique plants and intriguing wildlife, as well as cultural attractions and places of heritage value. All the listings on ecologic.com.au have been hand picked from places I have traveled to and/or on recommendations by locals, other ecotourism industry members and fellow travellers who share a passion for our environment and green tourism.

Listings include award winning coastal eco resorts – Eco Beach Broome and Thala Beach Lodge; ecoluxe island retreats – Paradise Bay Eco Escape (Top 10 Hotels for Service in South Pacific in the 2011 TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice awards); luxury eco tents – Paperback Camp Jervis Bay and Tandara at Lane Cove River Tourist Park Sydney; eco hotels – Alto Hotel on Bourke; quality budget eco accommodation – Cedar Park Rainforest Resort, a unique and intimate retreat on the edge of a rainforest creek; and amazing eco experiences – Flames of the Forest and Enterprise Charters.

With the launch of the new site design in mid 2011, I have added this blog for news, updates and events in regards to all things eco, sustainability, travel, Australia and the environment – please feel free to comment, send ideas and recommendations and get involved!

I look forward to hearing from you

Justine

Take a green holiday…Good for people, good for the planet.