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Photography and Nature Walking Tour: Explore Tiny Creatures in Cairns Botanic Gardens with Bridgette
5.0
114 Ratings
Edge Hill
Join photographer Bridgette on a small group tour to explore the world of tiny creatures in Cairns Botanic Gardens. Improve your photography skills while discovering hidden treasures.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Cairns Botanic Gardens - Join renowned macro photographer Bridgette Gower on a small group photography tour to explore the world of Frogs, Insects, Spiders and Fungi, in the Cairns Botanic Gardens. A magical world awaits when you join Bridgette for a personalised, highly specified tour of the gardens and the treasures waiting to be discovered. A myriad of Mushrooms, fantastic Frogs, beautiful bugs and amazing arachnids!
I can help you capture images of these amazing creatures, having over 1500 hours in the gardens for photographic pleasure and I have collected a vast amount of knowledge of where to find the gems of the miniature world. I can assist you with your camera settings and composition to help get the best images possible with your own gear.
Camera Hire is available (pre-book only) of an Olympus Tough 5 (TG5), which is a great beginner macro camera. If you have family members without a camera I can also provide a magnifying glass for you to appreciate critters.
Let’s Go Buggin - Morning Tour 8.30 am
Let’s Go Buggin - Night Walk - 6:30 pm Wednesdays
Let’s Go Shroomin - Sundays 8.30 am (During Wet Season December to May)
What's Included
- Photography Advice
- Expert Guide
What's Not Included
- Camera Hire Available Three Options Available from $29 to $49. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. Contact us prior to tour to reserve your camera.
Additional Information
Join photographer Bridgette on a small group tour (maximum 4 people) to explore the world of the tiny creatures that live in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
This is the only tour of its kind in Cairns.
Most of the tiny lifeforms go completely unnoticed, but a magical world awaits to be discovered when you join for a personalized, highly specified tour of the gardens and the treasures it keeps.
Assistance is given to those wanting some help improving their photography.
Location
Cairns Botanic Gardens
Collins Avenue
Let's Go Buggin Morning & Night Walks - Meet at the entrance to the Cairns Botanic Gardens. A Telstra Public Phone box sits metres from the entrance. It's about 150 metres West of the Visitors Centre on Collins Ave. (Heading West from the Highway)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(114 Ratings)
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Christinepm1644eb
Jul 14, 2024
Fascinating Evening - Thank You Bridgette for a fascinating evening with your Let's Go Bugging tour. You have so much knowledge and experience and the tour was easy walking on level ground and with head lamps we were able to see many creatures we probably would not have looked for ourselves. We are mid 70s and mid 80s so great for any age. Much appreciate the report you sent of our tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
386anthony
Jul 12, 2024
Wonderful wildlife experience! - Myself, my wife and 3 kids (14,12 and 8) thoroughly enjoyed Bridgette’s walk. Saw loads of different animals and insects, with the highlights being striped possums, Papuan frogmouths, snake, frogs and an eel. Bridgette has a wealth of knowledge and keen eyes to spot things that we would have walked past. Would highly recommend to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahsx1446ig
Jul 11, 2024
Relaxed walk spotting creatures - It was a wonderful relaxed walk through the gardens. We spotted frogs, eels, spiders, stick insects, possums and much more. Our group included two families and a backpacker. Most were using their iPhones. We hired a camera as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chen_l
Jul 5, 2024
A very good experience for all age group - It is a unique experience, our group took the 8 spaces on Wednesday night, and went on a night walk in Cairns botanic garden with Bridgette and Ros. It is well organised, and with both experts taking us through, we could see so many creatures in the dark, many different insects, multiple frogs. My parents enjoyed it, I really like it, and even the teenage girls had some good time too exploring and taking photos with micro dice digital camera. Highly recommended if you want a relaxing after dinner walk in the garden you normally would not go in dark.
Review provided by Viator
Shiyu
Jun 28, 2024
The humidity and soft mist/drizzle made an atmospheric walk and the critters were present - With the humidity rising and rain threatening we arrived with some trepidation of biting insects on our limbs due to inappropriate holiday attire. Unfounded fears! The humidity was maximum and my glasses fogged and sweat dripped off my forehead into my eyes but I stayed focused (pun intended) on my hope to make good images on Bridgette’s hire camera. Thankfully there were enough successful clear macro shots to outweigh the blurry ones! My personal highlight was the sleeping little blue kingfisher low down and clearly visible (aww my heart) closely followed by 3 tawny frogmouth birds in separate locations. Bridgette had Ros as an offsider and the two experts and a small group made for a rewarding night. 2 hours well spent and no mosquito bites!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Goplaces726767
Jun 7, 2024
Great Experience - Great experience, something I thought I wouldn't do, walking at night in the national park. But thoroughly enjoyed it. The orange jewel bugs all grouped together looked great. Also loved seeing the striped possum, bandicoot and red legged pademelons. A few highlights were the Papua Frogmouth and the net casting spiders and the way the spiders eyes glow when a light is on them. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lewinas2024
May 26, 2024
Incredible experience even for photography newbies! - I really loved this tour, far more than I expected to! Having never done any form of photography before, let alone macro photography, it was all new to me. Bridgette was great at giving me guidance to use the camera I rented, which was clearly of great quality because all the photos I took were so incredible! The photos literally captured the reflection of light in an inspects eye. We also saw a flying fox and a few other rainforest animals. It's so much fun hunting wildlife in the dark, and Bridgette is so knowledgeable about all of them. I highly recommend this tour, and it's so cool to walk away with loads of incredible photos to show my friends and family who couldn't believe I'd taken the photos myself!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H7626gpemmam
Apr 28, 2024
Breathtakingly Beautiful Bugs! - Until you see them photographed up close, you have no idea how beautiful insects are! I did a night tour and a morning tour with Bridgette and both were fabulous, and we saw other creatures too (frogs, mammals, birds). I definitely recommend the first camera option for a beginner or a child, I hired the second camera option and although it took amazing photos it was a bit of a stretch for me as a complete novice. I highly recommend this experience! I think for me it may be the birth of a new hobby!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emma_m
Apr 28, 2024
Breathtakingly Beautiful Bugs! - Until you see them photographed up close, you have no idea how beautiful insects are! I did a night tour and a morning tour with Bridgette and both were fabulous. I definitely recommend the first camera option for a beginner or a child, I hired the second camera option and although it took amazing photos it was a bit of a stretch for me as a complete novice. I highly recommend this experience! I think for me it may be the birth of a new hobby!
Review provided by Viator
Kerryrd9174mj
Apr 19, 2024
Best Nature night Tour in Cairns - I met up with Brigitte, Ros and 7 other keen visitors to walk around the Botanical Gardens at night. The weather had been wet the night before which was perfect for spotting lots of different insects, bugs, spiders, frogs, dragonflies, snails and mushrooms. We started off at the boardwalk at a leisurely pace immediately spotting a couple of sleeping rainforest snails, followed by all sorts of insects, moths, bugs, crickets, sleeping dragonflies, spiders. (I had especially wanted to see a net casting spider and Brigette didn't disappoint - I saw two during the evening, along with huntsmen, northern jewelled, wolf, and Australian tarantula and then came the frogs - amazing and lots of them. We also spotted the Papuan Frogmouth and a Pademelon -
there was a lot of wildlife packed into a two hour tour. I highly recommend this for anyone visiting Cairns. Its close to the city, easy to access and very well run. Brigette is a great host. Thank you Brigette for an amazing evening.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
