Freycinet Experience make an every day endeavor to create a minimal environmental footprint. Their accommodation, the Friendly Beaches Lodge is an eco-lodge in the truest sense of the word. Winner of awards from the Royal Australian Institute of Architecture for its sustainable design, this walkers’ haven sits lightly in delicate coastal bush land and is powered by solar cells. Composting toilets ensure we keep the lodge’s beautiful setting pristine. The lodge’s busy kitchen also produces minimal waste and they have a comprehensive recycling program. Walkers boots are scrubbed to prevent distribution of phytophthora fungus. The walk contributes to the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Devil Protection and has a partnership with Bush Heritage.
Tasmanian Expeditions advocate and practice the Leave No Trace Policy. Minimal impact techniques are used to reduce the effects that people have on the environment. Minimal impact bushwalking (MIB) allows walkers to enjoy their natural surroundings without causing too much environmental degradation. This means extreme care is taken with the use of fuel stoves, taking any rubbish back our with them, staying on the track to reduce impact on the landscape, not feeding animals and preventing the spread of weeds by cleaning boots and tent poles. Through their trips our leaders will encourage and promote an understanding of local conservation. This will be achieved by the interpretation of natural and historic values and ensure our presence has no effect on historic, Aboriginal and archaeological locations.
Operating in such a delicate environment, Cradle Mountain Huts places a great deal of importance on minimal impact track and hut practices, and the huts are designed to be ecologically sustainable. Cradle Huts use solar power for all lighting, water filtration systems, composting toilets and all waste is flown out at the end of each walking season.
Completed in 1999, the Bay of Fires Lodge is located on 35 hectares of private land, surrounded by the Mount William National Park and adjoining the coast. Consequently the building is small scale, sustainable and autonomous in providing and managing its existence. Comprised of a long “shed”, the Lodge has been gently “let into a restricted footprint” amongst the native casuarinas. The deliberate siting of the Lodge ensured that there was minimal disturbance to the natural features and maximum connection with the surrounds. It is shielded from view from all angles except for a window facing the Tasman Sea. We use solar power for all lighting, water filtration systems and composting toilets .
Environmental sustainability is central to the way we operate at The Maria Island Walk. We have Advanced Ecotourism and Climate Action Business certification with Ecotourism Australia. We actively support conservation projects like Save The Tasmanian Devil, The Forty Spotted Pardalote’s recovery program and carry out bird surveys on each trip for Birds Australia. We also partner with Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania in their Green Guardians Voluntourism project on the island. We are privileged to operate on such a beautiful world heritage island as Maria and enjoy showcasing its remarkable natural values to our guests.
Tarkine Trails constantly strives to minimize the impact of their activities on the fragile environment in which they operate. Stepping into the ancient rainforests of the takayna/Tarkine, guests are encouraged to show respect for their surroundings while enjoying such an incredible wilderness experience. Several practices are employed by Tarkine Trails to ensure environmental impact is kept to a minimum. The standing camp, composed of large safari-style tents set amongst the rainforest, was architecturally designed to reduce impact on the site. Day-to-day operations adopt a long-term, global view: waste minimization; removal of rubbish after every trip; strict recycling measures; composting of food scraps; the reduction of plastic usage; staying on designated walking paths; and adopting stringent biosecurity practices. Sustainable tourism is key to conserving this unique wilderness and guests leave feeling inspired by both the forest and the actions being taken to protect it.
