Wallaby Walkabout Tours

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Launceston, TAS
Wallaby Walkabout Tours

Hello, my name is Geoff and I provide history walking discovery tours of Launceston and explorations of the Cataract Gorge taking you where others will not.

With over 53 years lived experience in Launceston I provide that truly local experience.

22/12/2024

It is with great excitement that I can let you know that the Channel 7 Left off the Map tv series will be featuring our iconic Cataract Gorge in this weeks episode 61... and I was part of the filming of it 😁

The episode will also be on 7two Monday to Friday @3.30pm and Second Encore on 7two Monday to Friday . Be sure to tune in 😎

21/12/2024

Well, another day and another Gorge experience hosting a lovely couple, Sophie and Francies, from Belgium. They loved not just finding out about the ancient origins of the Gorge and some of its more contemporary history and events held there but also Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures connections. And the cicadas are in full volume too, but haven't seen this happen before, piggy back larvae 😯

My Gorge experiences are not one dimensional and cover a range of topics in unmatched depth. One of those is how the Picnic Grounds may not have come into being but for beer, and Launcestonians love of it in the 1820s. Not much has changed really 🍻😄

20/12/2024

What a busy couple of days here at WWT central hosting a mix of experiences for very different guests. Yesterday I started with an afternoon gorge experience for Sarah and her lovely family with their 8 year old son. Then this morning I hosted them on my journey through Ye Olde Launceston. When we started yesterday Sarah said that her son had kept saying that everything they had done was boring. At the end of our time together she was so amazed that not once had he said it was boring! I had kept him engaged for the whole time 😃

In addition to them on each tour I had some staff from the excellent Launceston Visitor Information Centre come along on some familiarisation experiences. It was great to have Kathy and Yvette join us 🙂

This afternoon I hosted a great couple of fellows, Simon from England and his partner Lionel from France, on my Gorge experience, and including a ride on the wonderful Chairlift. It was a pretty quick one as they only had an hour so it was keeping things succinct and more of a general, but still in-depth, experience. Thanks to Tours Around Tasmania for engaging me for that one!

19/12/2024

Somehow I don't think that the occupier is going to be reading this correspondence any time soon 😃

The things you come across when taking your hounds on long walks through the suburbs of our wonderful city 👍

15/12/2024

What a wonderful afternoon I had hosting this fantastic family group from Hong Kong on my combined experiences of Launceston and our iconic Cataract Gorge. This was a specially tailored set of experiences as they were most interested in some of the more general history of the gorge with its ancient origins and unique geology. Of course, they also loved having some up close experiences of wallabies and having a ride on the excellent award winning Gorge Scenic Chairlift!

My knowledge of the gorge, and Launceston's history, is second to none and what sets me apart from others. I also don't overcharge and for this group, organised by the great crew at Tours Around Tasmania, my fee for 2 hours of exclusive tailored experiences was $95 each, including the chairlift ride. There are some who charge $160 or even $175 for exclusive tours for far less than what I provide.

12/12/2024

Wow, what an incredibly busy day it has been here at WWT central starting at 8.30am hosting a lovely family group from Singapore on a specially tailored experience of our iconic Cataract Gorge, including a ride on the excellent chairlift, and then a history walk in/around what is one of the most historically significant precincts in Launceston that is the Prince's Square area. Thanks to the great crew at Tours Around Tasmania for engaging me to provide some wonderful experiences for your guests!

After that I hosted a full exploration experience of the Gorge for a lovely couple from Sydney. They were most interested in finding out about Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures and the gorge is the perfect place for that.

07/12/2024

No, it's not an emergency in central Launceston but the annual Christmas Parade and it was a bit of an extra treat for my guests from the land of the Kiwis. They came along on my combined experiences of Launceston and our iconic Cataract Gorge and I exceeded their expectations, including buying them a couple of umbrellas!

Going that extra mile in providing experiences of excellence is what I am all about here at WWT central 😀

04/12/2024

What a spectacular day at my 'office' today hosting my final school group for this year. It has been a very busy year with school groups and teachers love it that I provide a day of interesting and fun learning experiences with activities that are not one dimensional, and cross-curricular.

And it doesn't have to be at the gorge as I can do many other places around Launceston, and also incursions at school campuses.

02/12/2024

Crikey it's been manic here at WWT central over the last week with school groups and lots of tourists doing all of my unique experiences. The couple from WA I hosted today had seen me with my guests yesterday and just had to come along with me and booked their journey through Ye Olde Launceston through the wonderful Launceston Visitor Information Centre...who also took home a gold gong at the recent Tasmanian Tourism Awards!

Now, if you are wondering what that strange creature is it is the husk of a Red Eye Cicada larvae. Knowing the life stages of the Cicada is just another thing in my armoury of knowledge. And I have seen the transformation from larvae to Cicada...it is a bit like watching an alien give birth 😍

27/11/2024

Launceston has such a rich array of architectural styles and eras, and some are hidden gems that so many don't know about. When you walk around our city and suburbs as much as I do, mostly with my deadly duo Buffy and Lizzie, you find so many wonderful buildings. That's been the catalyst for my new experience, the 'Lonnie Explorer'.

This is not a walking tour but done in my new people mover vehicle. There's so much to discover and it has taken many months of research, and talking to some of the owners, to develop what will be a unique experience. Stand by for more details to come!

23/11/2024

My deadly duo, Buffy and Lizzie, thought that I had put them in doggy jail and looked for ways to escape 😃 No doggy jail but a new addition to the historic Cornwall Hotel that is one of the most significant colonial era sites in Australia.

Of course, to find out why then you need to join me on a journey through Ye Olde Launceston. Launceston itself is so incredibly interesting when it comes to not just local and Australian colonial history but also the deep time Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures connections. No one can provide you with what I have to offer.

16/11/2024

Hmm, what theme do these 3 photos have in common? Hint; the last one gives it away to those who have a keen interest in the early architecture, and architects, of Launceston. And the stories of those pivotal architects, and some of the buildings they created, is something I specialise in and is part of what sets me apart from others 👍👌

15/11/2024

Well, what a busy week it has been with having around 160 Grade 5/6 kids from a couple of Catholic schools on my Cataract Gorge learning experiences. Some people think that all I cover is Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures content, which is not the full picture of what I provide.

As an experienced professional educator I cover far more than that and provide cross-curricular content that includes local history, place and space, geography, geology, science, numeracy, literacy, art, maths, problem solving, fine motor skills, group work and having heaps of fun along the way.

14/11/2024

What's in a sign, other than directing you to the wonderful Leoni Duff's amazing art studio and gallery? We'll certainly more than meets the eye in this case. Of course, to find out more you need to come along on one of my Launceston walking tours. You will be enthralled and entertained by what I can tell and show you 🙂

And no one else can provide you with what I do as my personal stories are intertwined with Launceston's stories. That's part of what makes my experiences so unique and unmatched!

02/11/2024

What a busy day it has been here at WWT central that started with hosting 45 educators/teachers from the E3 Conference in our iconic Cataract Gorge. That's the biggest group I've ever hosted and also one of the quickest tours I have conducted as we only had 45 minutes to fit in so much about our gorgeous Gorge. It was a mix of ancient origins, a bit of info about Aboriginal connections, the stories of how the Picnic Grounds came to be and why we have Peacocks/Peahens.

After that I hosted a diverse group of 6 people on my journey through Ye Olde Launceston. After all of that, and what I did yesterday (stay tuned for that info), I'm looking forward to a rare day off tomorrow 😉

31/10/2024

What a great day hosting a wonderful couple, Paula from Canada and her partner from Seattle, on my journey through Ye Olde Launceston and an exploration of our iconic Cataract Gorge. They are tourism operators too and loved all of what I provided for them. They also said I don't charge enough for the in-depth experiences I provide 😉

I do like to be affordable and provide high quality experiences that are more than value for money! And I do charge a premium for exclusive tour experiences but at a rate much less than others who provide far less than me.

27/10/2024

Gee, last week was so busy hosting school groups at the Gorge, visiting schools doing local history/place and space experiences, doing a few Auskick sessions, and having so many visitors coming along on my journey through Ye Olde Launceston!

And I love this photo taken by the lovely Jo from the Cataract Gorge Scenic Chairlift as she sailed through the sky above us 🙂 Thanks Jo!

Address

Prince's Square
Launceston, TAS
7250

Website

http://launcestonwalkingtours.com.au/

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Our Story

Wallaby Walkabout Tours began in 2016 and is the creation of Tasmanian Aboriginal and local historian, Geoff McLean. Geoff is the primary guide and has many years experience lecturing and tutoring in Aboriginal Studies at the University of Tasmania where he also gained knowledge from various Elders.

As part of that knowledge, and his research into Aboriginal cultural connections to the Cataract Gorge, Launceston, Geoff was able to identify opportunities to share that knowledge through conducting guided walking and sightseeing tours of the Cataract Gorge in Launceston and the adjoining Trevallyn Reserve. Adding to that knowledge Geoff is also a local historian who has years of experience creating and providing guided walking tours of Launceston highlighting its heritage and the various intriguing characters involved.

Geoff is a master storyteller with an incredible depth of knowledge that enables him to intertwine 38 000 years of Aboriginal history with that of the more ‘recent’ 212 years of European heritage, including the development of the Cataract Gorge, Launceston, into the wonderful attraction it is today. Geoff is also a ‘born and bred’ Launceston fellow who grew up with the Cataract Gorge, Launceston, as an integral part of his life. As such he has unique personal connections, knowledge and stories to share about some of the more recent, and interesting, events that have added to the fabric of the Cataract Gorge in Launceston.