North West Australian Safaris Guides

Cathy

My own love of the land and respect of its special places has led me on many journeys of exploration as an adventurer, as a tour guide, and now as a local tour operator. I have felt connected to nature from an early age as I was raised on a north Queensland cattle station in close association with the aboriginal people of the area. In my early 20’s I travelled throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Africa and Europe. I sailed throughout the Pacific Ocean including the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. These journeys fuelled my interest in exploring my own country and learning more about its Aboriginal culture, and ultimately encouraged me to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others as a tour guide. With my own enthusiasm for travel, and with over 20 years experience in the local tourism industry, myself and my team of North West Australian Safari guides deliver unique tours of an exceptional standard to clients from the domestic and international markets; to small groups, VIP’s and also private and exclusive charters.

I am also very fortunate that my business has encouraged me to further explore, and indeed benefited from my love of nature. I have guided tours in many diverse Australian landscapes including the Australian Outback and Cape York Peninsula, Arnhem Land, Uluru (Ayers Rock), The Deserts of Western Australia, and the Daintree rainforest, considered one of the oldest ecosystems on the planet.

In 2016 I was honoured by Mark Chipperfield, former foreign correspondent and then the London Daily Telegraph’s travel expert in Australia. In his article for World Travellers Magazine I was mentioned as one of ‘The Magnificent Seven (Australian Guides)’.

I have a Wet Tropics World Heritage Tour Guide Accreditation and a Certificate IV in Tourism Guiding. I have also been award the ‘Cairns Tourism Association’s KAMSLER Award ‘Promoting Excellence in Tourism’, and I also hold Senior First Aid and CPR Certificates, a Medium Rigid Drivers License, Queensland Drivers Accreditation and an Australian government-issued Blue Card for working with young people.

I pride myself on taking travellers to some of the diverse parts of Australia; to foster an appreciation of the unique beauty, history and culture; and to have a truer understanding and respect for Aboriginal Australians and their land that we work in. My team and I strive to leave our clients with lasting memories and a desire to experience more of our great country – Australia.

Rick

Born and bred in Bundaberg, South East Queensland I was lucky to grow up along the coastline with the largest sea turtle rockery on the east coast of Australia.

The majority of my career has been involved with ecology in one field or another, beginning with Mon Repos turtle rockery as a volunteer researcher for 4 seasons.  That was my first taste of tourism and educating the public.  This led to my move to North Queensland where I have been involved in Wet Tropics research such as frog monitoring, fauna surveys and weed control.   I also specialized for 5 years in nocturnal tours, spotlighting for rare and endemic wildlife.

As a naturalist guide my career is driven by my love for the environment, marine and land. I thoroughly enjoy working as an interpretive tour guide in Cairns and surrounding regions with North West Safaris, taking diverse groups of people into remote areas and educating them on such issues as biodiversity, native flora, fauna and environmental responsibilities.

During my work as a North West Australian Safaris guide I have extensively explored the tropical Far North Queensland including the Tip of Cape York in Queensland. I have also been fortunate to work as a guide in other incredible locations in Australia including the red centre and Uluru (Ayers Rock),  into Dinosaur country at Winton, Tasmania and many more.  I have been privileged to experience the Indigenous culture of this land.  As a result I have great respect for these people, continually learning more about their bush tucker and medicine.   I dabble in playing didgeridoo and boomerang throwing. My travels have taken me through South America, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. I enjoy on a personal level horse riding, camping, birding, kayaking and star gazing.

Terry

I thoroughly enjoy working in my office – the great expanse of Far North Queensland; I have a career that others dream of. I have a thirst for knowledge and I love sharing this knowledge and passion for Australia’s wild places. I have been a tour guide for 12 years – in Central Australia, Northern Australia, Southern Africa and East Africa. My extensive time spent in the outback of both Australia and Africa sharpened my skills and ability in animal tracking and spotting. Now, I am very excited to be joining the fun and highly experienced Cape York team of North West Australian Safaris Australia.

My love of the outdoors and all things wild stems from my varied and fulfilling life experiences: ranging from serving my country in the Australian Regular Army; spending 2 years on a wildlife reserve in Zimbabwe working in lion conservation; and 4 years in zoo keeping specializing in big cats (lions, tigers and cheetah).

I was born in a little town at the foot of the Blue Mountains in NSW and have travelled extensively throughout Africa, North America, Europe and Australia. My personal interests include travelling, scuba diving, photography, reading and whenever I can – spending time in the bush.

My qualifications include Certificate IV in Tourism, Senior First Aid & CPR, 4X4 Off-Road Training, and extensive personal research to Natural History, Australian and African Flora and Fauna, Military History and Geology.

Oscar

I was born in Brighton, England! But despite being born in the wrong hemisphere, I was raised in Australia and have lived almost my entire life in this wonderful country. Ever since I could talk I have had a passion for teaching people about wildlife and the ecosystems of the world. At 7 years old I was bringing snakes into my classroom for show and tell!

As a tour guide, I have been told I have an “infectious enthusiasm” regardless of what I’m talking about. I’ve inspired a few people to take up bird-watching as a hobby, there was even one person who strangely took up Geology after spending some time with me.

In over 10 years working as a professional tour guide, I am very lucky to have been to some amazing places to show my guests amazing things. From spending a few months as a tour guide in Antarctica, to running adventure tours in the Caribbean, Greenland, Canada, New Zealand, Komodo Island and many more, I have educated and entertained people all over the planet.

However, Australia is my home and I have done years of guiding in this incredible country, including the Kimberley Region, the Far North Queensland region, throughout Tasmania, Victoria and inland NSW. The only state I haven’t guided in is South Australia!

But it hasn’t just been tour guiding, my career with wildlife has involved feeding crocodiles for shows at a local crocodile park, catching crocodiles as an Officer for Queensland Government, and performing and educating with venomous snakes, and stonefish, and sharks, and cassowaries and koalas, and the list goes on and on.

Now that I am working with North West Australian Outback Safaris, I am incredibly excited to bring my infectious enthusiasm for the natural world to our guests as we explore the Cape York Peninsula, the Daintree Rainforest, Kinrara Wetlands and anywhere else we find ourselves.

Shane

Born in the seaside town of Coffs Harbour, I grew up exploring the bush, creeks and ocean. The landscapes and animals of Tropical North Queensland are my passions with a propensity to the aquatic world.

My love of exploring Cape York for over 25 years is apparent every time we visit our sensational locations on our tours. While living in the Cape York town of Weipa for 4 years allowed for many trips exploring the Cape in my 4×4.

One of the most rewarding aspects of guiding for the team at North West Safaris is building new friendships with our guests. We all enjoy coming together as a team for our amazing Cape York Adventures. My knowledge of North Queensland has been utilised in various TV programs.

I’ve also enjoyed working for QLD Fisheries as a Scientific Research Assistant and hold multiple world and Australian records for fishing.

In my own time I enjoy hiking, snorkelling, boating, fishing, mountain biking and photography. 

Patrick

I like to think of myself as a channel through which others can enjoy and ponder the wonders of the natural world. I decided I wanted to work in the natural sciences at the ripe, old age of 4: to protect our oceans for future generations to enjoy. Fast forward about 20 years and I had my Honours in Marine Biology and Aquaculture, a foot in the door as a demonstrator and researcher for the university in South Australia, which helped me to gain confidence and experience in educating and connecting others to the natural world. Since then, my career has taken many turns, but what has remained constant has been my passion for bringing people amongst the natural world.

Following working for the university, I was somehow lucky enough to land a job presenting, live, in a full SCUBA setup, on an interactive, educational broadcast, ‘diveLIVE’ – bringing the coral reefs of the Caribbean to lounge rooms around the world. When this wrapped, I was given the opportunity to be a ‘fish out of water’, swapping my wetsuit for khaki for a year, presenting on land in the naitonal parks of both Kenya, and South Africa, on a National Geographic backed program, ‘safariLIVE’. This experience solidified a previously unknown love for the land and all it holds, and further strengthened my passion for connecting others with the world outside.

Since returning to Australia I have spent my professional life guiding, teaching and presenting the plants, animals and all the other types of living things that Australia has to offer. I have been blessed enough to have opportunities to do this in Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland, in a diverse array of habitats ranging from the dry outback, to the vibrant Great Barrier Reef.

I will relish the opportunity to be connecting our clients to the beauty that is Far North Queensland and look forward to being a part of the North West Outback Safari Team. 

Cassy – Assistant to the General Manager

Growing up on the Gold Coast it was the ideal place for me to start in Hospitality.  Fresh out of school as a 17-year-old, I completed a Traineeship as a Front Office Receptionist, in a Surfers Paradise property.  My career in the industry continued moving onto larger properties and management groups encompassing properties throughout Australia and New Zealand.  It’s here I managed allotments, agents, staff in various regions totalling 25+ years of experience.

I lived in Canada for 12 months and camped extensively throughout western Canada, traversed from the west to the east of the United States and trekked through the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

After returning to Australia, I left the Gold Coast to move to beautiful, tropical Cairns and start my family.  My love of travel and camping has continued to grow with my family. Nowadays we frequently go on camping adventures throughout Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland with more trips planned.

I look forward to seeing more of this gorgeous country of ours working with North West Outback Safari team.