Welcome to Denise Goodfellow's website

www.denisegoodfellow.com

Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow is a birdwatching/natural history guide, environmental/Indigenous tourism consultant and writer.  She began guiding in 1983.  Most of her clientele are well-educated, well-travelled Americans who hear of her by word of mouth. As a biological consultant she has conducted fauna surveys in the remote Top End, often solo. In 1981 she stood for Council to save mangrove habitat. Denise is a published author of books including “Birds of Australia’s Top End” -  described as winning ‘top honors’ by American Birdwatcher’s Digest), and ‘impressive’ by the American Birding Association’s Winging It) -  her autobiographical Quiet Snake Dreaming and Fauna of Kakadu and The Top End, which has been used as a “core text” of the University of NSW’s summer school since 2000.

This information resource is published to provide you with an insight into life in Australia's Top End - in the Northern Territory - including information about how to defeat infestations of gamba grass and how to create hand sanitiser from common household ingredients. 

 

 

Latest news from Denise Goodfellow

European tourists viewing an outback carpet pythonWhat do tourists value when they visit Australia’s Top End?  Are they into shock and awe?  In other words do they care as much as the tourism industry about what Australian region has the biggest crocodile?  And what about birdwatching? 

Women dominate the huge US birdwatching market, and many want to experience more than just new birds. So are our guides too fixated on twitchers, a small market dominated by men? 

If many visitors wish more a more in-depth experience, then does the tourism industry deliver?  Are the true experts involved, from the senior citizen who is an authority on native orchids to the grazier or Indigenous family living on their country.  

If our wildlife tourism does not deliver to both citizens and visitors, then why not, and how can we fix it?

To examine the problems, potential and possibilities Wildlife Tourism Australia will hold a workshop on connecting wildlife and visitors in the Top End this coming October, to be opened by the Northern Territory Administrator, the Hon. Sally Thomas, AO.

Shepherds' Crook orchidRainbow Pitta IrisTopics range from eastern and western approaches to avitourism (bird tourism), comparisons between twitching and true birdwatching to how to accommodate the disabled traveller and Indigenous approaches to wildlife interpretation and difficulties they may face; from jumping financial/bureaucratic hurdles and the topical issue of tourism activities in conservation areas, to loving your (native) cockroach or snake.

Speakers hail from the NT and the rest of Australia, Asia, Europe and the US (some via the internet), and include American academics and Bo Beolens, one of the UK’s most famous birders.  

There are some exciting field trips before and after the workshop, including birdwatching and other wildlife viewing, and Indigenous guiding.

The workshop itself will take place 2nd to 4th October 2013: further details can be found on http://wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/workshop-2013

   More information:    Native Cockroach
 

Ronda Green

Chair,

Wildlife Tourism Australia

platypuscorner@bigpond.com

07 5544 1283

 
 

Denise Goodfellow

Vice-chair,

Wildlife Tourism Australia

goodfellow@bigpond.com.au

0438 650 835

 

 



[1] Rainbos Pitta, Pitta iris, a Top End specialty. © DL Goodfellow

[2] Shepherds' Crook orchid, Geodorum neocaledonicum. Palmerston escarpment. © DL Goodfellow

[3] Megazosteria patula.  Edith River. © DL Goodfellow

[4] Large python.  © Araucaria Ecotours 

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