Once a year, generally in the first week of September, Bird & Nature week participants will be invited in small groups to help catch Abbott’s Boobies high in the rainforest canopy, assist to colour-band Brown Boobies and monitor their colonies on the remote and secluded rocky coasts. Participants will work with our internationally renowned guides to study the nesting biology and foraging ecology of Christmas Island Frigatebirds and Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Depending on interest and demand, there will also be opportunities to assist in the colour-banding of Christmas Island Goshawks, a Christmas Island Hawk-Owl survey, seabird identification workshops, territory mapping of Island Thrushes and closer looks at the island’s other wildlife. Nightly pre-dinner seminars will showcase the results of all the seabird research, the status of the endemic landbirds, the rarities of Christmas Island, and the marine and terrestrial ecology of the island.

It is an engineering marvel, the world's steepest steam-operated railway. This is Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway, and it is 28 tonnes of special. Today, passengers are moved by the same locomotives that began the run from Queenstown back in 1896. They take a comfortable 16-kilometre run through the wildlands, uphill through spectacular landscapes and down to a place called Dubbill Barrill, with stops for a little gold panning and sightseeing. These locos were originally built to move copper ore for the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, delivering the mine's deep riches out of a massive, landlocked deposit at Queenstown to the port of Strahan, and from there, to the world. And every passenger is greeted by one of the line's original workhorses, a 28-tonne steam locomotive that's ready to roll — and guaranteed to raise a smile.

Named after its crescent shape, Half Moon Bay is a long stretch of pink and white sand located on the southeastern coast of the island, about 40 minutes from the capital. Its azure waters and a living coral reef just offshore are perfect for swimming and snorkelling. In the middle, towards the south of the beach, the surf becomes a little choppy, which is great for wakeboarding and bodysurfing. Even though the beach is very popular with tourists and locals alike, you won't have a problem finding a quiet spot, even on the busiest days.

Art. Music. Film. All three reside under the roof of the historic Kessler Theater. Born in 1942 and owned temporarily by Gene Autry, the Kessler is proof that good things CAN happen after dark. The Kessler fosters an ambiance of hip and ageless fun with live music, a cinema, and art shows. Its quirky location in the Historical Arts District dubbed “X+” only adds to its mystique.