Photo by Michael Sale, Notomys alexis

Post-conference trips, tours and workshops

Post-conference Field Trip – 9th July 2026 to Mulligans Flat

The short post-conference field trip will take place on Thursday evening at the end of the conference to Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, 15 km north of the centre of Canberra https://www.mulligansflat.org.au/.

The evening will include spotlighting and exploring the rich diversity of this Box-gum Grassy-woodland area managed for conservation, which is free from the impacts of foxes, rabbits, goats, deer and hares. Participants will need to book directly with Mulligans Flat and self-arrange return transport to their accommodation in Canberra.

To book for this tour, register at Private Twilight Tour - Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary.  Note that places are limited and will be allocated as the bookings are received – so we suggest you book early. A waiting list will be compiled in case there are later cancellations. 

Bookings will close on 25 June, if not sold out earlier.

Optional Friday tours and workshops

Tour of the Australian National Wildlife Collection - Friday 10th July 2026

This is an exclusive opportunity to tour the new state-of-the-art building that houses the Australian National Wildlife Collection and the Australian National Insect Collection, both part of the CSIRO National Research Collections Australia (NRCA). Named 'Diversity', the $90 million NRCA building in Canberra features temperature-controlled vaults that are bushfire and pest-resistant, and designed to preserve over 13 million specimens for future generations. (Link: https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/collections-precinct).

Diversity was designed to realise the full research potential of the collections by co-locating the specimens with cutting-edge digital, curatorial and molecular facilities. The high-throughput digitisation and imaging suite makes specimens more accessible to the international research community, enabling morphological and taxonomic research. The extensive molecular laboratories can process the complete range of biological material held within collections. The most sensitive, ancient and degraded specimens are processed in a specialised and self-contained Trace Laboratory; whereas the modern DNA labs process high-quality material derived from vouchered specimens to generate genomic resources for Australia’s unique biodiversity https://research.csiro.au/dnalibrary/).

Most relevant to the Australian Mammal Society and the Australasian Bat Society, the Australian National Wildlife Collection holds mammals, birds and reptiles from Australia and Papua New Guinea. The collection includes rare and unique specimens, such as histological slides of thylacine brains. The collection is available for use by the national and international research community but is not open to the general public (https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc).

This tour will take 1-2 hours. There are limited places due to visitor capacity in the vaults and integrated pest management procedures, with a maximum of 12 people per tour with the potential for two tours. This is a free event but register on the registration form if you would like to attend. Note that places are limited and will be allocated as the bookings are received – so we suggest you book early. A waiting list will be compiled in case there are later cancellations. The CSIRO Black Mountain site is 1.5 km from the Shine Dome.

Animal Monitoring Workshop - Friday 10th July 2026

This 2-hour workshop will be held at the Australian National University campus behind the Shine Dome.

Learn about the diverse and emergent technologies used to monitor animals spanning camera trapping and AI, GPS tracking,  microchips, and acoustic recorders. In this workshop you'll have the opportunity to learn new techniques, chat through methodological do's and don'ts, hear from real-world applications, explore new approaches, and network with others. No experience necessary, just a curious mind!

This is a free event, but please indicate in your registration form if you plan to attend to assist with logistics and to receive more information.

 

Atlas of Living Australia Workshop - Friday 10th July 2026

This workshop introduces the use of biodiversity data from the ALA and GBIF for research. Participants will learn how to locate and download taxonomic information and species occurrence records, filter queries by taxon, location, or time period, and recognise common data quality issues in aggregated datasets. These concepts will be demonstrated both through the ALA web interface and programmatically using R and the galah package. Participants interested in reproducible approaches are encouraged to use a programming‑based workflow with galah, rather than relying solely on the web interface.

Participants are strongly encouraged to BYO laptops and charging cables. 

Those participants interested in coding can speed things up by installing galah. 

Weekend post-conference field trips

There will be two weekend post-conference field trips after the joint Australian Mammal Society / Australasian Bat Society conference in Canberra in July 2026 - a day trip to Tidbinbilla and an over-night weekend trip to Eden. Note that these trips are running concurrently so you can only go on one, not both.

 

  1. TIDBINBILLA FIELD TRIP SATURDAY 11th JULY 2026

Day visit to Tidbinbilla and Deep Space Station

Departure from Shine Dome at 8:30 am, with return to Shine Dome at 5 pm.

Itinerary:

This day trip will visit the following four places

  1. Jerrabomberra Wetlands

At these wetlands it may be possible to view Rakali, kangaroos and Platypus. The wetlands serve as a refuge to the protected Latham's Snipe and many other bird species

  1. Fyshwick Markets

Note that there are no facilities to buy food at Tidbinbilla or the Deep Space Station, so there will be a stop off at Fyshwick markets so you can get your supplies for morning tea and lunch. Alternatively bring your own food and drinks.

  1. Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

At this reserve, it may be possible to observe Platypus, Eastern Bettongs and Southern Brown Bandicoots, as well as Koalas.

There will be a series of tours and talks on threatened species found at Tidbinbilla, including:

Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon

The Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon is a small lizard found at higher altitudes and in cooler regions than any other earless dragon. It is endangered under national and ACT legislation.

Northern Corroboree Frog

Northern Corroboree Frogs are brightly coloured with yellow and black patterning. They are a small frog, getting to only 3cm in length and live in sub-alpine woodlands and tall heathlands.

Southern Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby

Tidbinbilla is the only place in the ACT where Brush-tailed Rock-Wallabies can be found.

  1. Deep Space Tracking Station (closes at 4)

The Deep Space Tracking Station Visitor Centre offers visitors the chance to learn about the role that Australia plays in the exploration of space. You can take in magnificent views of the largest antenna complex in the southern hemisphere.

 

Transport arrangements:

Transport options are either to travel on the bus provided, or to self-drive. The cost of the bus is $50.00 per person.

Costs:

Bus transport and entry into Tidbinbilla        $50

Entry into Tidbinbilla if using your own vehicle (up to 8 seats), to be paid for at the entry gate $15.53

Bring your own food, or buy it at the Fyshwick markets

 

Capacity limits: numbers are limited for this field trip. People will be accepted in the order in which they register. So if you are interested, we recommend you book early.

Deadline for booking: 20 May 2026

Register for this trip using this link: https://events.humanitix.com/https-australianmammals-org-au-conferences-ams-abs-conference-2026-post-conference-trips-tours-and-workshops

For more information, contact:  amsabs2026@gmail.com

  1. EDEN WEEKEND FIELD TRIP, SATURDAY 11TH TO SUNDAY 12TH JULY, WITH OPTIONAL EXTRA ON FRIDAY 10TH JULY 2026

FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 4PM, 10th JULY SMOKY MOUSE BREEDING FACILITY optional:

Note: This excursion is exclusively for participants going on the Eden Field trip, but is optional for those participants.

Visit the smoky mouse captive breeding facility - the source of mice released to Nungatta. This captive facility will be the only opportunity to see this species. The natural and reintroduction habitats will be visited on the way to Eden.

Indicate on the registration form if you wish to attend.

COST: Free. No food or drinks provided so eat before or after

TRANSPORT: Bus (provided – costs covered by the weekend trip)

Note: Numbers are limited for the Smoky Mouse Breeding Facility visit. Once capacity numbers are reached, any additional applicants will be put on a waiting list in case of late cancellations. So book early if you want to go.  

 

WEEKEND TRIP TO EDEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 11th – 12th JULY 2026

To keep the costs down and to enable personal preferences, we are asking participants to:

  • BOOK THEIR OWN ACCOMODATION AND MEALS FOR ONE NIGHT IN EDEN
  • BOOK FOR WHALE WATCHING TOUR or WHALING MUSEUM IN EDEN
  • BUY THEIR OWN FOOD

Itinerary:

Departure: Saturday 11th July 2026, 8:30am from the Shine Dome

Travel to Bondi State Forest with a potential visit to the Bombala Platypus Reserve.

There will be a comfort and coffee break at Nimmitabel or Bombala.

You will need to purchase your morning tea / lunch at this stop as there are no shops from here until Eden.

The Bondi State Forest is the site of rediscovery of the long-footed potoroo in NSW in 2023 and an ongoing longitudinal study. It presents an interesting and sometimes counter-intuitive mosaic of habitats and disturbance history when thinking about a restricted, specialist, endangered species.

Saturday Lunch - Travel to Nungatta Feral Predator Free Area (visible from and abutting Bondi State Forest). This forested safe haven is in the final stages of introduced predator eradication across its full 2000 ha. The 200 ha Stage 1 is the site of an ongoing reintroduction of smoky mice. Long-footed potoroos are one proposed species for reintroduction and the sanctuary already protects resident species such as southern brown bandicoots and eastern pygmy possums.

Saturday Afternoon - Eden hinterland State Forests. A tour of key management areas with a focus on potoroo and southern brown bandicoot habitats. Impacts of the 2020 fire will be highly visible for parts of this tour and a focus of discussion relating to post-fire monitoring in the forests.

Saturday Dinner - in Eden, hopefully preceded by some free time and settling in to your accommodation.

NOTE: YOU NEED TO BOOK YOUR ACCOMODATION AND MEALS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT IN EDEN

Saturday evening - Spotlighting and thermal observations of arboreal and ground mammals in Beowa National Park and adjoining State Forest, key target species would include yellow-bellied gliders, eastern pygmy possums, long-nosed potoroos. This can be structured as a multi-site trip to allow participants to drop out during the night as they wish.

POSSIBLE ACCOMMODATION AT EDEN (with a range of other options also available)

Sunday Morning - Breakfast, free time.

Sunday 10:00 am - Whale watching tour for those interested. An alternative for land-lubbers is to visit the Killer Whale Museum (which opens at 10:15 on a Sunday). Please book these yourself.

Whale watching tour

Land-based option

NOTE THAT IT WILL BE HOLIDAY PERIOD AND ACCOMMODATION AND WHALE WATCHING TOUR/WHALING MUSEUM WILL FILL QUICKLY.

WE RECOMMEND YOU BOOK THESE AS SOON AS YOU DECIDE TO GO, AND WE HAVE CONFIRMED YOUR PLACE ON THE TRIP.

Sunday Afternoon - return to Canberra, potentially via Nullica Section of SE Forest NP to see smoky mouse habitats where founders of captive program and release program originated.

You will need to purchase your own lunch on Sunday.

Return to Shine Dome in Canberra: Sunday 12th at 5 pm

Transport:

Transport options are either to travel on the bus provided, or to self-drive. THE COST OF THE BUS IS $150 FOR CANBERRA TO EDEN RETURN

If you are self-driving, please indicate this when you register. Also indicate if you would be happy to provide transport for other attendees.  

Capacity limits: numbers are limited for this field trip. People will be accepted in the order in which they register. So if you are interested, we recommend you book early.

Deadline for booking: 20 May 2026

Register for this trip using this link: https://events.humanitix.com/https-australianmammals-org-au-conferences-ams-abs-conference-2026-post-conference-trips-tours-and-workshops

For more information contact:  amsabs2026@gmail.com