From Loch Ness to South Bruny Island

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Bruny Island

I think I'm going to blame my parents. I grew up on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland and they own a garden nursery, so I was permeated with plant names since day one, says specialist bird and nature guide Cat Davidson, of her early connection to nature.

They dragged me up every mountain in Scotland, and so by osmosis I was already set to go at age 18 out into the world. Then, I was just surprised at everyone else's lack of knowledge. So I grew my passion to allow others to learn all the things I did.

I'd say my evolution was first through sport, so I began as a rock climbing and kayaking outdoor instructor. Then while teaching people about those things I found that most of the time on the water or on the rock, I was telling them about the plants and the animals around us.

Skye Scotland — Skye coastline, Scotland. Image: Unsplash

So it was a very natural gradual progression out of the sports side, and far more just into the nature touring side. I was doing that all around the world in the most glorious places - Canada and the Falkland Islands and many other lovely places.

But once I was in Australia and started asking around for who are the best people to work for, who's running the very best nature tours in Australia, it was a Inala's name that rose to the surface time after time.

And when I discovered that Tonya (Cochran) was based down here on Bruny Island, I thought I'd better check it out. I came down here as a lecturer for the Bruny Island Bird Festival, met Tonya, fell in love with the island, and the rest is history.

Superb Fairy Wren 35116 — Superb fairy wren. Image: Dr Eric Woehler

Cat Davidson

Ecology and Birding Tour Guide

Cat is a nature guide who lives on Bruny Island and is a specialist bird and...

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They dragged me up every mountain in Scotland, and so by osmosis I was already set to go at age 18 out into the world. Then, I was just surprised at everyone else's lack of knowledge. So I grew my passion to allow others to learn all the things I did.

But once I was in Australia and started asking around for who are the best people to work for, who's running the very best nature tours in Australia, it was a Inala's name that rose to the surface time after time.

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I had an experience where I was volunteering with sea turtles in Costa Rica, writes ecologist and University of Tasmania PhD student Edith Shum. It was my first trip abroad and that kind of made me. It was the first time I was really out in nature on my own, and made me realise how small I was. It sparked a lot.

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"It's just a place that you feel very alive and you feel nature feeling very alive around you," says specialist guide with Inala Nature Tours, Cat Davidson of Bruny Island in southern Tasmania. It has amazing, diverse habitat types, specialist birds and animals and a strong community. It is home.