Advanced Ecotourism certified
Eco Tourism at Thala Beach Nature Reserve
Advanced Ecotourism certified
The highest ecotourism accreditation in Australia
Thala Beach Nature Reserve, between Cairns and Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia, holds the highest ecotourism accreditation for maximising informative and meaningful experiences while enhancing the local environment. The Thala Experience follows the global principles of ecotourism.
After ten consecutive years meeting the strict criteria for Advanced Ecotourism status, in 2017 Thala was awarded Green Travel Leader status by Ecotourism Australia.
- 145
- acres of private
peninsula - 6
- distinct
habitats - ~200
- bird species
spotted - ~120
- butterfly species
spotted
Natural area focus
Thala is built on a private peninsula jutting into the Coral Sea, surrounded by miles of World Heritage coastline, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park on the seaward side. The private beachfront has been left as nature intended. Thala’s 145-acre peninsula has six different habitats in this small area, each attracting its own wildlife.
Eucalypt woodlands
On the main ridge and flats, with grass trees and cycads. The lodge sits among Poplar Gums (Eucalyptus platyphylla), where sugar gliders and striped possums feed at night.
Beach and coastal forest
Littoral forest of paperbarks and beach sheoaks (Casuarinas) along the dunes.
Vine thicket rainforest
Rare dry rainforest of ferns, tall canopy trees and vines, where orange-footed scrubfowl have built their nesting mounds for generations.
Gallery rainforest
Patches of rainforest on the valley floor, along seasonal creeks.
Mangroves
Tidal creeks and lagoons behind the dunes at the southern end of Oak Beach. Our guides can show you these biologically rich tidal forests.
Coconut plantation
Part of the original plantation, now the setting for the Coconut Odyssey. Grassland and regrowth where cane once grew are home to grazing wallabies.
Environmental sustainability
In the early 1970s Rob and Oonagh Prettejohn bought the 58-hectare (145-acre) peninsula. At the time just 45 acres of original native forest remained; the rest had been cleared for a degraded, unsustainable sugar cane plantation. Planning rules of the day would have allowed a 700-bedroom hotel. Instead, as locals who wanted a low impact on this environment, they planted many thousands of indigenous plants to return the land to a wild, natural state.
The Main Lodge and all bungalows are built from natural, sustainable materials in a low-impact style that enhances rather than dominates the landscape. Thala opened in 1998. Read our story.
Conservation and wildlife habitat
Thala is a beacon of hope as people move from being ‘the demolisher’ to ‘the conserver’ and now ‘the environmental benefactor’. Over 30 years, Rob and Oonagh have shepherded the return of complex forests to land once cleared by extractive farming, and wildlife populations have exploded.
About 120 butterfly species and almost 200 bird species have been spotted at Thala. Rangers estimate at least 50 agile wallabies live in the forest, with young joeys and pregnant females regularly sighted. Frogs, lace monitors, sugar gliders, echidnas, spiders and geckos are abundant too.
If you’re lucky
Wildlife to look out for
Striped possum
Sparse in Australia and recognisable by black and white stripes the length of its body. It sleeps in a leaf-lined tree hollow by day and leaps through the canopy at night, feeding on wood-boring insect larvae.
Musky rat-kangaroo
The smallest of the macropods, just 285–400 mm long. Found only in a small part of North Queensland, it forages on the forest floor by day for fruit and insects.
Red-eyed tree frog
Green back, deep yellow underside and bright orange eyes. It grows to 65 mm, and males call from October to February, during and after heavy rain.
Laughing kookaburra
Often heard before it’s seen. The largest of the kingfisher family, it sometimes uses its large bill to tackle small reptiles.
“I have been birding for 30 years and this is the best area in Australia. In the whole of Australia there are some 750 species and up here we have over 400. This is because of the different habitats and climates we have. Rainforest, open forest, dry country, swamps, mountains and the sea all next to each other!”
David, our bird and butterfly expert
Guided discovery
Thala’s wildlife specialists guide guests through the forests, beaches and rocky headland. Complimentary tours are personal, relaxed and unregimented, so guests enjoy the thrill of their own discoveries: perhaps rare snub-fin dolphins, a resident osprey diving for fish to feed her chicks, or some of the many bird and butterfly species. Guests are encouraged to add new sightings to the growing lists.
At night, the observatory takes guests time travelling to the far reaches of the Milky Way on a guided stargazing odyssey.
Leaving a soft footprint
Every photo in Thala’s brochures, website, flyers and social media is a real photograph of what guests can expect to experience.
Guests at eco-lodges like Thala leave a soft footprint and take away memories and an understanding that inspire them and others for years to come. Their involvement at Thala also helps the rehabilitation process. Rob and Oonagh Prettejohn and their staff are proud to uphold the standards of Australia’s eco accreditation scheme, and guests are encouraged to tread softly.
Thank you for your interest in helping us to help the planet!
Stay in a nature reserve
Guided walks, stargazing and the Coconut Odyssey are included with every stay.