New South Wales, Australia
To be honest I wasn’t expecting a 10 am wildlife drive through the Wolgan Valley to be too productive. There are an abundance of kangaroos and wallabies in the valley (including four albino wallaroos), but the sightings are always best in the early morning and late afternoon. I was just hoping to get an idea of the lay of the land for future excursions, and certainly not expecting to do any serious wildlife photography.
However this all changed when we reached Naglow Knoll – a small well vegetated hillock with a fantastic view of the incredible Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, as well as the valley itself.
I was walking up the hill with Ben, the head guide at Wolgan Valley, when a rustle in the bush caught our attention. I saw a flash of thick reptilian skin and thought perhaps a python might be disappearing into the bush. A second glance however showed two enormous goannas engaged in what appeared to be a fairly significant battle.
Initially I thought it might have been a mating ritual, but the length and the sheer ferocity of the battle seemed to indicate that it might have been two males fighting over territory. They would scratch, shove and bite each other, with one repeatedly tearing chunks out of the others shoulder, but neither looking like they were willing to give up any time soon. A half hour (and over 200 photos later) the pair was still going, but we needed to press on.
With glorious accommodation and facilities, phenomenal food (including a 7 course dinner with matching wines) and a great wilderness on your doorstep, Wolgan Valley Resort Spa in my opinion offers Sydney’s best weekend away!