Programmes Australia's Great Wildlife Islands

1 - Australia's Great Wildlife Islands

Presenter Greg Grainger takes a very close swim with manta rays and whales, tracks endangered seals and kangaroos and watches birds that fly backwards. Four of Australia's 20,000 islands have been selected for this one hour special, all with an abundance of wildlife. On the southern-most tip of the greatest coral reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, the remarkable coral cay of Lady Eliot Island is home to big colonies of sea birds, manta rays, turtles and humpback whales. The star of Kangaroo Island is a sub-species of kangaroos, as well as koalas in plague proportions and endangered sea lions. Sanctuaries like idyllic Lord Howe Island feature with its plentiful colonies of birds, such as the endemic endangered Lord Howe Island Woodhen, and the Red-tailed Tropicbird, with its fancy courting rituals. Finally, there are the extremes of the sub-Antarctic on Macquarie Island, with huge colonies of colourful king penguins and enormous elephant seals.
Duration: 60