I don’t like spotlighting. The Australian bush is full of animals that really only come out of hiding at night. These nocturnal creatures have very sensitive sight, so as to see tucker and predator in the dark.

So you can imagine what happens when someone shines a 200,000 candle power light at them. They’re blinded. And they’re not happy. Sure they may stay still, but that’s trauma.

At the very least it disrupts the animals’ normal nocturnal activities.

But now there’s an alternative. Utilising one of the few good things to come from military technology, Wendy Bithell, founder of Vision Walks, uses night vision goggles to take people on tours of the local bush where animals can be seen undisturbed doing their nighttime thing.

Wendy has a BSc in environmental science and has hiked in many national parks here in Australia and around the world.

“It’s important to me that these tours, both day and night, are unintrusive, that the animals are seen in their natural state,” Wendy said. “The night vision goggles allow everyone to see clearly the bush at night and to appreciate our unique animals.”

And after the walk through local bush seeing things you probably have never seen before, there is a fantastic supper at GunnaWannaBe restaurant in Lismore where you can feast on bush tucker cooked gourmet-style. All part of the experience. Yum.

To find out more about Vision Walks and to book a tour, visit the website at www.visionwalks.com.