I may be able to visit in the next 2 years and am wondering what game is available, and when?

I had started a thread on the "rifles & cartridges" section regarding a general purpose rifle for world-wide use, and the consensus is the .375 is a good choice, but I still consider a .338 a possibility.

What conditions and situations are available? Plains? Desert? Jungle?

Give me clue, eh?

Duffy, seeing as Australia is roughly the same land mass as North America, you kinda need to be a little more specific about where you'd like to go and what your expecting to hunt. A point to note is 90% of the population lives on the east coast and thats where most of the game species live too.

Deer- 7 species all introduced Red, Sambar, Hog, Chital/Axis, Fallow, Elk/Wapiti and Rusa.
Pigs- Bucket loads of wild pigs up the top end literally MILLIONS of them
Goats- Again lots pf goats here in Aussie
Water Buffs- Ask DaveH about these fellas
Wild camels and donkeys- Again Daves hunted them
Scrub Bulls- Big Nasty Cranky Pricks not farmer browns cow Daisy
Wild dogs, Foxes, Cats, Rabbits, Hares etc etc

Most Game here is hunted on Private property, not because thats where the game is but because its illegal to hunt on most Crown land. As for firearms forget anything semi-auto and pump scatterguns are out too. Bring a bolt in something like 7mm and you can take pretty much anything here in Aussie with good quality bullets and proper shot placement you'll drop anything. Sambar, Camels, Buffs and Bulls you may want more gun.

As far as terrain up north its thick rainforest out west is dry scrub and inland is desert

I'm sure the other guys will have more to add to this but its a good start for you.

Yes private property only basicly. If you know someone where you want to hunt they may be able to get you in somewhere, otherwise there is some paied hunts / hunting properties where you can most likely hire firearms which may be easer than the read tape of importing one.

I was not aware of the inability to hunt Crown lands. Amazing. Do they have any special hunts on them, or am I truly stuck with hunting private properties?

I had envisioned hunting buffalo, actually, and pictured myself walking and tenting through the scrub.

I also did not know you have wapiti/elk. What terrain do you find them in?

Regarding the difficulty of importing a rifle, I'm preparing to have one built to suit my particular tastes. It seems such a sad thing to have one made and then be able to take it with. Just how onerous is the importation process?

Victoria is the most 'hunter friendly' state, you need a permit but you can hunt on designated crown land in deer season

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/hunting/hunting.pdf

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1process_details.cfm?activity=12

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenrt.nsf/childdocs/-29F8B43D223B4D9E4A2568C7002392A3-6E889778A9E6BC6ACA256E49007B65C8?open

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenrt.nsf/LinkView/0AA46B324333A4F0CA256E4A001335D0A937C101CC0C16354A 256DEA00241987

These are sites that have info on hunting in Victoria.

Buffalo are restricted to the far north of the Northern Terrritory and Queensland.

Our Wapiti tend to interbreed with our Red deer and are again found in Victoria. I'm not sure how hard it is to import a firearm but it can't be too hard as I know a few people that have done so. Hope this helps

G'day not wishing to sound like a party pooper ! I would suggest that if your planing to Hunt Water Buff ,or Scrub Bulls you go through a guide (did I say that?????) My time hunting buff ,camel ,donkey ect was as a Pro hunter ! Look I'm not trying to put a scare into you but! Our Bush has a very nasty habit of killing of the unprepared & inexperianced.Yes in the Begining of my career many years ago I served what some might call a "aprenticeship" Even then I have had several close death experiances over the years ! Snake bite. Horned by a Buff ,Ribs smashed in by a camel . Trapped under a vehical that rolled off its jack ! Each time I was working alone & had to get to the radio for help or drive myself several hundred mile for help ! in the case of the jack it was only by chance that I was found ! The bottom line is there is great hunting to be had in Australia ! I love this country .....But you must be prepared for the worst ! Many ,many really experianced bushman have died over the years through mishap .My council is to go through a guide .Everthing is there for you & belive me it is not layed out on a platter for you ! You hunt hard ! As a PH I used to watch hunters hunt this way & I always reckoned it was a hard way to hunt the way they did it ! Remember I hunted for a living ,so it was a case of the easier the better ! But you will never have another hunt like it anywhere in the world !
Dave

That sounds like top notch advice, Dave.

Think Duffy should give serious consideration to it. I would, anyway. Use guide services even here in the states and usually have very good experiences. Going to a foreign country and wrapping a lot of money into the trip, seems a good guide would be funds well spent.

While I fancy myself an outdoorsman, and am from the Upper Peninsula of an American state called Michigan, and have kayaked the finist (hardest) whaitewater in Ontario Canada, and have lived in the American desert southwest, and done a million things others have never contemplated or even dared to dream about, I can definatively say this -

I don't jack-s**t!

All my experience has taught me to shut up and take heed of those who have gone before. The graveyards of the world are filled with idiots, numbskulls, and know-it-alls who failed the listen to those who had gone before. While I wish to be nearer to God, the best idea is not to meet him prematurely.

If you say I need a guide, then by-golly, I NEED A GUIDE!

Time would be limited to one week. That sucks. It truly, truly, sucks.

Victoria sounds like the place, based on your input. Red Stag might seem a trifle more familiar than bush bulls or buffalo.

Duffy ! I think you would make the right choice of going after Sambar (Red Deer ) Their big, cunning& make for a hard but rewarding hunt !Water Buff .Speaking from Expriance(I shot em for pet food before the big Gov Culls & lost count after the first 3000 we used to average 1500 to 2000 per season ) were just very large targets! Suprise was the element ! Camels are pretty much the same ! except they can be really moody. When breeding but prefer to make a dash for it ! Goats ????? Bloody things stink to high heaven ! I know cause we have em on our place (The wife has asked me to do something about them ! One day I promise dear :D ) Mickeys or scrub Bulls !!!!!!!! Ok from a vehical but I feel one has suicidle tendencies to hunt em on foot !I ould not /have not felt undergunned useing a .375H&H on them!!! Normaly it was .303 brit that my weapon of choice (Iwas young & silly ) !
Sambar though is the King of all Deer ! Also the Victorian high country is Beautiful (that's something comming from a South Aussie )

Dave

Duffy, are you actually in the country now?
If so, check out your CGN PM box for my details.

OK guys... had to delete a few jokes about shooting people. Let's not put that kind of stuff on the board.

OK guys... had to delete a few jokes about shooting people. Let's not put that kind of stuff on the board.

Sorry 'bout that mike! Slip of the tounge ! I mean keys
:D

Dave

Apology accepted, happens to the best of us. You can make up for it with more entertaining stories about hunting in Oz....