This is an odd little hybrid, but quite useful. With beautiful photos, like a coffee table book, but small in size; with many maps, but none detailed enough to really use; with travel suggestions, but little "getting there" or "where to stay" information, it is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. What it does, more than say "Watching Wildlife," is put the flora and fauna in an ecological and evolutionary context, explaining why a particular species or area is unusual, and worth seeing. There are many sidebars with interesting natural history, and references to recent scientific studies along this line. But it is also a guide to the highlights of where to see nature in Australia.Bottom line is, you will need other guides to fully plan an ecotourist trip to Oz, but you will get a lot more out of the trip if you read this book first.