Les Anwyl

Les has lived in Kuranda for decades, close to the forest and everything in it. His background spans botany and science education, and he brings both to every walk - whether that's reading a strangler fig, identifying a medicinal plant, or explaining why this particular patch of rainforest survived when others didn't.

He has a particular passion for bush foods and traditional plant knowledge, shaped by years of learning from Indigenous elders in remote parts of northern Australia. That knowledge doesn't come from a textbook.

Recognised with the Peter Doherty Award for Outstanding STEM Support at Kuranda District State College, Les brings the same rigour and enthusiasm to every expedition he joins - combining deep ecological knowledge with the kind of local history and storytelling that only comes from really living somewhere.