Meet Craig Eddie, Owner, Director and Principal Ecologist of Boobook Ecological Consulting. Known by locals as “the David Attenborough of Southern and Central Queensland,” Craig is a man of many talents and a wealth of knowledge.
A lifelong fascination with nature
Growing up in Toowoomba, Southeast Queensland, Craig’s fascination with the natural world was clear from the start. He spent countless hours exploring mountain ranges in search of frogs, lizards, snails and snakes. Now based in Roma, Queensland, locals describe Craig as the “man with 10 brains” for his incredible memory of Australia’s native flora and fauna. Craig can vividly describe each species’ colours, behaviours, sounds, habitats and unique traits. Craig has a natural way with words and can explain things with ease.
An ecological expert
With a degree in Natural Systems and Wildlife Management from the University of Queensland, Craig has a wealth of knowledge and experience about the natural world. He and Meryl Eddie (co-founders of Boobook) have dedicated 30+ years researching, cataloguing, and writing about different species of flora and fauna in the Brigalow Belt region, and, in recent years, guiding guests to lesser-known ecological hotspots on Boobook Explore tours.
Craig’s expertise has contributed to many flora and fauna surveys and lists (including those for iconic National Parks like Carnarvon Gorge and Mt Moffatt sections of Carnarvon National Park). One of Craig’s many skills includes his ability to identify the birds, frogs and insects from their sounds alone.
Before Boobook, Craig worked at the Queensland Museum and Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, building a reputation as the go-to expert for many industries, environmental organisations and university researchers and students.
Making scientific discoveries
Craig continues to journey into remote landscapes, uncovering remarkable discoveries along the way. His keen eye and expertise mean he often identifies new species or records extensions of known species’ ranges. Most recently, he discovered a new species of Bottlebrush in the Carnarvon Ranges—something most of us would have walked straight past, but not Craig; he knew straight away there was something a little different about this plant.
More recently, he played a part in the discovery and identification of 55 new species of Australian Wishbone spiders, which led to one of these species being named after them– Aname Eddieorum. You can read more about this recent discovery here.
Craig has also authored the Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs of Eastern Queensland Oil and Gas Fields, published by Santos Ltd — a comprehensive 326-page resource featuring his photography and detailed plant descriptions. This guide is available here and includes habitats, attributes, and notes on many species of flora in the region.
A special passion for snails
Among Craig’s many interests, one stands out – snails. He began collecting them from the age of five, discovered his first snail at 14 and now has roughly 70% of Australia’s 1,800 known snail species in his personal collection. Several species have been named after him, including the Lockyer Valley Megaspire Snail (Coelocion craigeddiei) and the Lockyer Valley Carnivorous Snail (Scagacola eddiei).
“It wasn’t a particularly cool hobby, but that didn’t worry me.”
Craig Eddie, in a recent interview with ABC News.
Craig is very passionate about snails and his ever-growing collection. If you would like to read more about the significance of Craig’s collection, you can read these blogs on our ecological consulting site, which cover threatened land snail species and how Boobook researches these land snails.
If you’re on one of Boobook Explore’s tours, and Craig is your guide, ask him about his favourite species of snail, and he’ll be sure to talk your ear off!
Why you want Craig on a tour
Craig is always happy to spread his wealth of knowledge and experience with everyone, so if you’d like to hear more about his passions in either snails or the natural world, he is an incredible resource to learn from. Boobook Explore tours offer a 360-degree insight into the local environment, industries and history and with a bit of fun storytelling involved, are presented in a way that is respectful to past and present activities and people, and is sure to keep you entertained and informed.