Creating and Exploring is in Luka’s DNA. Growing up between New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, Luka spent his childhood searching for wildlife and making home videos with his two younger brothers.
With Mum an artist and Dad an Emergency Doctor, home life was full of action, adventure and colour.
At age 11, Luka was stoked that his family finally settled in Sunshine Beach, Noosa, as there was an abundance of reptiles there to keep him passionately amused for years to follow.
Since graduating high school, Luka dove immediately into video production which has taken him around the world and provided opportunities to immerse himself in remote locations and cultures.
In recent years, Luka has worked as a fauna spotter/catcher in the Australian bush, developing his passion further for wildlife and land conservation. He has studied Herpetology, conservation land management and works with Traditional Owners to better understand and communicate cultural Heritage.
Video artistry has become Lukas favourite communication tool, working with brands like Billabong and Misfit Surfboards, he also devotes any time he can to filming his own wildlife documentary series “Fauna Friends”.
Luka is committed to living all of his days creating, exploring, sharing stories and seeking adventure.
Stratus Outdoors Q&A with Luka
Q: Where the hell are ya?
A: Somewhere near Roma in central QLD. Working in Cultural Heritage with Traditional Land
Owners of the Mandandanji people for ‘Insight Eco & Heritage’. It’s really windy. Birds of prey hunt with the gusts. There are towering Bottle trees casting fat shadows over tan dancing grasses. No snakes have been sighted yet.
Q: What’s Fauna Friends about?
A: Fauna Friends is a project I started with the aim of building awareness and appreciation for wildlife. My hope is to inspire people to get outdoors, learn about their local fauna and flora and the holistic relationships that bind us all together. Fauna Friends is here to inspire people to become Nature enthusiasts, care for each other and care for Mother Nature!
Q: Nature is addictive - How did it start for you?
A: I was simply born with an innate passion for wildlife. It’s in my DNA.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: Jaleesa Vincent (my partner), Sebastian and Timu Raubenheimer, Mum and Dad, Jake Vincent, Steve Irwin, Malcom Douglas, Taika Watiti, Wade Goodall, Wes Anderson, Hermann Hesse, John Steinbeck.
Q: Essential things you can’t do without?
A: My drawing/writing book, stick of charcoal, video camera, Jaleesa, water and food.
Q: Funniest camping fails?
A: NYE of 2019 into 2020.
We drove 2 cars down a 4WD track for a few hours in the late afternoon to reach our camp spot. We only had 1 beer each on arrival at our destination. We totally forgot to buy sufficient food, water and alcohol and with no more beer, we had just 1 small bottle of water between 7 of us plus salted peanuts and a big bag of weed. By 6pm we had nothing left but weed and a handful of peanuts, and as the sun went down and our thirst un-quenched, we were assaulted by the worst plague of sand flies I have ever experienced. It was one of the most iconic, torturous, worst nights of my life. I think we packed up around 4am to drive home after being harassed by sandflies all night and not sleeping at all. It was by far the biggest camping fail I have ever been a part of. But, we learn from our mistakes.
