Birding Tour Australia: from the Outback to the Wet Tropics

Eastern Australia: from the Outback to the Wet Tropics
October 2025/2026

Australia, the island continent, is a remote landmass that drifted away from Antarctica tens of millions of years ago. Without significant volcanic activity and other mountain-building forces it is also the flattest continent, with the world’s oldest soils. Despite its lack of topography this incredible landmass is one of extremes. The Outback, the continent’s core, is a vast and hostile desert with unpredictable weather patterns that sometimes flush the landscape green. Along the edges more regular precipitation allows ancient rainforests, heathlands, and fire-resistant sclerophyll woodlands to grow. Due to its long isolation and harsh environments Australia is now home to birds of a different feather, including eight endemic bird families and a further seven shared only with neighboring New Guinea. About 300 bird species are endemic to Australia, making it second only to Indonesia in this regard. Throughout this country’s every extreme its amazing avifauna has shown the adaptability and resiliency to survive in even the most challenging environments. In addition, this avifauna is just dripping with charismatic species, from bowerbirds to parrots to fairywrens to kookaburras to cassowaries to lyrebirds. Throughout the course of this small-group tour we sample habitats ranging from the arid plains north of Deniliquin to the wet rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands in search of as many of these wonderful birds as possible, while also appreciating the many other unique plants and animals along the way.

The incredible birds and wildlife of eastern Australia: a virtual birding tour by Andy Walker (who guides our Australian tours). This presentation was part of the highly recommended SE Arizona birding festival hosted by the Tucson Audubon Society (also see their YouTube channel here).

Pink Cockatoo (formerly called Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo) is one of our spectacular target birds on this eastern Australia birding tour.

Our journey begins at the cosmopolitan city of Melbourne, Victoria in southeast Australia, visiting coastal heathland for several localized habitat specialists such as Gang-gang Cockatoo and Beautiful Firetail. Farther north and west towards the interior, arid mallee vegetation and saline lakes provide habitat for the mound-building Malleefowl, the impossibly blue Splendid Fairywren, the gorgeous Pink Cockatoo, among a host of other species. On one evening we make a special effort to observe the monotypic Plains-wanderer in the dry plains north of Deniliquin in New South Wales.

We will search for Plains-wanderer (a monotypic family) in the dry plains of New South Wales.

Following our time in New South Wales we will swing southeast through the sclerophyll forests of Chiltern and the temperate forests near Melbourne for targets such as Turquoise Parrot and Superb Lyrebird.

After an internal flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, Queensland, we drive up to the famous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, nestled within a large tract of subtropical rainforest, for a totally new set of stunning birds such as Paradise Riflebird, Regent Bowerbird, Satin Bowerbird, Noisy Pitta, Albert’s Lyrebird, and Australian Logrunner.

On the last leg of our journey we visit the Wet Tropics of far northern Queensland to explore one of the world’s most ancient rainforests for key species such as Southern Cassowary and Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. We also take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef, where the colors and diversity of the fish and corals rival those of the birds, with a chance to swim with Green Turtles. Evening spotlighting sessions on many of these nights should also produce a host of endearing and unusual nocturnal birds and mammals, which may include Papuan Frogmouth and Barking Owl. Other target birds in the north include Great-billed Heron, Australian Bustard, Victoria’s Riflebird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Great Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird, Fernwren, and Chowchilla to name a few.

The massive Southern Cassowary can be seen in northern Queensland.

During our time in Australia, we will also look for some of the country’s incredible and unique animals, including Platypus, Short-beaked Echidna, Koala, Red Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Common Ringtail Possum, Common Brushtail Possum, Musky Rat Kangaroo, and Common Wombat. The birds in Australia are incredible, but so are the mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that we will see; they combine to result in an awesome wildlife-filled experience. This continent is a naturalist’s dream!

Sometimes we do this tour in the reverse order shown in this itinerary. Please confirm the route for your tour with us before purchasing your flight tickets.

For those wishing to continue exploring Australia (and we fully recommend it), this tour can be combined with our Birding Tour Australia: Tasmania Bird Tour – Tasmanian Endemics and the Orange-bellied Parrot tour.

 Itinerary (18 days/17 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Melbourne

Non-birding day with your arrival into Melbourne airport, the rest of the day will be at your leisure. We will meet in our hotel near the airport for an evening welcome dinner together.

Overnight: Melbourne Airport Hotel

The gaudy Rainbow Lorikeet can be seen around Melbourne.

Day 2. Melbourne to Aireys Inlet

Over the course of the day we will enjoy some of Australia’s common and widespread, yet beautiful and interesting birds, such as Magpie-lark, Rainbow Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Willie Wagtail, Laughing Kookaburra, and Australian Magpie.

We will drive around Melbourne to the world-famous Werribee Western Treatment Plant area along the coast. Included in the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1983, this extremely rich, huge area contains a network of sewage treatment lagoons, unmodified saltmarsh, creeks, and lakes, which host large numbers of both sedentary and migratory waterbirds. We will navigate a series of roads around this area, where water levels permit. Among a wide assortment of other species Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, and Musk Duck will be top priorities, as well as the secretive Australian Crake and the highly localized Striated Fieldwren. The area is often great for raptors, and we may find Black-shouldered Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australian Hobby, and Brown Falcon.

We then continue southward along the coast to Aireys Inlet for the night. Along the way a few stops may produce Southern Emu-wren, Black-tailed Nativehen, Black-fronted Dotterel, Cape Barren Goose, and White-winged Chough. Maybe we will even spot our first Eastern Grey Kangaroo along the way!

Overnight: Aireys Inlet

The localized Rufous Bristlebird is our top target at Aireys Inlet.

Day 3. Aireys Inlet to central Victoria

Composed of dense, low shrubs and scattered, twisted trees, coastal heathland occurs on impoverished soils with poor drainage. Despite the nutrient-poor soils, this habitat boasts a high diversity of plants as well as a unique community of birds that depend on them. We spend most of the morning exploring the scenic coastal heathlands of southwest Victoria, seeking out some of these species, such as Southern Emu-wren, Beautiful Firetail, and Rufous Bristlebird. Areas of taller vegetation may host the endearing Gang-gang Cockatoo, while a sea watch may yield Black-browed Albatross, Australasian Gannet, and other pelagic birds offshore.

As the day progresses, we drive inland into central Victoria for our first taste of box-ironbark forest, a habitat endemic to Australia. Because the component tree species in this habitat are such prolific flower and nectar producers, there is a correspondingly high diversity of nectar-feeding honeyeaters and lorikeets, including the normally scarce and local Purple-gaped Honeyeater, White-fronted Honeyeater, and Purple-crowned Lorikeet.

Overnight: Inglewood

Day 4. Central Victoria to Ouyen

After some brief morning birding around Inglewood we continue to the Ouyen area in northwestern Victoria. Along the way we will stop at Lake Tyrrell, a salt-crusted and mostly dry lakebed surrounded by saltbush and samphire. Despite its unlikely appearance this low vegetation is home to several charismatic birds, such as Orange Chat, White-winged Fairywren, and Eastern Bluebonnet, which we will target during our time here.

Founded in 1921, Wyperfeld National Park protects a significant tract of semi-arid mallee woodland and heathland. Depending on local conditions we may visit this site as we are passing. High on our list of priorities here would be the appropriately named Malleefowl, Southern Scrub Robin, Splendid Fairywren, and Southern Whiteface, and other birds of the dry Australian interior are also possible.

A top target while in mallee habitat will be Malleefowl.

In the late afternoon we will arrive in Ouyen in the mallee habitat. Due to the number of secretive and highly sought birds here we will spend two nights and days birding the area, giving us plenty of time to try and connect with some of the arid area’s great birds like Malleefowl, notable for incubating its eggs in large nesting mounds.

Overnight: Ouyen

Day 5. Birding Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

As one of Australia’s largest and most pristine mallee reserves, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park boasts a wide variety of bird species that are much more difficult to see elsewhere, such as Mallee Emu-wren and Striated Grasswren. We will spend the full day birding within and around the park and town. In addition to the species mentioned above we will be looking for one of the most spectacular parrots in all of Australia, Pink Cockatoo. Hopefully the cockatoo will be accompanied by a rich and colorful supporting cast of dry-country specialties, such as Regent Parrot, Mulga Parrot, Crested Bellbird, and Emu. Possibly we will have our first look at the huge Red Kangaroo here too.

Overnight: Ouyen

The rare Mallee Emu-wren (it is considered Endangered by BirdLife International) can be found in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.

Day 6. Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, travel to Deniliquin, and Plains-wanderer night trip

We will have another morning birding in the wonderful Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, where we will continue to seek out the area’s specialties, maybe including White-winged Chough, Apostlebird, Chestnut Quail-thrush, and many more. As the morning progresses, we will head out of Victoria into neighboring New South Wales. We will likely stop at Lake Tutchewop along the way, which, depending on water levels, may hold the elegant Red-necked Avocet and the dapper Banded Stilt.

The fairywrens are sure to be one of the most-enjoyed birds of the trip, this is a Splendid Fairywren, one of several fairywren species likely on the tour.

We will have a long day today, because during the evening we will go out to search for the bizarre Plains-wanderer, the sole representative of an endemic Australian family, most closely related to the shorebirds (but its closest living relatives are thought to be the seedsnipes of South America!). Although this species is the star attraction of this site, we may also encounter other birds, such as Inland Dotterel, Banded Lapwing, Stubble Quail, Little Buttonquail, Eastern Barn Owl, or Australian Owlet-nightjar on this nocturnal foray.

Overnight: Deniliquin

Day 7. Transfer to Wangaratta via Gulpa Island

After a late night we allow ourselves to sleep in before continuing our journey to Wangaratta via Gulpa Island and various other sites in the Riverina bioregion. Targets on this more laid-back day include the vivid Superb Parrot, the elusive Gilbert’s Whistler, and the striking White-backed Swallow as we aim to arrive in Wangaratta in the midafternoon. We will start looking for some of the birds listed for Day 8 if time permits.

Overnight: Wangaratta

Day 8. Wangaratta to Healesville

We will spend the morning birding in the beautiful woodland around the Warby-Ovens National Park which protects what is arguably the best flora and fauna assemblage of box-ironbark forest and woodland in Australia and forms an important link between the foothills of the Australian Alps with the plains of the Murray River. The trees which define this habitat produce an abundance of nectar when flowering, attracting birds from far and wide. The sounds of birds can be almost deafening during these times! Targets attracted to these blooms include Little Lorikeet, Black-chinned Honeyeater, and Painted Honeyeater. Elsewhere in the forest we search for the rainbow-like Turquoise Parrot, the bark-peeling Eastern Shriketit, the ground-dwelling Speckled Warbler, and more. We may even come across the unusual Short-beaked Echidna here.

After lunch we continue our journey southward to the town of Healesville near the city of Melbourne for the night. Here we will have a chance for some evening spotlighting for birds such as Greater Sooty Owl and mammals, possibly possums and gliders.

Overnight: Healesville

Parrots are sure to continually impress during this tour, this is Turquoise Parrot.

Day 9. Birding near Melbourne and conclusion of the “Outback” part of the tour

We spend most of the day at Bunyip State Park, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) east of Melbourne, birding wet sclerophyll forest and swampy heathlands. Within these mossy forests we hope to find several of Australia’s most charismatic and emblematic birds. Superb Lyrebird, an unrivalled mimic and the world’s largest songbird, will be chief among our targets. The forest and heathland communities are also home to Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Pilotbird, Olive Whistler, Eastern Whipbird, Flame Robin, Rose Robin, Pink Robin, Red-browed Treecreeper, Australian Rufous Fantail, and more. It is sure to be a wonderful end to the birding on this part of the tour. We will continue back to Melbourne, thus completing our circuit of Victoria, where we will spend the night in an airport hotel ahead of an early flight the next day.

Overnight: Melbourne

Rose Robin is one of the five gorgeous Australasian Robin species we can see around Melbourne.

Day 10. Transfer from Melbourne to Brisbane and to Lamington National Park

After an early morning flight we arrive in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, to continue our tour. We first stop at a few mangrove sites near the airport itself, searching for the endemic Mangrove Honeyeater and Mangrove Gerygone. Nearby wetland sites often hold the elusive Spotless Crake, and we could obtain our first sightings of Comb-crested Jacana, Red-backed Fairywren, Torresian Kingfisher, and more while we search for them.

Afterwards we drive to the world-famous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat at Lamington National Park. A colorful and interesting suite of birds attends the lodge gardens here, including Crimson Rosella, Australian King Parrot, Regent Bowerbird, Satin Bowerbird, Australian Brushturkey, and Wonga Pigeon. These birds are unusually tame and provide excellent opportunities for photography and our time here is always a major tour highlight.

Overnight: Lamington National Park

Gorgeous Regent Bowerbirds are often present around our rooms!

The Lamington area will offer us our first chance at seeing a bird-of-paradise; this being a Paradise Riflebird.

Day 11. Full day birding Lamington National Park

Situated in the heart of Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat is well-known for its rainforest location, diverse wildlife, and interesting history. Using the lodge as our base we spend the full day exploring the verdant network of subtropical rainforest trails in search of several spectacular birds unique to the area. Albert’s Lyrebird, Australian Logrunner, and Noisy Pitta inhabit the forest understory, while birds in the mid-story and canopy include Paradise Riflebird, Topknot Pigeon, Black-faced Monarch, and Green Catbird. We will make a concerted effort to see all of these species during our stay as well as leaving time to enjoy the site’s good variety of mammals, a good number of which only come out at night.

Overnight: Lamington National Park

Day 12. Transfer from Brisbane to Cairns, birding the Cairns Esplanade

We will have a pre-breakfast birding walk into the forest near our accommodation once again, where we will keep searching for new and interesting species, maybe finding a cryptically plumaged Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrushes or the gorgeous and rather cute Rose Robin. After another sumptuous O’Reilly’s breakfast, we drive off the mountain and head back toward the city in time to make our flight farther north on our tour of the Australian east coast.

When we arrive in Cairns, depending on the tide time, we might make the short jaunt from our hotel to the Cairns Esplanade to enjoy its variety of shorebirds, from the hulking Far Eastern Curlew to the dainty Terek Sandpiper. We are sure to see plenty of Torresian Imperial Pigeons, Australasian Figbirds, and Metallic Starlings flying around near our accommodation.

Overnight: Cairns

A sighting of Beach Stone-curlew would be a highlight.

Day 13. Cairns birding and travel to Mission Beach

We will spend the morning birding at sites around Cairns, and may include visits to the Cairns Esplanade, Cairns Botanical Garden, and Cairns Centenary Lakes. We may also visit some sites a little further out of town, time permitting. A large list of species is possible featuring a wide range of birds. If the tidal situation is right, we can expect a lot of shorebirds, likely to include Great Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, and with luck, Beach Stone-curlew. In and around the trees along Cairns Esplanade, we may find Nankeen Night Heron, Bush Stone-curlew, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Varied Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeater, and Hornbill Friarbird. Forested areas here may hold Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Australian Brushturkey, Brush Cuckoo, and Grey Goshawk.

After lunch we will commence our journey south towards Mission Beach. We will likely make a stop at Etty Bay along the way. Our main target in this area is the humongous and rare Southern Cassowary, the largest bird in Australia by weight.

Overnight: Mission Beach

Day 14. Birding near Mission Beach, travel to Lake Eacham

We will spend some time in the morning looking for Southern Cassowary. There are often other great birds to be found around Mission Beach, and we will try to locate these during the morning before departing and heading up into the Atherton Tablelands. Some other birds we might find while looking for the ancient dinosaur-like bird, might include Australian Swiftlet, Fairy Gerygone, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch, Black Butcherbird, Green Oriole, and Dusky Myzomela.

Overnight: Deniliquin

The far-carrying call of Spotted Catbird will alert us to their presence.

By mid-morning it will be time to leave the coast behind. We will spend the course of the next two days visiting a variety of sites on the Atherton Tablelands, a fertile plateau hosting several habitats from high altitude rainforest to drier eucalypt woodland. Although we will keep our itinerary flexible, based on our growing trip list, we will likely spend time birding the cooler wet forest of Mount Hypipamee National Park, Lake Barrine, and the Curtain Fig Tree for species including Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Grey-headed Robin, Chowchilla, and more. We can, with some luck, also find Victoria’s Riflebird and Spotted Catbird in the gardens of our accommodation at Lake Eacham, a wonderful spot itself.

Nocturnal activity is also often exciting here, and we will be sure to spend some time looking for a range of possums, gliders, and more, as well as for the diurnal Musky Rat Kangaroo. Here we will also have a search for the bizarre Platypus and unusual (and rather rare) Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo.

Overnight: Lake Eacham

Day 15. Birding in the Atherton Tablelands

The early morning activity around our accommodation is usually a wonderful experience and we will look for, and listen to Spotted Catbird, Victoria’s Riflebird, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Australian Golden Whistler, Grey-headed Robin, Superb Fruit Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Macleay’s Honeyeater, Scarlet Myzomela, and Forest Kingfisher.

One of the other birds-of-paradise possible on this tour – Victoria’s Riflebird.

During the day we will visit the wetter higher elevations of the Atherton Tablelands, possibly trying to locate the shy Chowchilla and other targets like Atherton Scrubwren, Mountain Thornbill, Tooth-billed Bowerbird and Golden Bowerbird. We will also look for any wetland sites that might support Magpie Goose, Sarus Crane, Brolga, Wandering Whistling Duck, or Plumed Whistling Duck and potentially shorebirds and other waterfowl (depending on water levels here and in other parts of Australia).

In the afternoon we will make our way northward into the much drier part of the Atherton Tablelands, stopping at various sites, which may include Granite Gorge Nature Park and Mareeba town. There will be no shortage of potential targets, such as Australian Bustard, Squatter Pigeon, Red-winged Parrot, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Spotted Harrier, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Great Bowerbird, and Double-barred Finch. After a long day of birding, we will arrive at our accommodation.

Overnight: Mareeba

A bird of the dry country, we will be looking for Australian Bustard as we come off the Atherton Tablelands.

Day 16. Mareeba, Daintree River Cruise, and travel to Cairns

We will have a long day today. We will spend the early morning birding near to Mareeba and will make our way to the base of Mount Lewis. We will make a few stops along the way, for species such as Yellow-bellied Flyrobin and White-browed Robin. At the base of Mount Lewis, we will look for Lovely Fairywren, Superb Fruit Dove, Northern Fantail, and Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher.

In the afternoon we will start the journey down to the Daintree River, where we will have a late-afternoon boat cruise. By scanning the sandy banks and lush riverside vegetation from the comfort of our boat we will keep a sharp eye out for the bulky Great-billed Heron, family groups of Shining Flycatcher, the cryptically camouflaged Papuan Frogmouth, and flocks of the diminutive Double-eyed Fig Parrot – maybe even the rare Little Kingfisher.

We will stop for some dinner on our way back to Cairns, where we will arrive in the early evening and head to bed after what will have been a long and tiring, but bird-filled day.

Overnight: Cairns

One of the toughest kingfishers to find in Australia, we will hope to find the Little Kingfisher while on a boat trip on the Daintree River.

Day 17. Great Barrier Reef trip

We will spend the final full day of the tour on an enjoyable and relaxing boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is an ecosystem of many superlatives that no words can do justice. After an early breakfast we board a boat that will take us out to experience this incredible reef system. Our first stop is Michaelmas Cay, a tiny islet that hosts an impressive number of nesting seabirds. Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, and Greater Crested Tern dominate, but Lesser Crested Tern, Black Noddy, and Black-naped Tern are also possible. Brown Booby and occasionally Red-footed Booby can be seen perched on man-made structures, while marauding Great and Lesser Frigatebirds often soar overhead. We will spend some time here enjoying the spectacle. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we should be able to land on the cay to get close-up views of these seabirds. There is also the likelihood of snorkeling here, but for this part of our reef trip the focus is really on the birds, though we will also keep our eyes peeled for dolphins and sea turtles.

The birds around Michaelmas Cay are outstanding, but the underwater life is just as mesmerizing. It’s well worth jumping in, with a great chance of finding a Green Turtle amongst a myriad of kaleidoscopic tropical fish.

After lunch the boat usually moves across to Hastings Reef, where there will be an option to snorkel, scuba dive, or take a glass bottom boat tour, all three options giving a wonderful opportunity to observe the plethora of shockingly colorful life below the surface. When we return to shore in the middle of the afternoon we will amble back to our hotel, looking for any birds along the Cairns Esplanade as we go (tide dependent).

Overnight: Cairns

Day 18. Transfer to Cairns Airport, tour concludes

Non-birding day with your departure from Cairns Airport.

Overnight: Not included

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.

Eastern Australia: From the Outback to the Wet Tropics Trip Report, October 2024

29 OCTOBER – 15 NOVEMBER 2024

By Chris Lotz

Overview

This year’s eastern Australia birding tour was, as always, an epic success. Traversing large parts of Victoria and Queensland, with a short foray into New South Wales, we accumulated a bird list of 378 bird species, 28 mammals, 16 reptiles, many beautiful butterflies and stacks of fascinating plants.

One of two Pink Cockatoos that foraged on the ground right next to us.

 

Australia is immense, and covering a large portion of the eastern states is tough to do in 18 days, nevertheless, we managed to see some of the most iconic birds and mammals that Australia has to offer. These included both lyrebird species, which we enjoyed seeing and hearing well (they are incredible mimics, and the Albert’s Lyrebird barked like a dog, amongst other things); Plains-wanderer; Southern Cassowaries (including a large chick) walking on the beach; seven fairy-wren species including Lovely, Variegated, Red-backed and Splendid Fairywrens; two emuwren species; Striated Grassbird; Malleefowl; Australian Bustard;27 different parrots including nine cockatoos; 41 honeyeater species; 13 Australasian robins including dazzling ones in the form of Rose Robin, Flame Robin, Scarlet Robin and Red-capped Robin; two frogmouth species at their daytime roosts; Australian Owlet-nightjar, owls including an impressive pair of Powerful Owls at their daytime roost; several bowerbirds including the spectacular Regent Bowerbird; both crane species; a good number of kingfishers including both kookaburras and the extravagantly-plumaged Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher; and many others. Do refer to the bird list at the end of this report, as the highlights are far too numerous to list fully here.

Mammals were amazing, and we enjoyed seeing Koala, Platypus, Common Wombat, many macropods (kangaroo types) ranging in size from the massive Red Kangaroo through to the diminutive Musky Rat Kangaroo (with everything in between, such as wallabies and pademelons), and others. Please do refer to the mammal list – and also the reptile list – at the end of this report for the specifics.

Platypus, an egg-laying weirdo mammal!

 

All in all, this Australia birding tour encompassed varied landscapes, taking us past the cool southern heathlands, beautiful beaches, the Outback, and the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland. As always, this was a great tour for seeing a large variety of Australia’s unique birds and other fauna and flora, and scenery.

Detailed Report

 

Day 1, 29^th October 2024. Arrival in Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne today and the tour officially started with a 6 pm dinner at the hotel restaurant, where we planned for the exciting days ahead.

 

Day 2, 30^th October 2024. Birding Melbourne to Healesville

The first day of any birding tour is generally very rewarding, with almost all birds being new and stacks of life-birds coming in for everyone. Australia is so full of brightly colored birds, such as a host of parrots, many of which we saw today. We first had to drive through Melbourne, a very interesting experience, providing great views of the downtown area and suburbs. Our first birding stop was within the suburbs of Melbourne: our main aim was to admire a Tawny Frogmouth roosting with its two chicks. This is a truly bizarre nocturnal bird, and it is always good to find a daytime roost. At this same site, we also enjoyed great views of beautiful Rainbow Lorikeets, Musk Lorikeets, Red Wattlebird, Pied Currawong, Grey Butcherbird, Little Raven, Noisy Miner, Magpie-lark and other common Australian birds.

We then headed to Shepherd’s Bush, where we added some more spectacular parrots, including Eastern Rosella and our first of many Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. A Common Bronzewing gave good views, and we scoped some Sacred Kingfishers. An Eastern Yellow Robin showed very well while singing monotonously. We saw our first Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and spectacularly colored Superb Fairywrens. These dazzling fairywrens are super-confiding, and so common in this part of Australia.

While driving to lunch, we saw our first Galahs, yet another awesome parrot and nicely abundant across Australia; pink birds are always good to have around. Over a tasty lunch, we were treated to views of a couple of good raptors: the spectacular Wedge-tailed Eagle (which we saw better at our next stop, though) and a Brown Goshawk.

After lunch, our first birding stop was at Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Here, the world’s tallest flowering trees, Mountain Ashes, tower far above beautiful tree ferns closer to the forest floor. Our main target here was Superb Lyrebird, which we saw extremely well, including one adult male with its extravagantly spectacular tail feathers. Equally impressive is the lyrebird’s song; it imitates many other birds very accurately, between bursts of its own song. The supporting cast here included a singing Rose Robin (seemingly an immature male, and we had to wait until we got to Queensland before we saw a “proper” dazzling male), some Australian King Parrots and many Crimson Rosellas (both magnificently colorful parrots), Laughing Kookaburra, Eastern Spinebill, a close-up, intricately-marked Spotted Pardalote, an Eastern Whipbird that showed very well, White-browed Scrubwren, our first of many Brown Thornbills, Grey Shrikethrush and others. What a session!

Luckily we saw a proper male Rose Robin later in the tour (this photo is from a previous year)

 

We then drove to Lillydale Lake, another productive site that gave us further new birds for the trip. These included various waterbirds like Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Dusky Moorhen, Australasian Swamphen, Australasian Grebe, Australasian Darter, Australian Reed Warbler, etc. Our first Crested Pigeon showed well: what a stunning bird, another common but beautiful Australian species. A Shining Bronze Cuckoo also gave us great looks.

As we drove to our pleasantly located accommodation, we saw a few Yellow-faced Spoonbills from the car (we’d see them better later in the tour). After checking in we spent an hour regrouping, before a delicious meal.

We ended the day with a night walk. Here, we saw some truly amazing mammals in the form of Southern Greater Glider, Sugar Glider,and a Common Wombat! We heard Australian Boobook, Greater Sooty Owl, and Tawny Frogmouth.

 

Day 3, 31^st October 2024. Healesville to Geelong via the Werribee Western Treatment Plant

We started the day getting some great views of several bird species at the lodge. These included Laughing Kookaburra with its raucous laughing call, Eastern Spinebill, Striated Thornbill, and others.

We then headed to Mt St Leonard, part of the Yarra Ranges National Park. The misty conditions were very atmospheric. As we got out of the minibus, we immediately laid eyes on a gorgeous pair of Flame Robins on the road. An Eastern Yellow Robin showed more fleetingly. A couple of people in the group saw a Bassian Thrush. We got alright views of a Pilotbird, and good views of a couple of White-throated Treecreepers. A group of Large-billed Scrubwrens and a White-browed Scrubwren put in appearances. We saw Pied Currawong again and also found our first Grey Currawong of the trip. A couple of Crescent Honeyeaters were great to see.

After a delicious bakery lunch, we headed back through the city of Melbourne, to the famous (among birders) Werribee Western Treatment Plant. Here, we saw 78 bird species in just under four hours. At the entrance, we scoped a beautiful Brown Falcon.Next, we found 15 Cape Barren Geese (a localized species named after Cape Barren Island in the Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania) and a stack of beautiful Australian Shelducks. We were delighted to see a few of the bizarre-looking Pink-eared Ducks among a lot of Chestnut and Grey Teals. Blue-billed Teals, Hardheads, Musk Ducks, and several other wildfowl species. Excitingly, we then encountered a couple of Australian Crakes and Black-tailed Nativehens. Two Brolgas showed well; cranes are always great to see! Shorebirds were much in evidence, with a lot of Pied Stilts and one Banded Stilt, many Red-necked Avocets, a couple of Pacific Golden Plovers, some Black-fronted and Red-kneed Dotterels, many Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, a Pectoral Sandpiper (a rarity from America!), Black-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank, many Red-necked Stints,and a few Curlew Sandpipers. A mixed flock of Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills showed well.

There were countless Black Swans, Hoary-headed Grebes and graceful Whiskered Terns, with smaller numbers of Greater Crested Terns and two Caspian Terns, plus a handful of Great Crested Grebes. An Australasian Gannet flew by offshore. There were a few Little Pied, Little Black,and Great Cormorants, and Australian Pelicans were everywhere. Swamp Harriers were also all over the place, as well as smaller numbers of Black Kites and one Whistling Kite.

Terrestrial birds were also around, including a lot of beautiful Superb Fairywrens and a single Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. There were a lot of White-fronted Chats, a couple of Yellow-rumped Thornbills, an Australian Pipit and a few Eurasian Skylarks singing and displaying high in the sky above us. A Little Grassbird was also seen. We got great views of Welcome Swallows, many Fairy Martins,and a single Tree Martin. A few Australian Zebra Finches sat along a fence.

 

Day 4, 1^st November 2024. Geelong to central Victoria via the Surf Coast                                         

This morning, we headed first for Point Roadknight along the Great Ocean Road. Our main target here was the striking Hooded Plover (Dotterel) along the beach and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed seeing a few Australasian Gannets, Shy Albatrosses and the spectacular sight of thousands upon thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters on migration! We found a Black-faced Cormorant on a rock. There were many Red Wattlebirds around, and we even found an Afro-Australian Fur Seal. Just as we were leaving, we found one of the top birds of the day, Gang-gang Cockatoo, a really strange, beautiful parrot. We are thankful to the kind homeowner who saw us looking at them and invited us into her yard to see them even closer up.

We then headed to Googoorah Park, where the highlights were some Blue-winged Parrots and a couple of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flying slowly and gracefully over us, very atmospheric. We also got solid views of a Striated Pardalote and some other species we’d already seen, including the ever-present (in south-eastern Australia) Superb Fairywren.

Anglesea Heath was next on our agenda. A spectacular-looking Scarlet Robin wowed us. We saw our first White-eared Honeyeaters here and also found some Southern Emu-wrens; unfortunately the views of these were quite fleeting. Buff-rumped Thornbills did, however, show well, and we also saw a Forest Raven.

We then went to Distillery Creek Picnic Area in the Great Otway National Park. White-naped and White-eared Honeyeaters as well as White-throated Treecreepers showed well here. A Satin Flycatcher and some Red-browed Finches also gave good views.

Our final coastal birding stop before turning inland and crossing the Great Dividing Range was Split Point. Here we saw a great many more migrating Short-tailed Shearwaters, our first Singing Honeyeaters, and awesome views of Rufous Bristlebird.

 

Day 5, 2^nd November 2024. Central to northern Victoria                                            

Today we enjoyed some extremely productive birding in central Victoria, before heading to Mildura on the Murray River, which forms the boundary with New South Wales. We started the morning at the Inglewood Nature Conservation Reserve where we managed to get close views of a Painted Buttonquail. We also saw a pair of dazzlingly beautiful Red-capped Robins.There were also many other new birds for the trip here: Shy Heathwren, Yellow Thornbill, Inland Thornbill, Weebill, Western Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Brush Bronzewing, many Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, a White-fronted Honeyeater, a few White-headed Honeyeaters, and a few Brown-headed Honeyeaters, plus a rather fleeting Tawny-crowned Honeyeater that sadly didn’t show well.

Our next stop was at Mount Korong Nature Conservation Reserve, which was just as productive as our previous stop. Two of the star birds here were Painted Honeyeaters and Diamond Firetails, both of which showed extremely nicely and are beautiful birds. Also new for the trip was a flock of Long-billed Corellas, some Red-rumped Parrots, a couple of Brown Treecreepers, a lot of White-plumed Honeyeaters, and a Hooded Robin.

We then visited Lake Tyrrell Wildlife Reserve. A real delight here was getting great views of our second (of seven) fairywren species for the tour, Purple-backed Fairywren. We also saw a Rufous Fieldwren a couple of times as it sang from atop low bushes. Black-faced Woodswallows provided good views.

Our final stop of the day before heading to our accommodation to check in was in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, which protects some pristine mallee vegetation. Here, the star bird was the Vulnerable (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) Malleefowl, which we saw very well. We also thoroughly enjoyed seeing a lot of Red Kangaroos and Western Grey Kangaroos.

 

Day 6, 3^rd November 2024. Birding Hattah-Kulkyne National Park           

We spent the entire day birding the superb mallee habitat that this park protects. We had quite a few tough target birds, but we did very well in connecting with them. One of the first birds we saw this morning was a pair of localized Mallee Emu-wrens. Soon afterwards, we managed to see the truly dazzlingly blue Splendid Fairywren. Striated Grasswren co-operated alright, and we had prolonged views of this mustached skulker. Chestnut Quail-thrush was less co-operative, but we did see one a couple of times (just too briefly and a bit far away). Southern Scrub Robin and another pair of Red-capped Robins showed very nicely though.We enjoyed seeing a pair of scarce Little Eagles at one point, there were stacks of beautiful Rainbow Bee-eaters around the whole day and a Striped Honeyeater was new for the trip. Over 100 Masked Woodswallows and a couple of White-browed Woodswallows flew around overhead.

During lunch, we saw our first Little Corellas. Talking of parrots, we saw a few Regent Parrots, one of which flew over us. There were also some Mulga Parrots, Australian Ringnecks,and Eastern Bluebonnets around too.

After lunch, we enjoyed some really entertaining and friendly Apostlebirds and there were Grey Butcherbirds and White-winged Choughs around as well. Australian Ravens called and showed their throat hackles, proving their identity and differentiating them from the very similar Little Ravens we’d seen on previous days. A Grey Currawong (the black-winged form) showed briefly at one point.

Mixed flocks proved great for Yellow Thornbill, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, the remarkably musical Western Gerygone, Gilbert’s Whistler, Weebill and various others such as some honeyeater species we’d already seen previously. A Jacky Winter showed quite well. White-browed and Chestnut-crowned Babblers were both also seen, although a bit too briefly.

Mammal-wise, we enjoyed seeing more Red and Western Grey Kangaroos today. Reptiles, including the cute, strange Shingleback Lizard, showed a couple of times, as did Sand Goannas and a Mallee Dragon. We found a dead Dark-spined Blind Snake as well.

Shingleback (Stumpy-tailed) Lizard.

 

Day 7, 4^th November 2024. Plains-wanderer and other remarkable birds in New South Wales

We started the day trying to locate Pink Cockatoos in and around Ouyen and were initially rewarded with a pair that flew over us, then later by an immensely co-operative pair that sat feeding on the ground close to us! We also got great views of some Mulga Parrots.

We then headed towards our next destination, finding our first Blue-faced Honeyeaters along the way. Further along, we stopped at Lake Tutchewop, where one of the best birds was the luminously colorful White-winged Fairywren. We also saw good numbers of White-fronted Chats. Further along on our drive, we saw a magnificent White-bellied Sea Eagle (very far from the sea!).

After crossing the Murray River into New South Wales, we eventually reached Deniliquin, where we collected a picnic dinner for later, before embarking on an incredibly exciting birding evening (indeed, one of the most exciting birding sessions of the entire tour). We stopped along the way, before dark, for various birds, some of them new for the trip. One of the highlights was an Australian Owlet-nightjar at its nest box. We also saw a Nankeen Night Heron in flight (but had to wait until near the end of the trip to see this species properly). A couple of Banded Lapwings were one of the top birds of this evening’s session. We also saw stacks of Emus. Just before dark, while we were enjoying our picnic dinner, we saw an Australian Hobby and, very briefly, a Black Falcon. An Australian Boobook was more co-operative. At the start of our night drive proper, we managed to find two male Plains-wanderers and one larger, more brightly-colored and nicely patterned female (see comparative photos below), and this was the main reason for our nighttime birding excursion. We then managed to find Stubble Quails (two females and then a well-marked male). Singing Bush Larks, Brown Songlarks, and many Australian Pipits were also around.

Mammal-wise, today was also awesome, with good views of some Fat-tailed Dunnarts and Common Brush-tailed Possums, among a great many kangaroos (species we’d already seen). A Byrne’s (Gibber) Gecko also showed well.

The larger, brighter, female Plains-wanderer we saw tonight.

 

Mammal-wise, today was also awesome, with good views of some Fat-tailed Dunnarts and Common Brush-tailed Possums, among a great many kangaroos (species we’d already seen). A Byrne’s (Gibber) Gecko also showed well.

One of the two male Plains-wanderers we saw tonight.

 

Day 8, 5^th November 2024. Deniliquin to Wangaratta                                   

We started the day at the Island Sanctuary, a great birding venue right near our hotel. This was one of the most productive birding walks of the tour! We saw ten parrot species, including our main target, Superb Parrot, and surprisingly excellent views of a pair of Little Lorikeets. One other major parrot highlight was many of the yellow form of Crimson Rosella (not a good name for this form!). We also saw our first friarbirds, Little Friarbird,and Noisy Friarbird, in quick succession. We ended the wonderful birding session here with good views of Eastern Shriketit foraging on bark at eye level.

 

We then went to the Waring Gardens, also right in Deniliquin, and saw roosting Grey-headed Flying Foxes, impressively large bats. En route to Wangaratta, we saw a pair of Brolgas right next to the road. At our lunch stop on the banks of the Murray River at Tocumwal, just before we re-entered the state of Victoria, was Blue-faced Honeyeater (better views of this colorful honeyeater than before).

We reached the Warby-Ovens National Park in the middle of the afternoon, in good time for some solid birding. Turquoise Parrot was one of our main targets and we saw a brightly colored male fly off the road and some tour participants got good views (we managed to find another male later, which gave everyone in the group a decent view.) We also found a couple of other new birds in the form of the rather drab Fuscous Honeyeater, a White-throated Gerygone, and (briefly) a Restless Flycatcher.

After a very tasty dinner, we went on a night walk and were very pleased to see and hear Barking Owl very nicely, along with great mammals: Squirrel Glider, Eastern Ring-tailed Possums (including one with a baby on its back!), and a Common Brush-tailed Possum.

 

Day 9, 6^th November 2024. Morning birding and then back to Melbourne                                  

After breakfast, we watched a Pacific Koel being mobbed by some Noisy Friarbirds. We then spent a couple of hours birding in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park. Here, we had brief views of a couple of Turquoise Parrots again, and saw a lot of Fuscous Honeyeaters, a couple of Satin Bowerbirds, a Speckled Warbler showing very well, several Olive-backed Orioles, and a beautiful male Mistletoebird.

Down the road, we found a new trip bird in the form of White-winged Triller, but the highlight of the day was finding three Koalas (one of them a baby)! What a morning!

After a particularly good lunch, we drove back to Melbourne to overnight before our morning flight to Brisbane the following day.

 

Day 10, 7^th November 2024. Melbourne to Brisbane flight and transfer to Lamington National Park

We took a morning flight to Brisbane in southern coastal Queensland. Soon after arriving in Brisbane, we headed for the mangroves at Nudgee Beach. Here we found Mangrove Gerygone, Mangrove Honeyeater, and Torresian Crow, among other bird species we’d seen earlier in the trip.

We then headed into the hills towards the famous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Lodge, making some productive stops along the way. Our first stop was at Kumbartcho Sanctuary, where we loved seeing two very impressive and beautiful Powerful Owls, a roosting Tawny Frogmouth, a very tame Australian Brushturkey, Lewin’s Honeyeaters, etc.

After an excellent lunch, we continued further, stopping at a site for Grey-headed and Black Flying Foxes roosting together, some also flying around and a couple of them carrying babies. An Eastern Water Dragon showed well. We also saw a couple of Whip-tailed (Pretty-faced) Wallabies as we ascended.

The striking face pattern of the Eastern Water Dragon is seen well in this photo.

 

We eventually reached Lamington National Park, specifically O’Reilly’s, the famous birding lodge in the middle of the rainforest. We immediately found some spectacular birds like Regent Bowerbird, Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosellas, a Wonga Pigeon and many others. Soon after arriving, we headed for dinner, much anticipating the next morning.

A couple of the group joined the glowworm experience, and also saw a Carpet Python during this. Eastern Water Skink was also around the lodge.

Regent Bowerbird is always a showy treat at O’Reilly’s! (This photo is from last year’s tour).

 

Day 11, 8^th November 2024. Full day birding around O’Reilly’s Rainforest Lodge

O’Reilly’s is justly famous, and it lived up to its reputation today. During the morning sessions before and after our buffet breakfast, we racked up a long bird list of forest specials. Paradise Riflebirds (which are birds of paradise) “sang” from the treetops and sometimes gave quite good views. A couple of the tour participants saw a male performing its display. Green Catbirds also showed quite well at times. We were amused by the constant yowling of these birds; it sounded like there were cats in the tops of trees throughout the day. Eastern Whipbirds show extremely well around O’Reilly’s and this was also another bird that was hilarious to hear with its whip-like song; this is a characteristic sound of the forest here, just like the catbirds’. We also heard what sounded exactly like a dog barking…but we knew there were no dogs anywhere near the lodge. It turned out to be an Albert’s Lyrebird mimicking a dog and throwing in its own, and other bird sounds, at times. We got great views of the lyrebird after a bit of patience, it was excellent to be able to compare this bird with the Superb Lyrebird we’d seen earlier in the tour. The lodge area hosts a number of great-looking pigeons and we enjoyed seeing really close-up Wonga Pigeons as well as nicely-marked White-headed and strange Topknot Pigeons. We also saw a couple of Brown Cuckoo-Doves. Australian Brushturkeys were all over the place, and as tame as anything. Gorgeous Crimson Rosellas and Australian King Parrots sat on top of peoples’ heads (yes, really!). The logo bird of O’Reilly’s, and one of the beautiful bird species the lodge is famous for, is the Regent Bowerbird and, as usual, several showed magnificently. There were also a good number of Satin Bowerbirds around and we particularly enjoyed seeing a male at a bower. The trails around the lodge had lots of tame and close-up Australian Logrunners, Yellow-throated Scrubwrens, Large-billed Scrubwrens, White-browed Scrubwrens and Eastern Yellow Robins. There were many Australian Rufous Fantails, including one sitting on a nest. We also saw a few beautiful Black-faced Monarchs.

After lunch and a bit of a break, our afternoon session also proved good, although there were not many birds we could still add to our list because we’d already seen so much. We did find a Spectacled Monarch and we had fairly good views (albeit high up in a tree) of a male Rose Robin, another stunning bird! A pair of Noisy Pittas worked us hard: we saw them but not so well.

Mammal-wise, we saw two tiny kangaroo types today, Red-necked and Red-legged Pademelons. Karin and Teresa saw an Eastern Ringtail Possum well when walking back to their room. Reptile-wise, a Southern Angle-headed Dragon showed well. We also saw a scarce, very beautiful butterfly, Richmond Birdwing.

An Australian King Parrot on Bill’s head!

 

Day 12, 9^th November 2024. Brisbane area birding and flight to Cairns

Our final early morning birding session in Lamington National Park was great, with displaying Paradise Riflebirds being the major highlight. We also saw a male Rose Robin again, in particularly good light. A Red-legged Pademelon showed well.

As we descended back towards Brisbane we stopped to look for Bell Miners that were vocalizing, but could not see any (we were a bit short of time). The consolation prize was, however, a few rare, and absolutely beautiful Glossy Black Cockatoos feeding in casuarina trees right next to the road where we stopped to try for the Bell Miners. We also saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos again on the drive down the mountain. At one point, a Red-bellied Black Snake crossed the road in front of us and, of course, we stopped for a good look.

We eventually got back to the Brisbane area where we had a bit more than an hour to bird the Sandy Camp Road Wetlands. We were greeted by a Buff-banded Rail! Our main targets were two new species of fairywren, both of which we saw very well (including the spectacularly colorful males): the Red-backed Fairywren and the localized Variegated Fairywren. We also briefly saw (but heard nicely), Tawny Grassbird (we’d see it very well later though) and various other species.

We then took a flight to Cairns. After checking in at our hotel, we had about an hour for birding before dinner, and we explored the lively and atmospheric Cairns Esplanade – the southern part. Here, we added good numbers of new birds to our burgeoning bird list. Omnipresent Torresian Imperial Pigeons showed very well. A few Varied Honeyeaters put in appearances and sang nicely for us. Nankeen Night Herons, a couple of Double-eyed Fig Parrots and stacks of Rainbow Lorikeets were also around. As it started getting dark, several Bush Stone-curlews emerged, and an Orange-footed Scrubfowl flew up into its roost tree. A Pacific Reef Heron flew past us. Upon returning to the hotel, we found a Tropical House Gecko.

 

Day 13, 10^th November 2024. Cairns to Mission Beach

We started the day with a superb breakfast on the Cairns Esplanade. The tide was perfect for shorebirds, many of which were nicely visible from our café. After breakfast, we enjoyed an awesome walk along the beach, northwards along the esplanade to some mangroves. During this walk, we scoped lots of shorebird species including Terek Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit,many Great Knots,some Grey-tailed Tattlers, a couple of Eurasian Whimbrels,and a good number of Far Eastern Curlews. The highlight, however, was a really close-up Beach Stone-Curlew catching and eating a crab; this is a really impressive bird! There were also several plover species around including Siberian Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Red-capped Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, and Black-fronted Dotterel. A Caspian Tern, a Lesser Crested Tern,and many Common and Australian Terns also showed well.

We also saw three ridiculously close-up Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, a pair of Torresian Kingfishers, a couple of Hornbill Friarbirds, and some Bar-shouldered and Peaceful Doves. Many Australian Swiftlets winged low over an open field. A Mangrove Robin sat quietly in the mangroves and an Australian Brushturkey strutted proudly across an adjacent open field.

We then drove to the nearby Centenary Lakes. Here we found an immature Red-necked Crake, an Orange-footed Scrubfowl, a few Magpie Geese, a Black Butcherbird, and a pair of stunning Sahul Sunbirds at a nest.

Reptile-wise, we saw a Lace Monitor, initially on the ground before it climbed a tree, moving to the far side of the trunk to try and hide from us. There were also many butterflies around, including the huge and gorgeous Cairns Birdwing and the beautiful bright blue Ulysses Butterfly.

Next on the birding menu was the France Road Turf Farm, which was amazing! We got nice views of a couple of Australian Pratincoles, a Little Curlew, a couple of flocks of Plumed Whistling Ducks, a number of Australian Pipits, and various other species.

We then headed southwards to Etty Bay, stopping to admire Metallic Starlings with their impressively shiny plumages and red eyes. After some patience at Etty Bay itself, we eventually found our big target for the afternoon, Southern Cassowary, an adult with a chick! It was spectacular seeing this giant prehistoric-looking flightless bird with its brightly colored head walking on the beach, with its very different-looking youngster always close. What an incredible experience. We also briefly saw some other nice birds here, including Forest Kingfisher and Scaly-breasted Munia.

We finally headed to Mission Beach where we were to spend the night. As we approached, we saw a few Agile Wallabies, including some carrying joeys in their pouches.

Day 14, 11^th November 2024. Mission Beach to Lake Eacham (Crater Lakes National Park)

After breakfast, we headed to the Henrietta Creek Campground in the Wooroonooran National Park. This was immensely productive, allowing us to see a plethora of new species for the trip in a short space of time. A pair of Barred Cuckooshrikes and a beautiful Grey Goshawk sat in the same tree, until the goshawk flew out and gave us a great flight view. Four new honeyeater species for the trip came in the forms of Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Cryptic Honeyeater, Dusky Myzomela (Honeyeater) and Macleay’s Honeyeater. A female Victoria’s Riflebird also sipped nectar like a large honeyeater, affording excellent views. A Grey Whistler and a White-eared Monarch cooperated well. Mammal-wise, we saw a Musky Rat Kangaroo.

Our next stop en route to Crater Lakes National Park was equally productive. We added more birds to our list: Bridled Honeyeater, Brown Gerygone, Fairy Gerygone, Varied Triller (briefly), Sahul Cicadabird, Grey-headed Robin (briefly), Yellow-breasted Boatbill and, last but not least, a pair of beautiful Pied Monarchs.

As we traveled further, we stopped for a pair of Sarus Cranes next to the road. Awesome. We eventually reached the park, where Lake Eacham provided great scenery and brilliant birds. The main target here was Tooth-billed Bowerbird, which we saw and heard very well. A pair of Superb Fruit Doves co-operated less well as they were only seen by some of the group. We did get close views of our first Pale Yellow Robin.

Peterson Creek in Yungaburra was the final place we visited today. The main target here was Platypus, which we saw very well after a lot of patience. A couple of Eastern Saw-shelled Turtles pretended to be platypuses as we waited! Hundreds of Spectacled Flying Foxes, a Green Ring-tailed Possum, Coppery Brush-tailed Possum and Red-legged Pademelon were also on show. Bird-wise, we saw some goodies here, the new trip birds being Rufous Shrikethrush bathing, and a close-up, beautiful Azure Kingfisher.

 

Day 15, 12^th November 2024. Crater Lakes National Park to Mareeba

We started the day with some exciting birding around our lodge next to Lake Eacham. Beautiful Spotted Catbirds and Victoria’s Riflebirds showed extremely well. Rose-crowned Fruit Doves called constantly from the treetops but were difficult to see. Rufous Shrikethrushes and a good number of other bird species we’d already seen before, were around. Another Musky Rat Kangaroo showed quite well.

An outside breakfast at The Gillies Café and Bar was great for birding. Channel-billed Cuckoo and Pacific Koel both showed well as we enjoyed our breakfasts, but the best birds were Double-eyed Fig Parrots,which wefinally had good views of, after them giving us the run around over the last couple of days.

The picnic area at Mount Hypipamee National Park was the next stop. We heard a Wompoo Fruit Dove here but could not see it. We did see a juvenile male Golden Bowerbird at its bower. A gorgeous Scarlet Myzomela showed quite well albeit a bit distantly (high in a tall tree!). Atherton Scrubwren and Mountain Thornbill were two localized “LBJs” (Little Brown Jobs) we found nicely. Bower’s Shrikethrush and Grey-headed Robin also cooperated well.

Hasties Swamp National Park gave an impressive spectacle with its huge numbers of birds, such as Magpie Geese and other waterbirds. Wandering and Plumed Whistling Ducks were around and we managed to scope a Buff-banded Rail lurking around. We also scoped three attractive Latham’s Snipes. Some spectacularly plumaged Red-backed Fairywrens were close-up, as were a couple of unusually showy Tawny Grassbirds.

Continuing our journey, a couple of Oriental Dollarbirds and Forest Kingfishers sat on powerlines as we drove past. We also stopped along the road to look at a Yellow-faced Whipsnake.

We eventually arrived in Mareeba (where we would spend the night), had lunch and then checked into our hotel during the less productive heat of the day. At a nearby birding site, we enjoyed seeing some Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Noisy and Hornbill Friarbirds, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, a couple of Yellow Honeyeaters and a Lemon-bellied Flyrobin.  Unfortunately, we were unable to lay eyes on a singing (but hiding) White-browed Robin.

We ended another good day at The Granite Gorge Nature Park. Mammals were good here, with Agile Wallabies and a close-up Mareeba Rock Wallaby carrying a joey. We also saw some truly fantastic birds here, like a Great Bowerbird at its bower, a few Squatter Pigeons, and three Pale-headed Rosellas feeding on the ground. A majestic pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles flew overhead. A Blue-faced Honeyeater showed very well in the sunlight.

 

Day 16, 13^th November 2024. Mareeba to Daintree River for boat cruise via several birding sites, transfer back to Cairns

This was a long but spectacular day. We started with some birding at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds, where we found many great birds. Highlights were Black-throated Finches, Double-barred Finches, Grey-crowned Babblers, several Squatter Pigeons, a few Pale-headed Rosellas, and Yellow Honeyeaters.

We then returned to our White-browed Robin site but again only heard it. We did see our first Brown-backed Honeyeaters and several other good birds, including another spectacular male Red-backed Fairywren.

Our next stop was, excitingly, for Australian Bustard, which we found after a bit of searching. A Wedge-tailed Eagle and some Whistling Kites flew overhead. A couple of Blue-winged Kookaburras showed nicely, as did some Red-winged Parrots. We got super views of another Great Bowerbird at its bower. A couple of Banded Honeyeaters showed fleetingly (but we caught up with this bird properly at our next stop, getting fabulous views).

Abattoir Swamp was the next place we visited, and we saw our main target here, Lovely Fairywren. Other good birds at this site included Northern Fantail, Leaden Flycatcher, Red-browed Finch, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Banded Honeyeater showing far better than before, and Scarlet Myzomela (Honeyeater). We then went to a nearby (secret) site where we found Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher; what a bird! And our next site generated a close-up roosting Papuan Frogmouth, some Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, Pale-yellow Robin and a close-up Platypus!

We then headed for Daintree Village from where we did a relaxing but rewarding boat cruise for the rest of the afternoon. A few Radjah Shelducks, a Channel-billed Cuckoo, several male and female (both very attractive but so different) Shining Flycatchers (including a rufous female on a nest), a close-up Azure Kingfisher (what a beaut!), a couple of Common Sandpipers, several Striated Herons, a Black Bittern (awesome!), a fantastic Brahminy Kite, some Large-billed Gerygones, and a Varied Triller all put in appearances. Right at the end of the cruise, a Great-billed Heron showed well. During this cruise, we also enjoyed seeing a humongous (13 foot, or four meters!) Saltwater Crocodile and a Common Tree Snake.

The end of a great day on the Daintree River.

 

Day 17, 14^th November 2024. Great Barrier Reef

Today we took a boat to Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef. Some of us did some wonderful snorkeling here at the Great Barrier Reef. Birding was good, especially around the tiny island of Michaelmas Cay. We saw hundreds of Brown Noddies, many Lesser Crested Terns, smaller numbers of Greater Crested Terns, sleek-looking Black-naped Terns, diminutive Little Terns, elegant Bridled and Sooty Terns, and some Common Terns. There were a lot of breeding Brown Boobies and a handful of Red-footed Boobies. Three Great Frigatebirds hung around. A few Ruddy Turnstones were present. A Green Sea Turtle was a welcome sight, but provided only fleeting views.

After our return to Cairns, we had our last dinner together before saying our goodbyes, always a tough part of the tour.

Brown Noddies at Michaelmas Cay, a tiny part of the humongous Great Barrier Reef.

 

In the afternoon, we had a final couple of rainforest patches to check, and we were successful in finding a pair of Papuan Frogmouths and then the spectacular Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, the latter a fresh arrival from New Guinea and staking a claim to his summer breeding territory.

The final birding of the day was on the Daintree River, where we enjoyed a dusk boat cruise, adding several new species for the tour, and improving views and photos of others, including Spotted Whistling Duck, Radjah Shelduck, Papuan Frogmouth, Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Azure Kingfisher, Brahminy Kite, Pacific Koel, Green Oriole, Shining Flycatcher, Wompoo Fruit Dove (on a nest), and plenty more. Additional highlights included Green Tree Snake and Saltwater Crocodile sightings.

After enjoying our Daintree River boat trip, we drove back to Cairns for the final night of the tour. During our drive back to Cairns we discussed possible “bird of the trip” candidates, and it was very hard to pick a top bird given all the high-quality birds we’d seen over the previous weeks. Some of the favorites included (in no particular order!); Pink Cockatoo, Red-backed Fairywren, Southern Cassowary, Plains-wanderer, Golden Bowerbird, and Red-chested Buttonquail.

 

Day 18, 15^th November 2024. Flights homeward

This was a travel day with everyone leaving Cairns at different times.

 

Bird List – Following IOC August 2024 (version 14.2)

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen. Australian endemics are marked as such. The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near-threatened.

Common Name	Scientific Name
Cassowaries, Emu (Casuariidae)
Southern Cassowary	Casuarius casuarius
Emu (Endemic)	Dromaius novaehollandiae
Magpie Goose (Anseranatidae)
Magpie Goose	Anseranas semipalmata
Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae)
Spotted Whistling Duck	Dendrocygna guttata
Plumed Whistling Duck (Endemic)	Dendrocygna eytoni
Wandering Whistling Duck	Dendrocygna arcuata
Cape Barren Goose (Endemic)	Cereopsis novaehollandiae
Black Swan (Endemic)	Cygnus atratus
Radjah Shelduck	Radjah radjah
Australian Shelduck (Endemic)	Tadorna tadornoides
Pink-eared Duck (Endemic)	Malacorhynchus membranaceus
Maned Duck (Endemic)	Chenonetta jubata
Australasian Shoveler	Spatula rhynchotis
Pacific Black Duck	Anas superciliosa
Grey Teal	Anas gracilis
Chestnut Teal (Endemic)	Anas castanea
Hardhead	Aythya australis
Blue-billed Duck (Endemic)	Oxyura australis
Musk Duck (Endemic)	Biziura lobata
Megapodes (Megapodiidae)
Australian Brushturkey (Endemic)	Alectura lathami
Malleefowl (Endemic) – VU	Leipoa ocellata
Orange-footed Scrubfowl	Megapodius reinwardt
Guineafowl (Numididae)
Helmeted Guineafowl	Numida meleagris
Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae)
Stubble Quail (Endemic)	Coturnix pectoralis
Frogmouths (Podargidae)
Papuan Frogmouth	Podargus papuensis
Tawny Frogmouth (Endemic)	Podargus strigoides
Owlet-nightjars (Aegothelidae)
Australian Owlet-nightjar	Aegotheles cristatus
Swifts (Apodidae)
Australian Swiftlet (Endemic)	Aerodramus terraereginae
Bustards (Otididae)
Australian Bustard	Ardeotis australis
Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Pheasant Coucal	Centropus phasianinus
Pacific Koel	Eudynamys orientalis
Channel-billed Cuckoo	Scythrops novaehollandiae
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo (H)	Chalcites basalis
Shining Bronze Cuckoo (H)	Chalcites lucidus
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (H)	Cacomantis flabelliformis
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Rock Dove	Columba livia
White-headed Pigeon (Endemic)	Columba leucomela
Spotted Dove	Spilopelia chinensis
Brown Cuckoo-Dove (Endemic)	Macropygia phasianella
Pacific Emerald Dove	Chalcophaps longirostris
Common Bronzewing (Endemic)	Phaps chalcoptera
Brush Bronzewing (Endemic)	Phaps elegans
Crested Pigeon (Endemic)	Ocyphaps lophotes
Squatter Pigeon (Endemic)	Geophaps scripta
Wonga Pigeon (Endemic)	Leucosarcia melanoleuca
Peaceful Dove	Geopelia placida
Bar-shouldered Dove	Geopelia humeralis
Wompoo Fruit Dove (H)	Ptilinopus magnificus
Superb Fruit Dove	Ptilinopus superbus
Rose-crowned Fruit Dove	Ptilinopus regina
Torresian Imperial Pigeon	Ducula spilorrhoa
Topknot Pigeon (Endemic)	Lopholaimus antarcticus
Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)
Buff-banded Rail	Hypotaenidia philippensis
Australian Crake (Endemic)	Porzana fluminea
Black-tailed Nativehen (Endemic)	Tribonyx ventralis
Dusky Moorhen	Gallinula tenebrosa
Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra
Australasian Swamphen	Porphyrio melanotus
Red-necked Crake	Rallina tricolor
Pale-vented Bush-hen (H)	Amaurornis moluccana
Cranes (Gruidae)
Sarus Crane – VU	Antigone antigone
Brolga	Antigone rubicunda
Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Australasian Grebe	Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Hoary-headed Grebe (Endemic)	Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
Buttonquail (Turnicidae)
Painted Buttonquail (Endemic)	Turnix varius
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae)
Beach Stone-curlew	Esacus magnirostris
Bush Stone-curlew	Burhinus grallarius
Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)
Pied Oystercatcher	Haematopus longirostris
Stilts, Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Pied Stilt	Himantopus leucocephalus
Banded Stilt (Endemic)	Cladorhynchus leucocephalus
Red-necked Avocet (Endemic)	Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
Plovers (Charadriidae)
Pacific Golden Plover	Pluvialis fulva
Hooded Plover (Endemic) – VU	Charadrius cucullatus
Black-fronted Dotterel	Charadrius melanops
Banded Lapwing (Endemic)	Vanellus tricolor
Masked Lapwing	Vanellus miles
Red-kneed Dotterel	Erythrogonys cinctus
Siberian Sand Plover	Anarhynchus mongolus
Greater Sand Plover	Anarhynchus leschenaultii
Red-capped Plover	Anarhynchus ruficapillus
Jacanas (Jacanidae)
Comb-crested Jacana	Irediparra gallinacea
Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae)
Plains-wanderer (Endemic) – EN	Pedionomus torquatus
Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Eurasian Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus
Little Curlew	Numenius minutus
Far Eastern Curlew – EN	Numenius madagascariensis
Bar-tailed Godwit	Limosa lapponica
Latham’s Snipe	Gallinago hardwickii
Terek Sandpiper	Xenus cinereus
Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos
Grey-tailed Tattler	Tringa brevipes
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
Great Knot – EN	Calidris tenuirostris
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – VU	Calidris acuminata
Red-necked Stint	Calidris ruficollis
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos
Curlew Sandpiper – NT	Calidris ferruginea
Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae)
Australian Pratincole	Stiltia isabella
Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Brown Noddy	Anous stolidus
Sooty Tern	Onychoprion fuscatus
Bridled Tern	Onychoprion anaethetus
Little Tern	Sternula albifrons
Australian Tern	Gelochelidon macrotarsa
Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia
Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
Black-naped Tern	Sterna sumatrana
Lesser Crested Tern	Thalasseus bengalensis
Greater Crested Tern	Thalasseus bergii
Silver Gull	Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Pacific Gull (Endemic)	Larus pacificus
Albatrosses (Diomedeidae)
Shy Albatross	Thalassarche cauta
Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)
Short-tailed Shearwater	Ardenna tenuirostris
Frigatebirds (Fregatidae)
Great Frigatebird	Fregata minor
Gannets, Boobies (Sulidae)
Australasian Gannet	Morus serrator
Red-footed Booby	Sula sula
Brown Booby	Sula leucogaster
Anhingas, Darters (Anhingidae)
Australasian Darter	Anhinga novaehollandiae
Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Little Pied Cormorant	Microcarbo melanoleucos
Black-faced Cormorant (Endemic)	Phalacrocorax fuscescens
Little Black Cormorant	Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo
Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
Australian White Ibis	Threskiornis molucca
Straw-necked Ibis	Threskiornis spinicollis
Royal Spoonbill	Platalea regia
Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Endemic)	Platalea flavipes
Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Black Bittern	Botaurus flavicollis
Nankeen Night Heron	Nycticorax caledonicus
Pacific Reef Heron	Egretta sacra
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
White-faced Heron	Egretta novaehollandiae
Striated Heron	Butorides striata
White-necked Heron	Ardea pacifica
Great Egret	Ardea alba
Plumed Egret	Ardea plumifera
Eastern Cattle Egret	Ardea coromanda
Great-billed Heron	Ardea sumatrana
Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Australian Pelican	Pelecanus conspicillatus
Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)
Black-shouldered Kite (Endemic)	Elanus axillaris
Pacific Baza	Aviceda subcristata
Little Eagle (Endemic)	Hieraaetus morphnoides
Wedge-tailed Eagle	Aquila audax
Grey Goshawk (Endemic)	Tachyspiza novaehollandiae
Brown Goshawk	Tachyspiza fasciata
Swamp Harrier	Circus approximans
Black Kite	Milvus migrans
Whistling Kite	Haliastur sphenurus
Brahminy Kite	Haliastur indus
White-bellied Sea Eagle	Icthyophaga leucogaster
Barn Owls (Tytonidae)
Greater Sooty Owl (H)	Tyto tenebricosa
Lesser Sooty Owl (Endemic) (H)	Tyto multipunctata
Owls (Strigidae)
Powerful Owl (Endemic)	Ninox strenua
Barking Owl	Ninox connivens
Australian Boobook	Ninox boobook
Rollers (Coraciidae)
Oriental Dollarbird	Eurystomus orientalis
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher	Tanysiptera sylvia
Laughing Kookaburra (Endemic)	Dacelo novaeguineae
Blue-winged Kookaburra	Dacelo leachii
Forest Kingfisher	Todiramphus macleayii
Torresian Kingfisher	Todiramphus sordidus
Sacred Kingfisher	Todiramphus sanctus
Azure Kingfisher	Ceyx azureus
Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
Rainbow Bee-eater	Merops ornatus
Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae)
Nankeen Kestrel	Falco cenchroides
Australian Hobby	Falco longipennis
Brown Falcon	Falco berigora
Black Falcon (Endemic)	Falco subniger
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus
Cockatoos (Cacatuidae)
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Endemic)	Zanda funerea
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Endemic)	Calyptorhynchus banksii
Glossy Black Cockatoo (Endemic) – VU	Calyptorhynchus lathami
Gang-gang Cockatoo (Endemic) – VU	Callocephalon fimbriatum
Galah (Endemic)	Eolophus roseicapilla
Pink Cockatoo (Endemic)	Cacatua leadbeateri
Little Corella	Cacatua sanguinea
Long-billed Corella (Endemic)	Cacatua tenuirostris
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo	Cacatua galerita
Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Superb Parrot (Endemic)	Polytelis swainsonii
Regent Parrot (Endemic)	Polytelis anthopeplus
Australian King Parrot (Endemic)	Alisterus scapularis
Red-winged Parrot	Aprosmictus erythropterus
Red-rumped Parrot (Endemic)	Psephotus haematonotus
Eastern Bluebonnet (Endemic)	Northiella haematogaster
Mulga Parrot (Endemic)	Psephotellus varius
Crimson Rosella (Endemic)	Platycercus elegans
Pale-headed Rosella (Endemic)	Platycercus adscitus
Eastern Rosella (Endemic)	Platycercus eximius
Australian Ringneck (Endemic)	Barnardius zonarius
Blue-winged Parrot (Endemic) – VU	Neophema chrysostoma
Turquoise Parrot (Endemic)	Neophema pulchella
Little Lorikeet (Endemic)	Parvipsitta pusilla
Musk Lorikeet (Endemic)	Glossopsitta concinna
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Endemic)	Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Rainbow Lorikeet (Endemic)	Trichoglossus moluccanus
Double-eyed Fig Parrot	Cyclopsitta diophthalma
Pittas (Pittidae)
Noisy Pitta	Pitta versicolor
Lyrebirds (Menuridae)
Albert’s Lyrebird (Endemic)	Menura alberti
Superb Lyrebird (Endemic)	Menura novaehollandiae
Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae)
Green Catbird (Endemic)	Ailuroedus crassirostris
Spotted Catbird (Endemic)	Ailuroedus maculosus
Tooth-billed Bowerbird (Endemic)	Scenopoeetes dentirostris
Golden Bowerbird (Endemic)	Prionodura newtoniana
Regent Bowerbird (Endemic)	Sericulus chrysocephalus
Satin Bowerbird (Endemic)	Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
Great Bowerbird (Endemic)	Chlamydera nuchalis
Australasian Treecreepers (Climacteridae)
White-throated Treecreeper (Endemic)	Cormobates leucophaea
Brown Treecreeper (Endemic)	Climacteris picumnus
Australasian Wrens (Maluridae)
Lovely Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus amabilis
Purple-backed Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus assimilis
Variegated Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus lamberti
Superb Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus cyaneus
Splendid Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus splendens
Red-backed Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus melanocephalus
White-winged Fairywren (Endemic)	Malurus leucopterus
Southern Emu-wren (Endemic)	Stipiturus malachurus
Mallee Emu-wren (Endemic) – EN	Stipiturus mallee
Striated Grasswren (Endemic)	Amytornis striatus
Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)
Eastern Spinebill (Endemic)	Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
White-fronted Chat (Endemic)	Epthianura albifrons
Brown-backed Honeyeater	Ramsayornis modestus
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (Endemic)	Gliciphila melanops
Dusky Myzomela	Myzomela obscura
Scarlet Myzomela (Endemic)	Myzomela sanguinolenta
Little Friarbird	Philemon citreogularis
Hornbill Friarbird (Endemic)	Philemon yorki
Noisy Friarbird	Philemon corniculatus
Macleay’s Honeyeater (Endemic)	Xanthotis macleayanus
Striped Honeyeater (Endemic)	Plectorhyncha lanceolata
Painted Honeyeater (Endemic)	Grantiella picta
Crescent Honeyeater (Endemic)	Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus
New Holland Honeyeater (Endemic)	Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
White-cheeked Honeyeater (Endemic)	Phylidonyris niger
Brown Honeyeater	Lichmera indistincta
Banded Honeyeater (Endemic)	Cissomela pectoralis
White-eared Honeyeater (Endemic)	Nesoptilotis leucotis
Blue-faced Honeyeater	Entomyzon cyanotis
Brown-headed Honeyeater (Endemic)	Melithreptus brevirostris
White-naped Honeyeater (Endemic)	Melithreptus lunatus
Yellow Honeyeater (Endemic)	Stomiopera flava
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater (Endemic)	Meliphaga notata
Lewin’s Honeyeater (Endemic)	Meliphaga lewinii
White-fronted Honeyeater (Endemic)	Purnella albifrons
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Endemic)	Lichenostomus melanops
Cryptic Honeyeater (Endemic)	Microptilotis imitatrix
Varied Honeyeater	Gavicalis versicolor
Mangrove Honeyeater (Endemic)	Gavicalis fasciogularis
Singing Honeyeater (Endemic)	Gavicalis virescens
Fuscous Honeyeater (Endemic)	Ptilotula fusca
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater (Endemic)	Ptilotula ornata
White-plumed Honeyeater (Endemic)	Ptilotula penicillata
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Endemic)	Caligavis chrysops
Little Wattlebird (Endemic)	Anthochaera chrysoptera
Red Wattlebird (Endemic)	Anthochaera carunculata
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Endemic)	Acanthagenys rufogularis
Bridled Honeyeater (Endemic)	Bolemoreus frenatus
Bell Miner (Endemic) (H)	Manorina melanophrys
Noisy Miner (Endemic)	Manorina melanocephala
Yellow-throated Miner (Endemic)	Manorina flavigula
Bristlebirds (Dasyornithidae)
Rufous Bristlebird (Endemic)	Dasyornis broadbenti
Pardalotes (Pardalotidae)
Spotted Pardalote (Endemic)	Pardalotus punctatus
Striated Pardalote (Endemic)	Pardalotus striatus
Australasian Warblers (Acanthizidae)
Pilotbird (Endemic) – VU	Pycnoptilus floccosus
Speckled Warbler (Endemic)	Pyrrholaemus sagittatus
Shy Heathwren (Endemic)	Hylacola cauta
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Endemic) (H)	Hylacola pyrrhopygia
Striated Fieldwren (Endemic)	Calamanthus fuliginosus
Rufous Fieldwren (Endemic)	Calamanthus campestris
Weebill (Endemic)	Smicrornis brevirostris
Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Endemic)	Neosericornis citreogularis
White-browed Scrubwren (Endemic)	Sericornis frontalis
Spotted Scrubwren (Endemic)	Sericornis maculatus
Atherton Scrubwren (Endemic) – VU	Sericornis keri
Large-billed Scrubwren (Endemic)	Sericornis magnirostra
Yellow Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza nana
Striated Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza lineata
Inland Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza apicalis
Mountain Thornbill (Endemic) – VU	Acanthiza katherina
Brown Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza pusilla
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza uropygialis
Buff-rumped Thornbill (Endemic)	Acanthiza reguloides
Brown Gerygone (Endemic)	Gerygone mouki
Fairy Gerygone	Gerygone palpebrosa
Large-billed Gerygone	Gerygone magnirostris
White-throated Gerygone	Gerygone olivacea
Mangrove Gerygone	Gerygone levigaster
Western Gerygone (Endemic)	Gerygone fusca
Australasian Babblers (Pomatostomidae)
Grey-crowned Babbler	Pomatostomus temporalis
White-browed Babbler (Endemic)	Pomatostomus superciliosus
Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Endemic)	Pomatostomus ruficeps
Logrunners (Orthonychidae)
Australian Logrunner (Endemic)	Orthonyx temminckii
Whipbirds (Psophodidae)
Eastern Whipbird (Endemic)	Psophodes olivaceus
Jewel-babblers, Quail-thrushes (Cinclosomatidae)
Chestnut Quail-thrush (Endemic)	Cinclosoma castanotum
Boatbills (Machaerirhynchidae)
Yellow-breasted Boatbill	Machaerirhynchus flaviventer
Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies (Artamidae)
White-breasted Woodswallow	Artamus leucorynchus
Masked Woodswallow (Endemic)	Artamus personatus
White-browed Woodswallow (Endemic)	Artamus superciliosus
Black-faced Woodswallow	Artamus cinereus
Dusky Woodswallow (Endemic)	Artamus cyanopterus
Black Butcherbird	Melloria quoyi
Australian Magpie	Gymnorhina tibicen
Grey Butcherbird (Endemic)	Cracticus torquatus
Pied Butcherbird (Endemic)	Cracticus nigrogularis
Pied Currawong (Endemic)	Strepera graculina
Grey Currawong (Endemic)	Strepera versicolor
Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae)
Barred Cuckooshrike	Coracina lineata
Black-faced Cuckooshrike	Coracina novaehollandiae
White-bellied Cuckooshrike	Coracina papuensis
Sahul Cicadabird	Edolisoma tenuirostre
White-winged Triller	Lalage tricolor
Varied Triller	Lalage leucomela
Australo-Papuan Bellbirds (Oreoicidae)
Crested Bellbird (Endemic) (H)	Oreoica gutturalis
Shriketits (Falcunculidae)
Eastern Shriketit (Endemic)	Falcunculus frontatus
Whistlers & Allies (Pachycephalidae)
Gilbert’s Whistler (Endemic)	Pachycephala inornata
Grey Whistler	Pachycephala simplex
Australian Golden Whistler	Pachycephala pectoralis
Rufous Whistler	Pachycephala rufiventris
Bower’s Shrikethrush (Endemic) – VU	Colluricincla boweri
Rufous Shrikethrush	Colluricincla rufogaster
Grey Shrikethrush	Colluricincla harmonica
Figbirds, Old World Orioles, Piopios (Oriolidae)
Australasian Figbird	Sphecotheres vieilloti
Olive-backed Oriole	Oriolus sagittatus
Green Oriole	Oriolus flavocinctus
Drongos (Dicruridae)
Spangled Drongo	Dicrurus bracteatus
Fantails (Rhipiduridae)
Willie Wagtail	Rhipidura leucophrys
Northern Fantail	Rhipidura rufiventris
Grey Fantail	Rhipidura albiscapa
Australian Rufous Fantail	Rhipidura rufifrons
Monarchs (Monarchidae)
Spectacled Monarch	Symposiachrus trivirgatus
Black-faced Monarch	Monarcha melanopsis
White-eared Monarch (Endemic)	Carterornis leucotis
Pied Monarch (Endemic)	Arses kaupi
Magpie-lark	Grallina cyanoleuca
Leaden Flycatcher	Myiagra rubecula
Satin Flycatcher	Myiagra cyanoleuca
Shining Flycatcher	Myiagra alecto
Restless Flycatcher (Endemic)	Myiagra inquieta
Crows, Jays (Corvidae)
Torresian Crow	Corvus orru
Forest Raven (Endemic)	Corvus tasmanicus
Little Raven (Endemic)	Corvus mellori
Australian Raven (Endemic)	Corvus coronoides
Australian Mudnesters (Corcoracidae)
White-winged Chough (Endemic)	Corcorax melanorhamphos
Apostlebird (Endemic)	Struthidea cinerea
Birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae)
Paradise Riflebird (Endemic)	Ptiloris paradiseus
Victoria’s Riflebird (Endemic) – VU	Ptiloris victoriae
Australasian Robins (Petroicidae)
Red-capped Robin (Endemic)	Petroica goodenovii
Rose Robin (Endemic)	Petroica rosea
Flame Robin (Endemic)	Petroica phoenicea
Scarlet Robin (Endemic)	Petroica boodang
Lemon-bellied Flyrobin	Microeca flavigaster
Jacky Winter	Microeca fascinans
Southern Scrub Robin (Endemic)	Drymodes brunneopygia
Grey-headed Robin (Endemic)	Heteromyias cinereifrons
White-browed Robin (Endemic) (H)	Poecilodryas superciliosa
Hooded Robin (Endemic)	Melanodryas cucullata
Mangrove Robin	Peneothello pulverulenta
Eastern Yellow Robin (Endemic)	Eopsaltria australis
Pale-yellow Robin (Endemic)	Tregellasia capito
Larks (Alaudidae)
Singing Bush Lark	Mirafra javanica
Eurasian Skylark	Alauda arvensis
Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae)
White-backed Swallow (Endemic)	Cheramoeca leucosterna
Welcome Swallow	Hirundo neoxena
Fairy Martin	Petrochelidon ariel
Tree Martin	Petrochelidon nigricans
Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae)
Australian Reed Warbler (H)	Acrocephalus australis
Grassbirds & Allies (Locustellidae)
Little Grassbird	Poodytes gramineus
Brown Songlark (Endemic)	Cincloramphus cruralis
Tawny Grassbird	Cincloramphus timoriensis
Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae)
Golden-headed Cisticola (H)	Cisticola exilis
White-eyes (Zosteropidae)
Silvereye	Zosterops lateralis
Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae)
Metallic Starling	Aplonis metallica
Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis
Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Thrushes (Turdidae)
Russet-tailed Thrush	Zoothera heinei
Bassian Thrush (Endemic)	Zoothera lunulata
Common Blackbird	Turdus merula
Flowerpeckers (Dicaeidae)
Mistletoebird	Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)
Sahul Sunbird	Cinnyris frenatus
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae)
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae)
Diamond Firetail (Endemic) – VU	Stagonopleura guttata
Red-browed Finch (Endemic)	Neochmia temporalis
Double-barred Finch (Endemic)	Stizoptera bichenovii
Australian Zebra Finch (Endemic)	Taeniopygia castanotis
Black-throated Finch (Endemic)	Poephila cincta
Scaly-breasted Munia	Lonchura punctulata
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin	Lonchura castaneothorax
Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae)
Australian Pipit	Anthus australis
Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae)
European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis

Total seen	378
Total heard only	12
Total recorded	390

 

Mammal List (Mammal Watching April 2024)

 

Australian endemic mammals are marked as such. The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following IUCN List of Threatened Species: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

Common Name	Scientific Name
Platypuses (Ornithorhynchidae)
Platypus (Endemic)	Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Dasyures (Dasyuridae)
Fat-tailed Dunnart (Endemic)	Sminthopsis crassicaudata
Musky Rat-kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodontidae)
Musky Rat Kangaroo (Endemic)	Hypsiprymnodon moschatus
Kangaroos, Wallabies and Allies (Macropodidae)
Mareeba Rock Wallaby (Endemic)	Petrogale mareeba
Red-legged Pademelon	Thylogale stigmatica
Red-necked Pademelon (Endemic)	Thylogale thetis
Western Grey Kangaroo (Endemic)	Macropus fuliginosus
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Endemic)	Macropus giganteus
Agile Wallaby	Notamacropus agilis
Whip-tailed Wallaby (Endemic)	Notamacropus parryi
Red-necked Wallaby (Endemic)	Notamacropus rufogriseus
Red Kangaroo (Endemic)	Osphranter rufus
Gliders, Trioks, and Allies (Petauridae)
Sugar Glider (Endemic)	Petaurus breviceps
Squirrel Glider (Endemic)	Petaurus norfolcensis
Ringtail Possums (Pseudocheiridae)
Southern Greater Glider (Endemic) – VU	Petauroides volans
Eastern Ring-tailed Possum (Endemic)	Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Green Ring-tailed Possum (Endemic)	Pseudochirops archeri
Cuscuses and Brushtail Possums (Phalangeridae)
Coppery Brush-tailed Possum (Endemic)	Trichosurus johnstonii
Common Brush-tailed Possum (Endemic)	Trichosurus vulpecula
Koalas (Phascolarctidae)
Koala (Endemic) – VU	Phascolarctos cinereus
Wombats (Vombatidae)
Common Wombat (Endemic)	Vombatus ursinus
Old World Fruit Bats (Pteropodidae)
Black Flying Fox	Pteropus alecto
Spectacled Flying Fox – EN	Pteropus conspicillatus
Gray-headed Flying Fox (Endemic) – VU	Pteropus poliocephalus
Eared Seals (Otariidae)
Afro-Australian Fur Seal	Arctocephalus pusillus
Canids (Canidae)
Red Fox	Vulpes vulpes
Hares and Rabbits (Leporidae)
European Hare	Lepus europaeus
European Rabbit – EN	Oryctolagus cuniculus

Total

28

 

Reptile List (Reptiles of the World October 2023)

 

Australian endemic reptiles are marked as such.

Common Name	Scientific Name
Crocodiles (Crocodylidae)
Saltwater Crocodile	Crocodylus porosus
Colubrid Snakes (Colubridae)
Common Tree Snake	Dendrelaphis punctulatus
Elapid Snakes (Elapidae)
Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Endemic)	Demansia psammophis
Red-bellied Black Snake (Endemic)	Pseudechis porphyriacus
Dragons (Agamidae)
Mallee Dragon (Endemic)	Ctenophorus fordi
Australian Water Dragon (Endemic)	Intellagama lesueurii
Southern Angle-Headed Dragon (Endemic)	Lophosaurus spinipes
Typical Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Tropical House Gecko	Hemidactylus mabouia
Skinks (Scincidae)
Shingleback Lizard (Endemic)	Tiliqua rugosa
Eastern Water Skink (Endemic)	Eulamprus quoyii
Monitor Lizards (Varanidae)
Sand Goanna (Endemic)	Varanus gouldii
Lace Monitor (Endemic)	Varanus varius
Pythons (Pythonidae)
Carpet Python	Morelia spilota
Australasian Geckos (Diplodactylidae)
Byrne’s Gecko (Endemic)	Lucasium byrnei
Austro-American Side-necked Turtles (Chelidae)
Eastern Saw-shelled Turtle (Endemic)	Myuchelys latisternum
Typical Sea Turtles (Cheloniidae)
Green Sea Turtle – EN	Chelonia mydas

Total

16

This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.

Birding Tour Australia: Eastern Australia – From The Outback To The Wet Tropics

Tour-Specific Information

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTRALIA CAN BE READ HERE

TOUR OUTLINE

This is a comprehensive birding tour of eastern Australia. The first leg of our eastern Australian bird tour starts in Melbourne, Victoria. It makes a circuit around the southeastern Australian state (including a brief foray into southern New South Wales, where we will make a nocturnal trip for the monotypic and extremely rare Plains-wanderer) before returning to Melbourne. The second leg of the tour sees us flying from Melbourne to Brisbane in southern Queensland; here, we will visit the fantastic O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. After our birding in Lamington National Park, we will fly north from Brisbane to Cairns (Far North Queensland) for the third and final leg of the tour. From Cairns, we will make a circuit of the fertile and rainforest-clad Atherton Tablelands and the adjacent dry country lower down in the foothills. While in Queensland, our tour also includes a boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef and a boat cruise along the Daintree River. We will finish up our eastern Australian birdwatching tour back in Cairns, where the tour will conclude.

This is our most popular Australian birdwatching tour. There are a lot of simply incredible birds possible on this eastern Australia birding tour (which also combines perfectly with our Tasmania bird tour, which many people choose to do). Top highlights include Southern Cassowary, Malleefowl, Superb Lyrebird, Albert’s Lyrebird, Brolga, Rufous Scrubbird, Regent Bowerbird, Satin Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird, Great Bowerbird, Green Catbird, Paradise Riflebird, Victoria’s Riflebird, Australian King Parrot, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Pink (Major Mitchell’s) Cockatoo, Superb Parrot, Shy Heathwren, Striated Fieldwren, Mallee Emu-wren, Superb Fairywren, White-winged Fairywren, Striated Grassbird, Australian Logrunner, Chowchilla, Painted Honeyeater, and Diamond Firetail. This Australian bird tour also offers some excellent and emblematic Australian mammals, such as Platypus, Short-beaked Echidna, Koala, Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, and Red Kangaroo. A high-quality list of reptiles, amphibians, and other critters can be enjoyed too. This is the best birding tour if you’ve never visited Australia before.

The Victoria section of this Australian bird tour may run in reverse to the order advertised in the itinerary, based on the availability of accommodation and local guides. On some occasions, we need to run the tour in reverse, e.g., starting in Cairns and ending in Melbourne with Brisbane in the middle. We will go to exactly the same places but just in the opposite order shown in the online itinerary. Please confirm the order of the route with us prior to purchasing your international flight tickets for the start and end of the tour.

DAILY ACTIVITIES, PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS, AND TOUR PACE

Our comprehensive eastern Australia birding tour moves at quite a fast pace. We will cover a lot of ground on this Australian birdwatching tour, with a big overland circuit of the western side of Victoria (starting and ending at Melbourne airport) and including a trip into southern New South Wales at Deniliquin. In Victoria, we will visit the towns of Healesville, Wangaratta, Ouyen, Inglewood, and Airey’s Inlet. We will take two domestic flights during our bird tour, Melbourne to Brisbane and Brisbane to Cairns. There will be less driving in Brisbane (southern Queensland) as most of our time will be spent on foot around O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, once we get there, after some birding in the Brisbane mangroves. In northern Queensland, we will take a boat trip onto the Great Barrier Reef, then make a circuit from Cairns south along the coast to Mission Beach, before coming inland and up onto the fertile Atherton Tablelands. After birding the tablelands, we will drop down to the dry north for a different set of birds, before finishing up back at Cairns after a boat cruise along the Daintree River. There is less driving in northern Queensland than in Victoria. This Australian bird tour will cover a wide range of habitats and a big trip list of 375 – 400 bird species should be expected.

In Victoria, we will have long drives of 4 – 6 hours on most days to get between different birding areas. In Queensland, we will have drives of 2 – 3 hours. We will usually have a pre-breakfast early morning birding session and then, after breakfast, do a little more birding in our local area before the heat increases and bird activity drops. We then move off to our next area. We will usually aim to make the drives across the middle of the day and break them up with lunch stops and restroom/coffee breaks.

The tour is generally considered easy to moderate in terms of physical exertion. However, the inland temperatures during the day, even during the spring period, could get high (see the “Weather” section below), so dehydration needs to be always considered a possibility, as does heat stroke and sunburn, etc.

In Victoria, we tend to make short and productive walks from our vehicle in a loop of up to 0.6 – 1.2 miles (1 – 2 kilometers/km), and we may make several of these a day. On a couple of occasions in Victoria, we are likely to make slightly longer walks of 2.5 miles (4 km). In Lamington National Park, we will spend most of our time on foot walking around the forest trails and roads (as well as mooching around the excellent retreat gardens). We will usually make a pre-breakfast walk of 1.2 miles (2 km), a post-breakfast walk of 3.5 – 5 miles (6 – 8 km), and then a late afternoon walk of a similar distance. All walks at O’Reilly’s are totally optional. If you’d rather sit in the garden soaking up the wonderful birds on offer, such as Crimson Rosella, Australian King Parrot, Regent Bowerbird, and Satin Bowerbird, that’s totally fine. In the tropical north of Queensland, we will make short walks of 0.6 – 1.2 miles (1 – 2 km) at different sites, and we might make several of these a day. We usually walk from our hotel to the quay to meet our reef trip boat, this is 0.6 miles (1 km). The trail at Mount Lewis is the hardest trail as it involves some incline and maneuvering around fallen trees and some rocks, but it’s still relatively easy, and we will take it at a slow birding pace. Walking in Victoria is often on fairly flat but rough (uneven) ground with rabbit holes and loose rocks, so care needs to be taken. In some areas, such as the mallee habitats, we will be walking in very spiky spinifex grass. Snakes should always be considered when on foot on the whole tour route.

We will make a few general nighttime trips for nocturnal birds and wildlife during the tour (weather permitting), as well as the specific Plains-wanderer trip (see details below). Most owling/mammal-watching sessions will last an hour or so, usually after dinner, and these are all optional.

TRANSPORTATION

We will use 12-seater minibuses on this tour; these will be collected in each city we arrive in and dropped back off there on our return. There will be limited baggage space, so please pack as lightly as possible for the tour (including within the seating area). We will have some long drives on the tour, particularly in Victoria (often on long straight roads). Some of the drives, particularly in Queensland, will involve long and windy mountain roads, so if you suffer from motion sickness, you might want to be prepared for that (e.g., the drive up to and down from O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, the drive up and down Mount Lewis, and as we climb up and drop off the Atherton Tablelands). When we make our Plains-wanderer trip, the group might get split into two vehicles with our local guides; these might be 4×4 Toyota Hilux / Landcruiser-type vehicles. See the “Plains-wanderer Trip” section below for more information.

We will make two boat trips on this tour, see the “Boat Trips” section below, and we will also take two domestic flights during this tour, see the “Domestic Flights” section below.

BOAT TRIPS

We will take a boat trip out onto the Great Barrier Reef. This is not a private reef trip, and there will be up to around 30 participants on the boat. This is one of the smaller boats that goes to the reef, and it is usually the first boat there, which means we will likely get to Michaelmas Cay prior to too much disturbance. The boat has a no-shoe policy, so footwear should be removed upon entering. We will be out on the water from around 07:30 hrs. to around 15:00 hrs.

The boat has toilets, and we will have meals (a morning snack and lunch) and drinks onboard. You will need to bring your own personal water supply for the day, though additional drinks can be purchased throughout the day whilst on the boat. We will get on and off the boat in Cairns Marina, so this is a dry boarding/disembarking. There are opportunities for diving and snorkeling while on this trip – which is highly recommended. The reef trip company does not supply towels; usually, our hotel in Cairns will allow us to take a beach towel for the day for a small deposit.

The boat has a medium-sized lounge with air-conditioning as well as a top deck with seating (no aircon here, but there is often a cooling breeze). It is very easy to get sunburnt on this trip, so please bring plenty of suncream, as well as sunglasses (strong glare) and a sunhat. Swimwear is best worn on the boat as a base layer, and the reef trip company will provide wetsuits (necessary in “stinger season” – which refers to jellyfish present at certain times of the year). The reef trip company provides snorkeling equipment (including a limited supply of prescription masks – for a deposit payable/held on credit card). The reef trip company provides a health and safety questionnaire on arrival, and it is essential that you fill this out with the correct information. The reef trip company’s word on the boat is final, and your health and safety is their (and our) paramount concern.

We will usually try and land on Michaelmas Cay to observe the breeding birds at close range; however, if tidal or weather conditions prevent us from doing so, we will try and circumnavigate the island in a smaller glass-bottomed boat. The exact activities of the day are totally weather and tide-dependent. If you suffer from motion sickness, you may need to take medication for this trip. If we do land on Michaelmas Cay, it will be a wet landing and re-entry, usually up to ankles, rarely your knees; the boat can usually land against the sandy beach.

We will also take a boat trip on the Daintree River during the tour; this is a small boat, like a speedboat. We will journey along the wide Daintree River and then enter smaller, narrower tributaries that take us close into the mangroves, where we are seeking the rarer and more secretive species. The boat has a pop-up cover for the sun, but this inhibits viewing, so we usually try not to use it. We will be exposed to the elements on this trip, so a sunhat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are essential (as well as potentially a rain jacket/poncho if the weather looks threatening). Note on the larger river section we might move quite quickly, so watch out for your hat blowing off! The boat trip is usually around two hours in duration and often starts at dawn or ends at dusk, mainly depending on the tidal situation. Do not dangle your hands out of the boat into the water – there are Saltwater Crocodiles here – see the “Safety” section below.

If you’d like further information on either of these boat trips, please contact us.

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

This tour requires two domestic flights (Melbourne to Brisbane and Brisbane to Cairns). The costs for these flights are not included in the tour cost. Once we confirm the tour, we will purchase flight tickets for everyone in the group at the same time to ensure we are all on the same flights. The additional cost of flights will be added to your tour balance payment, which is due no later than two months prior to departure. Please refer to the Australia general information document regarding important information on baggage allowance (including carry-on allowance). We usually try and make our domestic flights with Qantas or Virgin Australia as we have found they offer the best service.

PLAINS-WANDERER TRIP

While in Deniliquin in New South Wales, we will take a nocturnal trip to look for Plains-wanderer. Depending on the local situation on the vast grass plains these birds inhabit, we may drive around looking for the birds, or walk around to try and locate them. We are usually out searching from dusk until around midnight on this night and return to our accommodation after 1 a.m. (the following day usually gets a later start than usual!).

Walking around at night can be particularly disorienting, so it is essential the group always stays together. Small torches/head torches are essential for seeing where you are putting your feet, and if you have any balance/walking issues, a walking stick/hiking pole is also mandatory. It is very easy to trip and fall in this environment, so extreme care must always be taken. A decent supply of insect repellant is recommended for this trip as it can be quite buggy in some years. This trip is totally optional and if you would rather sit it out, that is fine, though this is one awesome and unique bird, so we do recommend joining the exploration if possible.

On this evening, we usually buy some food from a local bakery or supermarket and create a picnic dinner to be eaten on site or in our hotel rooms prior to departure.

LUGGAGE

Please pack as lightly as possible for this tour, noting the expected weight allowance of the domestic flights detailed above (and in the general information document on Australia) and the limited space inside vehicles. A medium, soft-sided, and robust duffle bag is likely to work best for packing in the tour vehicles and on the planes we will use. You will be expected to load and unload your own bags into and out of vehicles and as we move around airports. A lighter bag is likely to get less tiresome as we move around a lot on this tour, with lots of loading, unloading and repacking required.

We recommend a daypack is used to keep items that you wish to use daily when in the vehicle or when birding in the field (such as binoculars, camera, notebook, field guide, personal supply of water, snacks, umbrella, rain jacket, extra layers of clothing, etc.).

ACCOMMODATION

In Victoria and New South Wales (for one night), we mainly stay in hotels or motels, and in some locations, we stay in caravan sites, utilizing motel-type rooms. We usually change accommodations every night for this section of the tour, except for when we are in Ouyen, Victoria, in the mallee, where we spend two nights. We try to stay in the best accommodation available along our route, but these might still be fairly basic in some remote locations. All accommodation has ensuite bathrooms. At Melbourne airport, we will stay in an airport hotel. Most of the accommodation has Wi-Fi. Some of the accommodation offers breakfast, and we often get these delivered to our rooms the night before or in the morning itself. In some locations, we will eat breakfasts in cafés in nearby towns.

In southern Queensland, we will stay at the wonderful O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat for two nights. This is more upmarket accommodation than everywhere else we stay on the tour. This accommodation has ensuite bathrooms and is set in wonderful grounds for birding. We will eat breakfast and dinner in the retreat’s dining room and will have lunches in the café. There is free Wi-Fi in the lodge (usually just in the reception, bar, and restaurant areas).

In northern Queensland, we will stay at a nice hotel on the Cairns esplanade at the start and end of our circuit (luggage can be stored here until our return). For our circuit of northern Queensland, we will stay in a couple of hotels/motels as well as the excellent Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges (top-quality birds and wildlife right outside our rooms). Our accommodation has been chosen for the best access to quality birding areas. All accommodation has Wi-Fi and private ensuite bathrooms. We usually eat meals in nearby towns, rather than at our accommodation, e.g., in nearby cafés or restaurants/pubs.

WEATHER

Because this eastern Australia birding tour covers a vast area, including spring in Victoria as well as tropical Far North Queensland, you should expect quite a temperature range, and suitable clothing will be required.

In Victoria and New South Wales during the time of our tour, nighttime temperatures could drop as low as 46 degrees Fahrenheit (^oF) (8 degrees Centigrade/^oC); however, we have occasionally had colder. Daytime temperatures in the south could peak at 59 ^oF (15 ^oC), and at higher elevations (e.g., the hills around Melbourne and along the Great Ocean Road), it could take a while to reach that temperature. If there is a southerly wind blowing, it can feel much colder with the wind chill (the wind will be coming from Antarctica!). Daytime temperatures in central and northern Victoria and southern New South Wales can reach 86 ^oF (30 ^oC); on occasion (particularly if there is a warming wind coming from the northwest), the temperatures can be hotter than this.

In southern Queensland (e.g., Brisbane), it will likely be around 86 ^oF (30 ^oC) and usually feels hotter than we will have experienced earlier in the tour, potentially a little more humid too. Up at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, we will be at around 3,300 feet (1,000 meters); therefore, the temperatures are lower (it can feel cold here at night), and during the day, it is likely to be around 68 – 77 ^oF (20 – 25 ^oC).

Northern Queensland (e.g., Cairns) will see similar temperatures to those of Brisbane, but it will be more humid, particularly when we are inside the forest. It will be a touch cooler on the Atherton Tablelands as we will be higher up, and it usually takes a while for the sun’s rays to warm us up – particularly at Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges, where we are situated in a bit of a bowl. At Mareeba, it will be a similar temperature to Brisbane and Cairns but much drier. It will be very hot at Michaelmas Cay (e.g., 95 ^oF / 35 ^oC), with no shade.

The sun is strong across Australia, and care should be taken to avoid sunburn and dehydration.

SAFETY

We do not recommend walking around Cairns at night on your own for personal safety reasons. We will usually walk from our chosen restaurant in Cairns to our nearby hotel in the dark, but we will do so as a group. Please do not leave valuables (or anything at any time) inside the vehicle when it is parked to help reduce the risk of anyone breaking into the vehicle. Please keep a close watch on your possessions (e.g., bags, wallet, optics, etc.) when we are out and about in the city.

During the Far Northern Queensland section of this eastern Australian bird tour (e.g., once we start the Cairns section of the tour), we need to take care due to the presence of Saltwater Crocodiles that can occur in or near the smallest waterbodies; they can also be found up to 0.6 miles (1 km) away from water. At times, we will be birding within habitats that crocodiles inhabit, such as rivers (including inland rivers – “crocs” can occur over 124 miles (200 km) from the coast), coastal mangroves, and wetlands. Please do not stand close to the water’s edge or go anywhere near water at night. Crocodile warning signs are often in place and should always be adhered to. Please refer to the Croc Wise website for more information. We usually only see crocodiles when on our Daintree River boat cruise, but we could come across them in other locations, so it is best to read the information and be prepared (and do not dangle your hands in the water on the river cruise!).

Other general safety information, as referred to in the Australia general information document, should be considered, e.g., regarding snakes, etc.

WHAT TO BRING: CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS

The following is a list of useful items to bring on this eastern Australian birding tour and should be read in conjunction with the Australia general information document.

1. A field guide to the birds of Australia. See the general information for our recommendations for this tour.
2. Hiking pole or walking stick to help on the tracks and trails. While probably not necessary for everyone, a walking stick is compulsory for anyone who is unsteady walking, as we feel this is a safety issue. We don’t want anyone slipping on the trails or anywhere else. Please discuss with us if you are unsure whether you will need one or not.
3. Torch (flashlight) and/or headlamp (headtorch), and spare batteries, necessary for when we are making nocturnal walks and when on our Plains-Wanderer
4. High-concentration DEET insect repellant or similar.
5. A flynet for your face is very useful in some years.
6. A small personal first aid kit. See the suggested items from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here.
7. Lightweight hiking boots are likely the best footwear for this tour. A set of sandals (flip-flops) and/or trainers would be useful for walking around some of the accommodations but are not suitable for birding time (consider snake bites, mud, slips, trips, falls, etc.).
8. Quick-drying birding clothes (in suitable colors) are the best for this tour, and a good selection of clothing layers (including sweater/jumper/fleece/coat) are also recommended for time at the higher elevations and due to the potential for cool or even cold mornings in Victoria and at elevation in southern Queensland.
9. Light rain jacket/poncho (and small umbrella) as rain could fall at any time and any location. Spring in Victoria could see rain showers or prolonged periods of rain if a weather system moves through. In Queensland, there is a slim chance of a tropical rainstorm (usually in the afternoon or at night, if at all). Thunderstorms (including hail) are not uncommon at the time of year we will be in Queensland.
10. Some of the places we stay have swimming pools, and we will have excellent and highly recommended swimming opportunities on the Great Barrier Reef, so swimwear is recommended. The reef trip company provides snorkeling gear.
11. A small hand towel or washcloth can be handy for cleaning and drying things when in the rainforest and also removing dust in drier areas. Not essential, but it can be useful.
12. A dry bag to keep valuable documents in, such as passports, cell phones, wallets, etc., as well as cameras, if it rains or is dry and dusty.