Detailed
Itinerary
Pre
Tour Option - Tropical Australia and Uluru
Post Tour Option - Victoria and Tasmania
Day 1: Arrival in Cairns.
Optional Great Barrier Reef cruise. From Cairns we board our comfortable
vessel for a relaxing two hour cruise out to Michaelmas Cay, a true
coral cay and bird sanctuary located 40km north-east of Cairns, and part
of
the 2000 km long Great Barrier Reef. Thousands of ground-nesting seabirds
occur here: Sooty and Crested Terns, Brown Noddy, Silver Gull, Brown
Booby, Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds, with a chance of rarer terns
and boobies. There will be opportunities for a refreshing dip or snorkel
in these beautiful waters. For those not participating in the pelagic,
we meet at 7.00pm in the lobby for a welcome dinner.
Day
2: Daintree River Cruise.
Our destination today is the Daintree River, where we take a pleasant
cruise through farmland and rainforest on the look-out for Great-billed
Heron, Little Kingfisher, White-rumped Swiftlet, Cicadabird, Spectacled
Monarch, Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Black-necked Stork and Black Butcherbird,
and possibly a saltwater crocodile. We then drive to Kingfisher Park
Birdwatchers Lodge, arriving in time to watch for Blue-faced, Yellow-spotted
and Graceful Honeyeaters and Red-browed Finch. Night at Kingfisher
Lodge.
Day
3: Mount Lewis and Kingfisher Lodge.
Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers’ Lodge, on the northern edge of
the Tableland, caters exclusively to birders; within the grounds
are Wompoo
Fruit-Dove, Emerald Dove, Noisy Pitta, Red-necked Crake, Buff-banded
Rail, Lesser Sooty Owl, Black-faced and Spectacled Monarchs and
an array of honeyeaters. Nearby is Mount Lewis covered in upland rainforest
where
we hope to find Atherton Scrubwren, Fernwren and Mountain Thornbill.
Night at Kingfisher Lodge.
Day
4. Atherton Tableland.
We then leave for the Atherton Tablelands. The Atherton Tableland
is a region of beautiful scenery with lakes and waterfalls, green
pastures,
savanna, open woodlands and scattered wetlands nestled in national
parks and state forests, as well as Queensland’s highest
mountains rising to over 1600m. Birding can be superb: Sarus
Crane, Blue-winged Kookaburra,
Forest Kingfisher, Pied Monarch, Chowchilla, Red-backed Fairy-wren,
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed and
Spotted Catbirds and Victoria’s
Riflebird. On our drive, we look in dry eucalyptus country for
Australian Bustards, we visit wetlands for Green and Cotton Pygmy-Geese
and Brolga,
and woodlands support Squatter Pigeon, Apostlebird, Great Bowerbird,
Black-throated Finch, and the distinctive local race of Brown
Treecreeper. We reach Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands in
the late afternoon.
Night in Yungaburra, a National Trust village that has a platypus
viewing platform.
Day
5: Transfer to Mission Beach.
We head south to Mission Beach, which has a large population
of Southern Cassowary. We pass through Wooroonooran National
Park,
an area of
mature upland rainforest, and then into coastal rainforest
along palm-fringed
sandy beaches. We walk trails in this areas looking for White-eared
Monarch, Fig Parrot, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Topknot Pigeon
and Varied Triller,
and with luck we’ll spot a male Cassowary with chicks
in tow. Night in Mission Beach.
Day
6: Back to Cairns and Cairns Esplanade.
We head back to Cairns, stopping on the way to look for Mangrove
Robin, Collared Kingfisher and Lovely Fairy-wren. Once we
reach Cairns, we head
for the famous salt marshes and mudflats of the Cairns Esplanade.
Water bird numbers and diversity can be amazing: Beach Stone-curlew,
Bar-tailed
Godwit, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Striated Heron, Red-capped
Plover, and Royal Spoonbills among many others. Night in
Cairns.
Day
7: Transfer to Lamington National Park
We catch an early morning flight to Coolangatta and drive
to the Green Mountains in Lamington National Park, where
we head
for O’Reilly’s
Guesthouse for a two night stay.
Day
8: Lamington National Park.
This park covers most of the spectacular Lamington Plateau,
a geologically fascinating plateau with deep gorges and
caves that
drops into
the caldera of an extinct volcano and is covered in temperate
rainforest. A feature
attraction is the amazing Albert’s Lyrebird, and
we make a special attempt to find this incredible mimic.
Other goodies include Logrunner,
Red-browed Treecreeper, Regent Bowerbird, Paradise Riflebird,
Rufous Scrub-bird, Marbled Frogmouth among others. Night
at O’Reilly’s.
Day
9: Transfer to Stanthorpe.
We head south into New South Wales, towards the town
of Stanthorpe, visiting Girraween National Park. Night
in
Stanthorpe.
Day
10: Transfer to Barraba.
Barraba is located on the escarpment of high tablelands
with forests and pastureland. This attractive area
has another
suite of new
species, including Little and Musk Lorikeets, Brown
Treecreeper, Striped and
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, Striated and Spotted Pardalotes,
and Grey and Pied Butcherbirds.
Night in Barraba.
Day
11: Barraba District.
Barraba is famous for the Regent Honeyeater, and
we make efforts to find this spectacular species,
as well
as
Turquoise and
Red-winged Parrots,
Plum-headed Finch, Black-chinned Honeyeater and
Rufous Songlark.If time, we visit the Pillaga Scrub, yet
another different habitat
type of dense
forest with new species of trees; here we could
find Speckled Warbler, Diamond Firetail, Yellow-tufted
Honeyeater, Glossy
Black Cockatoo,
Spotted Bowerbird and Double-barred Finch. Night
in Barraba.
Day
12: Warrumbungle National Park.
Our next destination is Warrumbungle National Park,
renowned for jagged rock formations jutting out
above open woods.
The park is
a birder’s
haven; we should have a fine time locating Wedge-tailed
Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Galah, Red-winged Parrot,
Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Cockatiel,
Budgerigar, Blue Bonnet, Crimson and Eastern
Rosellas, Rainbow Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
and Turquoise Parrot. Emus are here, as are
Sacred Kingfisher, Common Bronzewing, Jacky Winter,
Varied Sitella, several honeyeaters and treecreepers,
Chestnut-rumped Hylacola and
much more.
Night near the national park.
Day
13: Coonabarabran to Newcastle Harbour.
Today we travel though the charming Hunter
Valley, a mixture of Box and Ironbark Woodland,
pastures
and cropland.
Stops
along the
way
could turn
up Pallid Cuckoo, White-throated Gerygone,
Noisy Miner, Laughing Kookaburra, Crested Pigeon
and
Whistling Kite.
The estuary
at the end of the valley
supports many shorebirds such as Bar-tailed
and Black-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel, Eurasian
Curlew,
Red and Great
Knots, Gray-tailed Tattler,
Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Black-fronted
Dotterel. Night in Newcastle Harbour.
Day
14: Pelagic Trip.
Today we have an all-day optional pelagic trip
out of Newcastle Harbour to the edge of the
continental shelf.
Beyond the
shelf, the ocean
floor drops abruptly to depths of more than
4000 m. Seabirds we could encounter
include Flesh-footed, Fluttering, Short-tailed
and
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Pomarine Jaeger,
Great-winged and Solander
Petrels, and Shy and Wandering
Albatrosses. Once back on land we head down
to Sydney. Night in Sydney.
Day
15: Sydney area.
Today we spend our time near Sydney looking
for Rock Warbler, Pilotbird and Superb
Lyrebird, plus any
other species that
we may have missed
up to now, perhaps Black Ducks, Chestnut
Teal, Swamphen, and if we are lucky,
both Wandering and Plumed Whistling-Ducks,
and
even a Black-necked Stork is possible.
Night in Sydney.
Day
16: Departure.
Our tour ends after breakfast, as we travel
to Sydney’s Kingsford
Smith airport for our flights home or on to Hobart for the post-tour.
Day 1: Arrival in Cairns
Optional Great Barrier Reef cruise. From Cairns we board our comfortable
vessel for a relaxing two hour cruise out to Michaelmas Cay, a true
coral cay and bird sanctuary located 40km north-east of Cairns, and
part of the 2000 km long Great Barrier Reef. Thousands of ground-nesting
seabirds occur here: Sooty and Crested Terns, Brown Noddy, Silver Gull,
Brown Booby, Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds, with a chance of rarer
terns and boobies. There will be opportunities for a refreshing dip
or snorkel in these beautiful waters. For those not participating in
the pelagic, we meet at 7.00pm in the lobby for a welcome dinner.
Day 2: Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a region of beautiful scenery with lakes
and waterfalls, green pastures, savanna, open woodlands and scattered
wetlands nestled in national parks and state forests, as well as
Queensland’s
highest mountains rising to over 1600m. Birding can be superb: Sarus
Crane, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Pied Monarch, Chowchilla,
Red-backed Fairy-wren, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Golden Bowerbird,
Tooth-billed and Spotted Catbirds and Victoria’s Riflebird. Kingfisher
Park Birdwatchers’ Lodge, on the northern edge of the Tableland,
caters exclusively to birders; within the grounds are Wompoo Fruit-Dove,
Emerald Dove, Noisy Pitta, Red-necked Crake, Buff-banded Rail,
Lesser Sooty Owl, and an array of honeyeaters. Nearby is Mount
Lewis covered
in upland rainforest where we hope to find Atherton Scrubwren,
Fernwren and Mountain Thornbill. Night at Kingfisher Lodge.
Day 3: Daintree River Cruise and Atherton Tableland
Our destination today is the Daintree River, where we take a pleasant
cruise through farmland and rainforest on the look-out for Great-billed
Heron, Little Kingfisher, White-rumped Swiftlet, Cicadabird, Spectacled
Monarch, Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Black-necked Stork and Black Butcherbird,
and possibly a saltwater crocodile. We return to Julatten and leave
for Yungaburra, stopping on the way to look for species we may
have missed up to now – perhaps Spotted Catbird, Victoria’s
Riflebird or Yellow-breasted Boatbill. Night in Yungaburra, a National
Trust village that has a platypus viewing platform.
Day 4: Transfer to Mission Beach
We head south to Mission Beach, which has a large population of
Southern Cassowary. We pass through Wooroonooran National Park,
an area of
mature upland rainforest, and then into coastal rainforest along
palm-fringed
sandy beaches. We walk trails in this areas looking for White-eared
Monarch, Fig Parrot, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Topknot Pigeon
and Varied Triller, and with luck we’ll spot a male Cassowary
with chicks in tow. Night in Mission Beach.
Day 5: Back to Cairns and Cairns Esplanade
We head back to Cairns, stopping on the way to look for Mangrove Robin,
Collared Kingfisher and Lovely Fairy-wren. Once we reach Cairns, we
head for the famous salt marshes and mudflats of the Cairns Esplanade.
Water bird numbers and diversity can be amazing: Beach Stone-curlew,
Bar-tailed Godwit, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Striated Heron, Red-capped
Plover, and Royal Spoonbills among many others. Night in Cairns.
Day 6: Transfer to Lamington National Park
We catch an early morning flight to Coolangatta and drive to the
Green Mountains in Lamington National Park, where we head for O’Reilly’s
Guesthouse for a two night stay.
Day 7: Lamington National Park
This park covers most of the spectacular Lamington Plateau, a geologically
fascinating plateau with deep gorges and caves that drops into
the caldera of an extinct volcano and is covered in temperate rainforest.
A feature attraction is the amazing Albert’s Lyrebird, and we
make a special attempt to find this incredible mimic. Other goodies
include Logrunner, Red-browed Treecreeper, Regent Bowerbird, Paradise
Riflebird, Rufous Scrub-bird, Marbled Frogmouth among others. Night
at O’Reilly’s.
Day 8: Transfer to Iluka
We head south into New South Wales, and then along the coast to
Iluka. The Border Ranges National Park incorporates part of the
rim of the
largest caldera in the Southern Hemisphere. The Tweed Range Scenic
Drive passes through subtropical and temperate rainforest, which
support a host of new species such as White-headed Pigeon, Russet-tailed
Thrush,
Pale-yellow Robin, Eastern Whipbird, Lewin’s Honeyeater,
Rufous Fantail, Satin Bowerbird, Large-billed and Yellow-throated
Scrubwren,
Rufous Shrike-thrush, Southern Emu Wren and Barred Cuckoo Shrike,
as well as Koala. Night in Iluka.
Day 9: Transfer to Barraba
Barraba is located on the escarpment of high tablelands with forests
and pastureland. This attractive area has another suite of new species,
including Little and Musk Lorikeets, Brown Treecreeper, Striped and
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, Striated and Spotted Pardalotes, and Grey
and Pied Butcherbirds. Night in Barraba.
Day 10: Barraba District
Barraba is famous for the Regent Honeyeater, and we make efforts to
find this spectacular species, as well as Turquoise and Red-winged
Parrots, Plum-headed Finch, Black-chinned Honeyeater and Rufous Songlark.
Night in Barraba.
Day 11: Pillaga Scrub
This area has yet another different habitat type of dense forest with
new species of trees; here we could find Speckled Warbler, Diamond
Firetail, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Spotted
Bowerbird and Double-barred Finch. Night in Barraba.
Day 12: Warrumbungle National Park
Our next destination is Warrumbungle National Park, renowned for
jagged rock formations jutting out above open woods. The park is
a birder’s
haven; we should have a fine time locating Wedge-tailed Eagle,
Peregrine Falcon, Galah, Red-winged Parrot, Australian (Mallee)
Ringneck, Cockatiel,
Budgerigar, Blue Bonnet, Crimson and Eastern Rosellas, Rainbow
Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Turquoise Parrot. Emus are
here, as
are Sacred Kingfisher, Common Bronzewing, Jacky Winter, Varied
Sitella, several honeyeaters and treecreepers, Chestnut-rumped
Hylacola and
much more. Night near the national park.
Day 13: Coonabarabran to Newcastle Harbour
Today we travel though the charming Hunter Valley, a mixture of Box
and Ironbark Woodland, pastures and cropland. Stops along the way could
turn up Pallid Cuckoo, White-throated Gerygone, Noisy Miner, Laughing
Kookaburra, Crested Pigeon and Whistling Kite. The estuary at the end
of the valley supports many shorebirds such as Bar-tailed and Black-tailed
Godwits, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Red and Great Knots, Gray-tailed
Tattler, Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Black-fronted Dotterel. Night
in Newcastle Harbour.
Day 14: Pelagic Trip
Today we have an all-day optional pelagic trip out of Newcastle Harbour
to the edge of the continental shelf. Beyond the shelf, the ocean floor
drops abruptly to depths of more than 4000 m. Seabirds we could encounter
include Flesh-footed, Fluttering, Short-tailed and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters,
Pomarine Jaeger, Great-winged and Solander Petrels, and Shy and Wandering
Albatrosses. Once back on land we head down to Sydney. Night in Sydney.
Day 15: Sydney area
Today we spend our time near Sydney looking for Rock Warbler, Pilotbird
and Superb Lyrebird, plus any other species that we may have missed
up to now, perhaps Black Ducks, Chestnut Teal, Swamphen, and if we
are lucky, both Wandering and Plumed Whistling-Ducks, and even a Black-necked
Stork is possible. Night in Sydney.
Day 16: Departure
Our tour ends after breakfast, as we travel to Sydney’s Kingsford
Smith airport for our flights home.
What
to expect
Our
daily travel schedule varies. Most days involve a full day of birding,
usually with a picnic lunch in a prime birding
spot. Driving distances vary from short to moderate, with long drives
on a few days. We make frequent stops during each day’s travel.
You can expect some early morning walks. This tour involves easy to
moderate walking and hiking, as well as short forays away from the
van. Most days we return in late afternoon to our accommodation. After-dinner
activities are optional.
Climate of these regions ranges from seasonably warm to mild as we
head further south. September is normally settled, with temperatures
in Cairns averaging 75°F with a humidity of 54%, very pleasant
for birding. In Cairns a light jacket is recommended for our trip to
the reef in case onshore winds are cool. Most days are warm or hot,
dry and sunny, but overcast conditions are frequent with possible rain
and high humidity in coastal areas. The sun can be intense, so sunscreen
and a brimmed hat are advised. Wet weather protection is recommended
with light waterproof pants and jacket ideal.
Our itinerary includes one internal flight and one open ocean optional
pelagic trip, which might be cool. At Kingfisher Park some rooms have
shared bathroom facilities. The list of birds and other wildlife seen
will be reviewed each evening, and plans for the next day discussed.
Plans could change slightly if reports of vagrant or accidental species,
within reasonable driving distance, are received. Spotting scopes will
be useful on this trip, especially at coastal locations; the leader
will have a scope for the group to share.
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Australia
is a naturalist’s dream come true. Australia harbors enormous diversity
of habitats, including the world’s longest coral reef (the 1260-mile
long Great Barrier Reef). Our tour focuses on eastern Australia, during
the dry season. From northeast, where we have a chance for cassowary,
bowerbirds and platypus, to the southeast’s lyrebirds, fairy wrens,
wallabies, albatrosses and penguins, our tour samples a good portion
of Australia’s scenery, avifauna and other wildlife. Endemism is
extraordinary; 5 non-passerine families and 15 passerine families are
endemic to Australasia, plus diverse marsupials, pigeons (26 species),
parrots (53 species) and seabirds (79 species). A superb and exciting
tour with mostly easy birding in comfortable surroundings – truly
unforgettable!