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Sidney/Melbourne/Cairns bound from UK (1 Viewer)

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purplesky

Member
We have a 4 week trip to Oz planned at the beginning of March. We will be staying with friends in Sidney and plan to fly to both Melbourne and Cairns during our stay. We intend to hire cars in all locations so we will have transport.
We also intend to book a visit to Philip Island before we go.

I would love to maximise the experience of seeing the wonderful bird life during my visit. However, my two companions are not as engrossed by the bird thing as myself |:(|, so does anyone have any bird-oriented suggestions that will have wider appeal e.g. breakfast with the birds sort of thing.

I hope I have posted in the right place (sorry I'm a forum newbie).|:$|

Cheers.
 
purplesky said:
We have a 4 week trip to Oz planned at the beginning of March. We will be staying with friends in Sidney and plan to fly to both Melbourne and Cairns during our stay. We intend to hire cars in all locations so we will have transport.
We also intend to book a visit to Philip Island before we go.

I would love to maximise the experience of seeing the wonderful bird life during my visit. However, my two companions are not as engrossed by the bird thing as myself |:(|, so does anyone have any bird-oriented suggestions that will have wider appeal e.g. breakfast with the birds sort of thing.

I hope I have posted in the right place (sorry I'm a forum newbie).|:$|

Cheers.
Click to expand...

If you go to Cairns I highly recommend at least a night at the Cassowary House near Kuranda. Nothing beats breakfast on the terrace in the morning surrounded by Victoria's Riflebirds, Catbirds and Honeycreepers!! You might be lucky enough to have coffee 4 feet away from the local Cassowary as we did.:t:
 
purplesky said:
We have a 4 week trip to Oz planned at the beginning of March. We will be staying with friends in Sidney and plan to fly to both Melbourne and Cairns during our stay. We intend to hire cars in all locations so we will have transport. We also intend to book a visit to Philip Island before we go. I would love to maximise the experience of seeing the wonderful bird life during my visit. However, my two companions are not as engrossed by the bird thing as myself |:(|, so does anyone have any bird-oriented suggestions that will have wider appeal e.g. breakfast with the birds sort of thing. I hope I have posted in the right place (sorry I'm a forum newbie).|:$| Cheers.
Click to expand...

We were all furum newbies at one stage! (Or forum new chums as older Aussies might say). There are quite a few places to stay on Phillip Island - we stayed in November at the Arthur Phillip Motor Inn in Cowes (2 Redwood Drive; 0359523788) - very friendly and helpful place - but check the dates beforehand of any major events at the GP Circuit, when 20,000 people become 150,000! It's very worthwhile going to see the shearwaters reurn at dusk, but they may not be there at that season - again you can check on-line. Note the spelling of Phillip Island - the locals wearily ask people to get it right! The Retired Servicemen's Club (you just have to sign in) is a good and relatively inexpensive place to eat.

Both Melbourne and Sydney (Sydneysiders are far more outspoken if you make a spelling mistake in the name of their fine city!) are cosmopolitan places where the Botanical Gardens are good places to bird and just to wander - plenty of good birding in the parks - but their art galleries and museums are very worth while visiting. You should get some useful advice from Aussie Bird Forum members - we did, both on-line and in-country.

The mature forests of the Dandenongs on the outskirts of Melbourne are excellent. Sydney is just a couple of hours from the Wollemi National Park (many entrances). It's a good idea to fly to Cairns at that time of year - the main highway north is often cut by wet season floods.
MJB
PS Make sure you get a rental car with satnav - it makes life much easier!
 
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Thanks MJB for the time and trouble you took in your reply. Lots of excellent stuff and advice in there. You points about spelling are noted - thanks. I blame my other half for the Phillip Island gaff - I even checked with him first that it was one 'l'! But as for Sydney, I must have been having a mental aberration (or I would be if I could actually spell that)!!! Yes totally agree with the satnav idea and will do so.

We are trying to decide which ticketing option to go for on Phillip Island such as the private penguin parade experience, or the limited platform etc etc. It is hard to know how busy it all gets at that time of year. I also understand that it isn't the best time to be seeing them, as their numbers are reduced in March.

Looking forward to it now. It will be good to escape this dreary time of year here.

Cheers
 
purplesky said:
Thanks MJB for the time and trouble you took in your reply. Lots of excellent stuff and advice in there. You points about spelling are noted - thanks. I blame my other half for the Phillip Island gaff - I even checked with him first that it was one 'l'! But as for Sydney, I must have been having a mental aberration (or I would be if I could actually spell that)!!! Yes totally agree with the satnav idea and will do so. We are trying to decide which ticketing option to go for on Phillip Island such as the private penguin parade experience, or the limited platform etc etc. It is hard to know how busy it all gets at that time of year. I also understand that it isn't the best time to be seeing them, as their numbers are reduced in March. Looking forward to it now. It will be good to escape this dreary time of year here. Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm fortunate to have Snow Bunting flocks within 5 miles, Dartford Warbler even closer and quite a few other winter visitors within an hour's drive, so not so dreary in that sense!

There are quite a few beaches below cliffs to the west of Phillip Island that might hold Little Penguin - you might try googling various locations with the species name - and in any case the spectacular ocean views might persuade your companions.

Also, if you check out the website for the Motor Inn, you could ask their advice beforehand - Australians are superb at helping you out! If you get the second edition of Richard Thomas' book on where to find birds in Australia, it is pretty helpful on site location, accessibility and seasonal information.

If you want to follow our adventures in Oz over a six-month visit, it's a thread in 'Australia' under 'Exploring Australia by 4x4'.
MJB
 
Hmmm... I've had lots of experience trying to find non-birder-oriented places to go birding, as my parents and sister aren't really that into it ;) How nature oriented are your friends? There are some great places to go that contain both birds and other animals/natural wonders.

If you don't think they'll be interested in going bush at all, then I could come up with a few suggestions as to where you would be able to go yourself for one morning or something...
 
Joshua-B said:
If you don't think they'll be interested in going bush at all, then I could come up with a few suggestions as to where you would be able to go yourself for one morning or something...
Click to expand...

Josh,
I can vouch that you know your backyard (ie Australia!) pretty well:t:.

Where did you get Pilotbird?
MJB
 
Another vote for Cassowary House, but then I would as the owners are old friends. Sue's breakfasts are worth the trip alone! I jaunt out to the Great Barrier Reef (Sue can give details of the people go with) is a must,
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone

I think we would all enjoy other nature oriented things - so your suggestions Joshua would be very welcome.

I've googled the Cassowary House and that looks spot-on, so I intend to put that on the itinerary. Regarding the Great Barrier Reef I had a suggestion for "Reef Magic" as a good company to go with.
 
Daintree is another option from Cairns, great b&B there as well, Red Mill House. Early morning boat trip is excellent and will pull in some good birds.
Similarly Kingfisher Lodge is another good option, accommodation and birding in 1 place.

Phil
 
Barren Grounds MJB ;) A bogey that took quite a while!

Ok then - I shall list a few suggestions then. If you're interested in any of them, tell me which ones and I can give you much more specific information ;)

Capertee Valley
At least an overnight trip from Sydney (there are places to stay or camping facilities), which is also just about the best place you can go for birding near Sydney. Species include a lot of western birds (such as finches, raptors, cuckoos, honeyeaters, particularly the rare Regent Honeyeater). Coupled with unspoilt wilderness and spectacular scenery, it's a great place to visit.

Royal National Park
Within Sydney, it's hard to go past the Royal. A 10km walking/bike trail leads through the centre of the park (though it's easy to have a picnic and go birding at Wattle Flat, the northern end of the trail). Lyrebirds, bowerbirds, robins, scrubwrens and honeyeaters. Curra Moors is also very good, the area being heathland, containing birds such as Beautiful Firetail, Rockwarbler, heathwren, honeyeaters, etc. A walk to the cliffs is great for nature lovers - with whales in the right season, and good chances at albatross in winter months.

Pitt Town Lagoon
A large lagoon, a bit flooded at the moment, but holds a large number of Australian waterbirds, and often turns up rarer species such as bittern, crakes, rails, quail, etc

Scheyville National Park
Near Pitt Town Lagoon, this is one of the best dry forest locations in Sydney, with reasonable chance of many honeyeaters, white-winged triller, gerygones, little lorikeet, painted button-quail, whistlers and the speciality of Scheyville, Crested Shrike-tits.

Mitchell Park
Another wet forest location, very good for thornbills, robins, parrots, cuckoos, pigeons, and many other species. Always worth a visit in the morning, and also offers the closest/best spotlighting location in Sydney, with Tawny Frogmouth, Owlet Nightjar, White-throated Nightjar, Boobook and rarely Masked Owl
 
Many thanks Hampers and Joshua - some great suggestions here. I will talk to the others Joshua and see if any of these float their boats (as it were), and come back to you if I may.

Cheers.
 
The best company for a jaunt out to Michelmas Cay (where the terns & frigate birds are) is Sea Star Cruises (www.seastarcruises.com.au) as they get there before the larger boats arrive. Most folks are there for the scuba diving,but the captain understands birders and whipped me round the island in his dinghy before we left.

For photos of breakfast at Cassowary House, the birds and some other ideas (inc. where to see Duck-billed Platypus) see my account of my stay at
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=189375. Sue & Phil are used to dealing with 'birdy/wildlife guests' and can offer a good deal of invaluable advice,
 
Red Mill House in Daintree is superb. Take the early morning boat trip on the Daintree--the boat leaves only a couple of hundred yards from RMH. For the non birders there are usually some snakes seen.

Alex
 
Do the birding boat trips still go out from Daintree? Thought Chris Dahlberg jacked it in?
I took my family (non birders) to Daintree and they enjoyed it. We done a night boat trip with Dan Irby and everyone enjoyed the Saltie crocks, frogmouth, Kingfishers at night, jumping shrimps to name a few! Have just returned from Oz with non birding family, we had a fishing trip for half a day out of Batemans Bay which also produced shearwaters and Black-browed Albatross (btw, we have never been sea fishing before so it was fun) and had I not been on the Wollongong pelagic the albie would have been a major delight (still was really!) Dolphin watching trips can also get you offshore but generally not as far. There are endless National and State parks, most with free to use BBQ's and toilets (so it doesn't feel too native for some!) and most have shorter walking loops that can be generally interesting for non birders but still give you opportunities if you plan ahead. If its your first trip to Oz you will be unindated with new birds so you could get a very satisfying haul without rocking the boat too much! The Aussie posters on here can give a wealth of useful information. Certainly did for me (Cheers Josh-B!) B :)
 
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Raptor Reveller said:
Do the birding boat trips still go out from Daintree? Thought Chris Dahlberg jacked it in?
Click to expand...

Chris Dahlberg was due to retire not long after I was there in December 2010, but he had a very good protege Murray Hunt a birder who had not long since passed exams to qualify as a boatman. He has now taken over Dahlberg's business a going concern (see http://daintreerivertours.com.au/) I did a little birding with Murray whilst I wa out there and found him an excellent companion and birder,
 
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John Cantelo said:
Chris Dahlberg was due to retire not long after I was there in December 2010, but he had a very good protege Murray Hunt a birder who had not long since passed exams to qualify as a boatman. He has now taken over Dahlberg's business a going concern (see http://daintreerivertours.com.au/) I did a little birding with Murray whilst I wa out there and found him an excellent companion and birder,
Click to expand...

I can second John's recommendation - we did two trips with Murray, and got a different lot of species. Thoroughly woth it!
MJB
 
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