This female Plains-wanderer is larger and more brightly colored than the male. Photo: Judy Davis
Australia is a continent of contrasts and adventure, of isolation and stark beauty. The outback of Australia is for most, the unknown of Australia, a legendary land steeped in history with vast desert and immense cattle and sheep ranches, the dreamland of the Aborigines. For birders, mention of the Australian outback evokes images of nomadic birds seeking watering holes, mythical grasswrens and gibberbirds and rarely seen parrots and raptors. As we journey north from Melbourne, we’ll encounter geographical diversity that will include vast plains, grasslands, varied woodland, swamps and riverine forests, sand dunes, mallee scrub, and the Strzelecki and Cobbler deserts. At any given moment we many have the opportunity to see a falcon streaking across the sky, a flock of pink-hued Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos in striking contrast to the surrounding desert colors, diminutive grasswrens playing hide-and-seek, or vividly colored chats or gibber birds on desert plains. Throughout, our accommodation will be as diverse as the birds and geography, ranging from comfortable hotels and B & B’s to the unique opportunity to spend a couple of nights on a cattle ranch. We’ll also have an opportunity to cross the historic Dog Fence, said to be the longest fence in the world.
Day 1: The tour begins this morning in Melbourne. We’ll travel north to Deniliquin, stopping about halfway to bird in the foothill forests around Heathcote, where we could see several species here that won’t be seen elsewhere on the tour, perhaps including Speckled Warbler, Scarlet Robin, Fuscous and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, and Purple-crowned and Musk Lorikeets. A spotlighting expedition tonight on the plains could produce Plains-wanderer, our flagship species, plus Stubble and perhaps Little Button-Quail. Night in Deniliquin.
Day 2: The box woodland around Deniliquin offers opportunities to see the well-named Superb Parrot, and Australasian Bittern is possible in the surrounding swamps. We then drive out across the vast Riverine Plain. These plains were once covered in saltbush but are now predominantly grassland. Out here we have a good chance of seeing Black Falcon, Banded Lapwing, and that quintessential Australian bird, the Emu. As we near Hillston, we leave the plains behind and the country becomes more heavily timbered with pine and wilga woodland. Mallee Ringneck and Bluebonnet, two parrots associated with this habitat, can be plentiful. Night in Hillston.
Day 3: This morning we’ll travel north of Hillston into the mallee scrub of the vast Nombinnie Nature Reserve, where we’ll seek skulkers such as Southern Scrub-Robin, Shy Heathwren, and Yellow-plumed and White-fronted Honeyeaters. Traveling through woodlands of wilga, belah, rosewood, box, and pine, we could be thrilled by a “blush” of Major Mitchell Cockatoos whirling through the trees. Other species of note today could be Spotted Bowerbird, Mulga Parrot, or Gray-fronted Honeyeater. Night in Cobar.
Day 4: Birding the woodland around Cobar in the early morning, we’ll seek out the rare Red-vented Bluebonnet (of the subspecies haematorrhous) that inhabits this area. Other birds of note around Cobar include Spotted Bowerbird, Brown, Striped, and Blue-faced Honeyeaters, and Double-bar Finch. If the colorful emu-bush Eremophila oppositifolia is in bloom, we’ll have a chance at such honeyeaters as Spiny-cheeked, White-fronted, and possibly Black.
Traveling north to Bourke we’ll pass through some of the most picturesque woodland in inland Australia. Birds to look out for in the stunning woodlands include Splendid Fairy-Wren, Chestnut-crowned Babbler, Crested Bellbird, and the breathtaking Red-winged Parrot. Night in Bourke.
Day 5: Birding along the Darling River at Bourke in the early morning, we’ll hope to encounter flocks of the primitive-looking Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. Bourke has some excellent swamps where an assortment of ducks, and Spotted, Spotless, and Baillon’s Crakes are possible if water levels are right. As we travel north, the woodland becomes more stunted, and our journey will take us through large areas of mulga shrub, where we’ll look for the easily-overlooked White-browed Treecreeper. As we enter Queensland, the scrub country gives way to the open floodplain of the Warrego River, where Spotted Harrier, Australian Bustard, and Brolga may be seen. Near Cunnamulla the open plains yield to sand ridges covered with native pines, where at times we have seen four species of large cockatoo feeding together, including flocks of Major Mitchells. Night in Cunnamulla.
Day 6: We’ll spend the morning birding the mulga thickets around Eulo for Hall’s Babbler and Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush. Bourke’s Parrot, the most delicately hued of all the Neophema parrots, will be our main quarry along the gidgee flats. As time allows, we’ll stop at the Eulo Store to buy some of the excellent Yapunyah honey, and a pause at Lake Bindigolly may turn up Freckled Duck and other waterbirds. Night in Thargomindah.
Day 7: To the west of Thargomindah the country becomes much more desert-like, with trees and shrubs becoming sparser and more stunted. We’ll see towering mesas as we cross the Grey Range and the first of the open gibber country. We’ll search flowering Eremophila bignoniflora for Black and Pied Honeyeaters; Painted Honeyeater can sometimes be found in mistletoe in this area. Flocks of Budgerigars and Crimson Chats can also be seen if the rains have started. Night at the lonely outpost of Noccundra.
Day 8: On the Wilson River at Noccundra we may encounter spectacular flocks of White-browed and Masked Woodswallows. If conditions are right, we may also encounter the enigmatic Flock Bronzewing and Gibber Chat as we traverse the vast plain en route to the old mining town of Tibooburra. We’ll keep an eye out along the tree-lined watercourses for Gray Falcon, one of Australia’s rarest raptors. Night in Tibooburra.
Day 9: Today we’ll be searching for the Gray Grasswren, which inhabits the lignum and canegrass swamps of the Bulloo Overflow. The delightful Chirruping Wedgebill may also be encountered here. We’ll spend the rest of the day exploring the rolling gibber downs of Sturt National Park, where careful scanning may yield the cryptic Inland Dotterel; Sturt also offers another chance at Gibber Chat or Red Kangaroo. The stunning Sturt’s desert pea will delight flora enthusiasts if conditions have been suitable. Night in Tibooburra.
Day 10: The rolling sand dunes west of Tibooburra can be good for Crimson Chat and Black Honeyeater if there has been recent rain. Along Frome Creek we’ll watch the sky for Black-breasted Buzzard and search hollow redgums for Australian Owlet-nightjar. The thick coolabah around Lake Pinaroo offers our first chance at Red-browed Pardalotes and another opportunity for Bourke’s Parrot. Later in the afternoon we’ll cross the Dog Fence, said to be the longest fence in the world, built to keep dingos out of the sheep country on the eastern side of the fence. Completing the full outback experience, we’ll spend the night on a working cattle station.
Day 11: We’ll spend most of the day on the sand dunes of the Strzelecki Desert. The key bird today is the Eyrean Grasswren, which lives on top of the dunes in thick sandhill cane grass; that this species went undetected for most of the last century attests to its secretive nature. Other species we’ll be looking for include Cinnamon Quail-thrush and Banded Whiteface. White-backed Swallow can also usually be seen in this area. Night at the cattle station.
Day 12: We’ll rise early today to start the long journey down the Strzelecki Track to Lyndhurst, crossing the starkly beautiful Cobbler Desert and the vast gibber plain. The bird to look out for today will be the nocturnal Letter-winged Kite, which often roosts during the day along the coolabah-lined watercourses that thread through the deserts. We’ll also scan the gibber plain for Gibber Chat and Inland Dotterel, should we not have seen them earlier. Australian Pratincole can be plentiful if the area has had rain. Night in Lyndhurst.
Day 13: The modestus race of Thick-billed Grasswren and Chestnut-breasted Whiteface, two of inland Australia’s most elusive birds, are our objectives on the bluebush-covered hills at the eastern end of the Strzelecki Track. While the whiteface has never been common and the grasswren’s distribution is diminished, with luck and hard work we should see both. We’ll leave Lyndhurst after lunch, arriving at the historic Parachilna Hotel, famous for its wild food, in time for dinner. Night in Parachilna.
Day 14: Today we’ll explore the ruggedly beautiful Flinders Ranges. The redgum-lined watercourses hold a good breeding population of Elegant Parrots, with Redthroat and Black-eared Cuckoo usually present in patches of scrub. We should see the Flinders Ranges form of Ringneck, and raptors including Little Eagle are often seen in the area. We have another chance here at Gray-fronted Honeyeater, and we’ll scan the rock faces for Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies, which have their last refuge in this area. Night at Flinders Ranges.
Day 15: We’ll spend the morning seeking out the Flinders Ranges Grasswren, which inhabits the spinifex-covered slopes and ridges. Previously rconsidered a race merrotsyi of Striated Grasswren, this form is now considered a species in its own right. Like all the grasswrens, it can be difficult but we’ll give it our best shot. Powerfully built Euros (Wallaroos) are often seen bounding away on the spinifex-covered hills. After lunch we’ll travel through farmland to the historic mining town of Burra. Spotted Harrier can often be seen hunting over the paddocks and Brown Songlarks can be common. Night in Burra.
Day 16: Adelaide Rosella, a distinctive subspecies of Crimson Rosella, should be easily seen around the township of Burra. Birding in the Morgan area will provide us additional opportunities for Redthroat, Black-eared Cuckoo, and Black Honeyeater. Purple-crowned Lorikeets often adorn the flowering eucalypts in town. After ferrying across the Murray River, we’ll check the trees for Regent Parrot before carrying on to Lameroo, checking out lakes and swamps en route. Night in Lameroo.
Day 17: We’ll spend the day in the mallee scrub of Billiat Conservation Park, where there are good populations of most of the mallee specialties, including Malleefowl, Striated Grasswren, Gilbert’s Whistler, Chestnut Quail-thrush, Southern Scrub-robin, Shy Heathwren, and Purple-gaped Honeyeater. There is also a good chance at the difficult Red-lored Whistler, and a small population of the endangered Western Whipbird also occurs in the park. Night in Lameroo.
Day 18: This morning we’ll visit Ngarkat Conservation Park. The park’s extensive banksia heath is an excellent area for honeyeaters, with Tawny-crowned, White-fronted, and New Holland often present. Slender-billed Thornbill also occurs here. We’ll continue east into Victoria to Murray/Sunset National Park, where we’ll search for the secretive Mallee Emu-wren. Night in Ouyen.
Day 19: Today we’ll travel back to Melbourne, looking for birds as we drive. The forests of yellow gum and box around Charlton can be good for Musk Lorikeet if these eucalypts are blooming. Around Inglewood, the low mallee may yield Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, while taller mallee should shelter White-eared Honeyeater. We’ll also be on the lookout for raptors, including Brown Goshawk and Little Eagle. Night in Melbourne.
Day 20: The tour concludes this morning in Melbourne.
Updated: 13 June 2008
Prices
- 2009 price about $9,910
- Single Occupancy Supplement $580
Notes
Maximum group size 10 with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the group irrespective of group size.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.