4thebirds

Our annual Mom/Daugher trip in mid March so far begins with 3 nights in Sydney staying at the B&B Sydney Harbor. We want to keep our goals reasonable so as not to be in a car too much. Our interest are light hiking and birdwatching, wildlife and beautiful sights. The Blue Mts. seem to be a good place to start. I would like to know if there is a good loop we can take along the coast that takes us inland through national parks for some days. We have some info on Capertree Valley from Carol Probets web site that looks good but maybe too remote for first time visitors. We also have considered a couple of days in Tasmania. We are from Hawaii so beach time does not interest us. Considering the bushfire damage that has been reported through the National Park service web site are there areas we should not go to? Although we don't 'live' to see birds we are quite excited about the great variety there and are eager to devote sometime to birdwatching. I have the 2007 NSW National Park Guide so I can find any park references somebody might have. Also is it necessary to reserve accommodations ahead of time outside of Sydney the last half of March? Does anyone know about Mungo NP, how to get there via plane and accommodations?

beryl800

Birding is Sydney is easy enough. You'll probably pick up 10 lifers in the Botanic Gardens on the day you arrive. Another good place to start is the Cumberland birders club in Sydney, who welcome visitors for free. They run trips most weekends - http://www.cboc.org.au/. There's also Follow That Bird, a professional company in Sydney. A couple of times a monhth there's a pleagic trip off Sydney, check Tony Palliser's pelagic site. Mungo is pretty remote, and actually easier to get to from Victoria in some ways. otherwise, fly to Broken Hill, and drive. However, you won't see much, as virtually all of the flowering stuff will have finished, and the birds will mostly be thin on the ground. There's a couple of companies that go there, but you'll get frustrated driving past those diamond doves on the roadside and the honeyeaters in the shrubs. They will usually stop for a flock of Major Mitchells, which is usually enough to make anyone melt, though. You can stay at Mungo Lodge, but call first - it was closed for a bit, but last I heard it's open again. Tassie's good, but if you have only a short time bite the bullet and stay at Inala, on Bruny Island. Expensive, but a very good birder runs the place, and the island - and her property - has all of Tassie's endemics. Plus, of course, a bunch of others, including seabirds and penguins. Otherwise, hire a car and go ut to Kiong's Run and get Geoff to show you Tassie Devils, and birds. The orange-bellied parrots will be moving through, heading for Victoria and SA. In most places you should be good to pick up accommodation as you go, even if it means your very average motel. Royal national Park is a must, but get there early so you can hear, follow and see the lyrebirds - plus a bunch of others. Check carefully the heath area, and whenver you see something flowering, stop, sit, look and listen. The best option is often to find, if you can, someflwoering shrubs, near some water, in the sun, and just sit and wait. Much will come through. eaier than thrashing around. Don't forget Australian birds generally like a bit of a feed - and especially a drink - in the late afternoon, so this can also be a productive time unlike most of the US.

If you have a university with a decent biological library near you they may subscribe to Wingspan, the mag of Birds Australia (RAOU), whihc has a lot of advertisements for birdy accommodation.

beryl800

Apologies for the above post, it got posted before I finished and reviewed it, so it's full of typos. it's King's Run, not Koing's Run, and the rest I think you can work out. Good birding, post with any other questions.

fuzzylogic

How many days do you have here?
th
Mungo is a big trek from Sydney,

But if you get a map you could plan a round trip Sydney to Sydney - so many small places that wouldn't feature on any look up list.

And you would find your own experiences - so much better, don't you think?

4thebirds

Aloha beryl800 & fuzzylogic,
Thanks so much for all the ideas I will explore them. Our actual time in Au., we arrive mid afternoon on the 18th of March and fly home in the evening of the 31st.
Looking at my NP Guide. If we were to fly into Broken Hill, hire a car and drive to Kinchega NP then on to Mungo NP (not sure of the actual distance between these two NPs) and then back to Broken Hill and fly back to Sydney or is there an airport in Mildura? The drive doesn't look too long between Wentworth and Broken Hill. Do you think this could be done in say, 3 days and still be fun and interesting? And is there water in the lakes of either of these NPs?
Thanks, 4thebirds

FurryTiles

Hi 4theBirds,

A birding handbook that always gets packed first, together with small ‘bird-watching’ binoculars (both now over 20 years old!), when we’re off on weekend getaways and holidays is <i>The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds</i> which I believe is still held in very high regard by international birders.

It’s available at Amazons http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slater-Field.../dp/1877069000 but see used copies are also available online.

I've found it wonderfully informative and so easy to use that even my non-birding DH will shout &quot;where's the bird book!&quot; when he sees a bird he doesn't recognise - so now it's got beer as well as red wine rings on the cover

Best wishes for happy and successful birdwatching adventures,
Jackie

beryl800

4thebirds, you can do the drive down from Broken Hill to Mildura via Kinchega and Mungo in three days. There is an airport in Mildura, with plenty of flights. However, it's only another 4 hours to Adelaide and 6 to Melourne from there. BH to Mildura would be a good run, with the bird life dependent on rain, but still good for parrots regardless. Melbourne offers the Werribee sewage farm, one of Australia's foremost shorebird areas, complete with beachside/lagoon hides (it is a farm, and not one of the smelly sewage works; it covers hundreds of acres of bush and farmland.) This would also enable you to visit the Big Desert / Wyperfield NPs, very different to that just north as they are sandy based, with dune desert vegetation.

Susan7

In terms of the hiking part of your question, for more detailed information about NSW national parks, try the Gregory's National Parks of NSW. My favourite national park walks include: Basin Walk, Kuringai National Park (northern Sydney), Blue Gum Forest walk (from Blackheath, Blue Mountains), Minnamurra Falls (south of Sydney, near Gerringong), Tilba Tilba (fantastic rock formations sacred to local indigenous women, far South coast of NSW), Pigeon House Mountain (inland from Milton, south coast NSW).