Toucan2

So I've got that, A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia, and Watching Wildlife Australia strewn about the iving room. Yay!

Maybe I will recognize a thing or two.

annhig

Hi toucan

i think that the butterfly guide would be a bit specialise for us, but I'd like some sort of wildlife reference book on hand in Oz and NZ.

have you seen anything more general that you would recommend?

BTW, while I was googling, I cam across this chap:

http://www.wildwatch.com.au/contactUsSent.aspx

He offers wildlife tours that look quite interesting. have you had experience of him or anyone similar?

Bokhara2

Also check out Alan Gillanders (sp). He's on the Atherton Tablelands, a generous Fodorite contributor who posts as AlanJG.

Toucan2

Darn it, my whole post disappeared. I shall start again.

Watching Wildlife Australia is a Lonely Planet Guide that is a good general guide. I used it on my last trip.

I have not gone out with Jonathan Munro but have heard good things about him.

I have, however, gone out with Alan Gillanders who Bokhara mentions above. In fact, we had such a good time with him that we are spending a solid 3 1/2 days with him on this next trip. He's not just birding, although he is great at that. He'll show you all manner of flora and fauna. He made sure I saw a platypus last time and I was very excited about that. I'm especially looking forward to the nocturnal tour this next time.

His web site is www.alanswildlifetours.com.au

He is also very entertaining!

annhig

thanks, Toucan and Bokhara, I've already sent e-mails to Alan and Jonathan.

I see however that alan is based a little south of Cairns. How would that fit in with our present plan to stay in Port douglas? [not sure of the practicalities of driving in that area].

also, while I'm here, how long should we allow between landing in Brisbane and catching a connecting flight to Cairns? We land at 8am and there is a flight to Cairns at 11 am. Any reason why I shouldn't book it?

Toucan2

International into Brisbane? You'll need to check if the flight to Cairns will be out of the international or the domestic terminal. Even internally it could be out of the international terminal. We were actually dropped at the domestic terminal and it turned out we need to be at the other, and it was quite a race to get there.

If you don't have to go through customs and immigration., I would say absolutely. If this is your first port of entry, you should probably check where the Cairns flight departs before making your decision.

Of course, I could be wrong.

To me everything is pretty close for driving in that area, but from Port Douglas it would indeed be a bit further to Alan's base. But the Atherton Tablelands are yet another unique area that you might not want to miss. Only you can decide

annhig

as ever, thanks a bunch, toucan. i had an idea that I'd read about there being an international and domestic terminal in Brisbane - is it easy to get between them or are they in completely different places? how long to transit? we'll be arriving from HK so definitely international terminal in, but I'll have to check about the flight to Cairns.

We're rethinking our ideas about how much time to spend in Brisbane during the test match. given the lack of quality opposition [loved typing that, hope I'm not counting my chickens or tempting fate] we might reduce our Brisbane stay, so we could conceivably fly into Cairns, stay up in Port Douglas for a few days while DH dives, then drive south through the Tablelands doing a wildlife tour en route to Gladstone, and fly back into Brisbane from there.

does that sound feasible?

Bokhara2

Ann: watch it girl - those chickens might just turn into emus & kick the English dunny down!

Toucan2

That's an interesting idea Ann, and I love some time just driving in the country, so that might be a good option. I'm going to let someone else with more direct experience chime in though.

It has been long enough that all I can really remember is the mad dash. I want to say that there was something like a monorail between the two terminals at the time. But, I also think that the Brisbane airport is undergoing some renovations at the moment.

I think octoberfun flies out of Brisbane, maybe she will hop on here, or maybe we should start a thread about the Brisbane airport. (I am particularly interested in what I understand are showers in the international terminal. A shower after flying from Dallas and before getting in a car and driving sounds like a great idea!)

annhig

i have pressed the yellow triangle already. Ms Brow should disappear pretty soon.

toucan, I'll follow your suggestion and post a thread about Brisbane airport.

See you there!

Susan7

Toucan, do you have a good bird guidebook we have Pizzey & Knight, Birds of Australia, which has the most delightful descriptions of bird sounds. For example, the sulphur crested cockatoo has a "shattering screech."

I just noticed they have a forthcoming multi-media edition, which generates bird populations on the basis of location etc:

http://www.gibbonmm.com.au/tour/PKBA_PC.aspx

Toucan2

Susan, we have a gazillion Australian bird guides. I don't know if we have that one, but I will have to look and bring it up to DH. I am a lazy birder and simply rely upon DH to tell me what I am looking at. I'm on my own when it comes to butterflies and flowers though.

Susan7

I'm the same, my partner is the more committed bird nerd. The multi-media edition looks brilliant, you can tap in your location and the list comes up of possible bird populations, plus it has sound recordings of the calls.

Toucan2

That does sound very cool, I am going to have to check it out. When it starts getting techy, I start getting interested. My nerdiness tends in that direction.

Toucan2

I took a look. It looks great, but it doesn't look like it's available yet

annhig

just an update on our wildlife watching plans in oz - we are lined up to do an overnight trip with Alan on our last couple of days in northern Queensland, before we head back to Brisbane for the 1st test. so thanks to both Bokara and toucan2 for that tip.

not sure which I'm looking forward to most.

well done to the Aussies on this board for being such gracious losers, BTW!

Toucan2

How exciting Ann. Where are you overnighting? We are going to both Chillagoe and Undara Lava Tubes with Alan, then back to Yungabara.

annhig

Alan is booking us in here:

http://www.kookaburra-lodge.com/

Alan will pick us up in the morning in Port Douglas [ if I can get the car hire sorted!] then we will work our way down to Yungaburra for the night, and spend the next morning with Alan before he returns us to Cairns airport to fly back to Brisbane.

before that we have 5 nights independently in PD, hopefully giving DH a chance to do some diving, and us both to see something of the area. [Daintree forest ?]

our car hire problem is that it costs less to pick up and return a car to Cairns for 6 days, than it does to have a minivan transfer and 4 days' car hire in PD. and I can't find anyone who will let me pick up at Cairns airport and return in PD. How difficult can THAT be?

<<Chillagoe and Undara Lava Tubes >>

never heard of them. do tell!

Toucan2

We'll be staying at Kookaburra lodge ourselves. Sometimes car rentals are so exasperating.

You will have a grand time.

I will send you links to both, but they are too far out for your timetable I think.

Still, an interesting read:

https://www.google.com/search?q=chil...&client=safari

http://undara.com.au/

annhig

toucan2 - i don't see us getting to the undara tubes, but the chillagoe tubes are quite close to Port Douglas so we might well have a chance to go there.

thanks for the links - not that long now.

funny that you're staying at kookaburra too!