My wife will be attending a conference in Melbourne Aug 20-24 and we plan on spending an additional 2 weeks, but don't know if it should be 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after?

We enjoy birding and I like to photograph them and also hiking. Our plans are after the conference, fly to Darwin and/or Cairns for a week at each site, then do day trips/birding tours from each site.

Should we rent a car at each of these places or rely on tour/birding companies? Any suggestions for good birding lodges or other scenic places? I would also like to see Ayers Rock, is it possible?

Any recommendations or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Don

Ayer's Rock (Uluru) is quite a trip from Melbourne, but you have come at the right time of year to do it. You could take a flight to Alice Springs and then rent a car for the last leg.

YOu are covering a wide area and quite a range of climatic conditions, but, generally speaking, September is nicer in Australia than August, so I would do the holiday after the conference rather than before. It's not peak time, so you should have no trouble arranging things when you get here.

A nice choice for accommodation at Cairns might be Lilybank.... check the site www.lilybank.com.au.

Good luck!

As residents in Melbourne, I'd suggest you holiday after the conference. One good place to visit is the Grampians National Park. Easy drive from Melbourne and you should see birds and animals plus some great scenery. You could get there via the Great Ocean Road which would add another aspect to your visit.

I assume you will visit Kakadu whilst in Northern Territory - the bird life there is really spectacular. Another good place to visit is Territory Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Darwin. They have a great bird hide on a lagoon with lots and lots of birds.

Re birdwatching, whilst in Cairns you may want to visit Mareeba Wetlands - www.mareebawetlands.com
We saw a clip on a travel show on this recently and made a note to visit next time we are in that area.

Hope you have a great holiday.

Mareeba Wetlands west of Cairns is indeed worth a visit for birdlife as is much of Atherton Tableland. Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge on Lake Eacham is where many birders stay. Personalised day trips (or longer) with Jonathan Munro - www.wildwatch.com.au who picks up in Cairns and Del Richards at Fine Feather Tours (picks up at Port Douglas) - www.finefeathertours.com.au Also check www.cassowarytours.com.au for Ben Blewitt's birding trip out of Cairns

I love birds. I have no idea why and don't even know what half of them are called but I just love them.

When I sit at my computer I am in the trees about one floor up and I can watch for hours all the birds flitting about. Blue fairy wren, rosella, finch and those things with a pointy head.

At night I can see the dark outline of a powerful owl.

I see more birds sitting at my desk at home than in the national park ! lol

Anyway wnet off on tangent, happy birdwatching FP

So do I, tassietwister, with the exception of areas of great bird concentration like the Mareeba Wetlands, where you get the biggies as well, jabiru, black swan, brolga, heron as well as the amazingly colourful Gouldian finches and those funny little things with webbed feet which look as if they're walking on water. Mareeba Wetlands has a programme to reintroduce Gouldian finches to wild in the area, nearly extinct because of years of trapping in the past. Also kangaroos bounding about.