Trip Report - Toucan2's 2nd trip to Oz - Sydney, Nabiac, Lockyer Valley, Lamington Nat'l Park, Atherton Tablelands, Julatten, Daintree - possibly of more interest to birders than non-birders
 

I may now be competitive in the Longest Message Title contest! But, as I geared myself up to write my trip report I reviewed a lot of posts on writing trip reports. Some of the suggestions included putting the names of the places you visited in the message title. It doesn't quite cover it all, but the message title gets a lot of it in!

Other "how to write a trip report" messages included writing a bit about yourself so readers got a take on your particular point of view, and putting the details up front on things like accommodations etc and then following up with a day by day commentary. And of course, including paragraphs!

So, here goes. First, a bit about us. As I posted when I asked for input on our planned itinerary, my husband is a really avid birder. I like the birds, and the flowers, and the critters, and just in general being outside.

We had been to Australia in 2003, and had a wonderful time, and wanted to come back and explore some more. Because this was a second trip, we didn't repeat some of the usual must-sees like the Great Barrier Reef, although we would have loved to had we had the time. I'm a little concerned our trip might bore some people! We saw tons of birds, and wildlife, and beautiful country. Relaxed, and enjoyed each other's company after a busy year.

Next, details on logistics, accommodations and costs.

Oh fantastic!!!!!!!!! it is about time that some wrote about our birds which are so prolific, facinating, get-attable-at and just plain beautiful. I for one look forward to your report and I don't care if you bore the pants off anyone else. Please continue...............

Travel

I apologize for not having the exact breakdown on this, but I just deleted the emails on it without thinking! I can still give close to some details.

I used award travel on American Airlines from Kansas City to LA (via Dallas).

Our air travel (on Qantas with one flight on Jetstar from Newcastle to Brisbane) included round trip from LA to Sydney, the flight from Newscastle to Brisbane, a flight from Brisbane to Cairns, and a flight from Cairns to Sydney for total $1835 USD per person.

We traveled the day before the US Thanksgiving, a notoriously busy travel day with accompanying delays, so I decided to take a morning flight out of KC, which meant a much longer layover in LA. This turned out to be a good thing as sure enough, later flights were delayed that day.

The saving grace was that for the two of us I purchased a one-day Admiral's Club pass for $75 for the two of us. It was great for the long wait...lots of separate rooms like tv rooms and music rooms, free water, soda, coffee and light snacks, light meals you can order right there in the club, complimentary shower facilities, and a Qantas check in desk! It's one of their key clubs, so a bit more than the average airline club.

Car - We only rented 8 days out of the trip, Budget at the Cairns airport, a 4wd. I wanted it for the high clearance, and it worked out very well, and I was glad of it for some of the roads we were on! About $400.

Accommodation & Guiding

<b>Lamington National Park</b> - O'Reilly's www.oreillys.com.au, $265 AUD/per night for lodging. Breakfast and Dinner Meal package $148/two people per day. Unfortunately, activities no longer include. I'll list what we paid in that part of my trip report.

$220 private car service from airport to O'Reilly's. $80 bus service from O'Reillys to Canungra to meet our bird guide for the next portion of our trip.

<b>Lockyer Valley</b>
Personal Bird Guiding Service - Bill Jolly www.abberton.org about $1100 AUD - this included the pickup and transfer from Lamington and the trip to the airport, and was from Saturday through Tuesday.

Helidon Natural Springs Spa Resort Motel www.helidonmotel.com.au $115 AUD per night, including light breakfast.

<b>Atherton Tablelands</b>
Chambers http://rainforest-australia.com $260 AUD for two nights.

<b>Julatten</b>
Kingfisher Park Birdwatcher Lodge www.birdwatchers.com.au $363.00 AUD for 3 nights

<b>Daintree Village</b>
Red Mill House www.redmillhouse.com.au $150 per night, including full breakfast.

Other guides we used.

Alan Gillander www.alanswildlifetours.com.au We only had him for a morning, but it was absolutely great, and really a long morning at 5 hours. For the two of us, $140.

www.daintreecruises.com.au - we went three mornings in a row! $100 for the two of us each time.

Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime - Mossman Gorge www.yalanji.com.au - narrated walk, $27.50.

Carol Probets - Blue Mountains and Capertee Valley, birding from about 5 the Thursday night to 5 the Friday night, $400. Overnight in the Capertee, $90. www.bmbirding.com.au

Whew! I haven't even begun writing the trip report and I'm tuckered out!

Next, the day by day report,

<b>November 21 - 23 The trip begins!</b>

This is exciting to no one but us, I'm sure. We were just happy to be on our way. Trip went smoothly, the pass for the Admiral's club as mentioned was a hit, we were so beat when we boarded the 11:45 pm flight in LA that we slept most of the way into Sydney. Arriving in the morning in Sydney, we adjusted almost immediately to the time zone.

We were lucky to have Mark pick us up and drop us at their apartment, which is in Pyrmont. He left for work, and my husband immediately grabbed his binoculars and video camera and headed for the Botanic Gardens.

The birdwatching could not start soon enough for Steve. It was also good to stretch his legs after the flight. There is so much green space with Hyde Park, the Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain in Sydney. The city just seems so livable.

I opted for a shower, and sitting on the balcony gazing out at the Harbour Bridge, settling back in to being in Australia. From their flat I look on the oneside out over Darling Harbour towards the CBD, on the other side we look at the Anzac bridge.

My friend Fiona arrived late afternoon, and Steve returned about 5, and we hopped in a cab headed for Bondi to meet Mark for dinner. We ate at Ravesis www.ravesis.com.au - good meal, great company( Great location right across from the beach, and a great way to end our first night back in Australia.

<b>November 24 - Voting Day in Australia!</b>

I love that it is mandated by law that you vote in Australia. And, that you can vote wherever you are (I have to go to a specific polling place, or send in an absentee ballot). We are spending our first weekend up at my friends' farm in Nabiac, and they are able to vote up there. I don't think they vote for the same people. There is a bit of tension in the car!

We leave very early from Sydney to drive north to Nabiac. A quick stop in Turramurra for some baked goods for the weekend also gives us the opportunity to buy a few pastries for breakfast, to munch on as we drive. Fiona buys a sausage roll. I love sausage rolls and meat pies. Why don't they catch on in the US? Maybe after Sweeney Todd sweeps the nation....

The drive up the Pacific Highway is just gorgeous. We had made it once before, but in early evening so that the last half had been after nightfall. We enjoyed the scenery as we crossed the Hawkesbury, and passed The Entrance (I write this because for some reason it amuses me that this is exactly as it appears on the highway signs...The Entrance - as the entrance to the Central Coast) and continued on to Nabiac.

Steve and I walked around the school as F&amp;M voted. Naturally, we spotted a few birds. We also noticed how many gathering areas there were outdoors..the better to take advantage of the weather I suppose.

On to the farm. It's spectacular. They run about 120 head of cattle, so there are multiple paddocks. The house was built in 1920, and I want to say she said it was Federal style? I can't quite remember. Very high ceilings and doors, veranda all the way around the house, beautiful detail.

The gardens around the house are great, and flowers are kind of my thing so I particularly enjoyed walking around and identifying the flannel flowers, cooktown orchids, christmas flowers and more. The Jacaranda tree is in bloom and I love that blue. Lots of bouganvillea, and roses.

They could really be self-sufficient! I had fun picking and eating mandarins and oranges right off the trees. There's a great veg garden and lots of fruit trees. We all do some work over the weekend so I get very familiar with these!

In a tree in the yard, they have a tawny frogmouth family! I could have stood there and watched them for hours. The babies are so fluffy, and these birds really do just blend in to the tree, and look like another limb. They are so close I can even take a pic with my point and shoot digital. Steve takes some great film.

Steve takes the ute and heads out looking for birds (naturally). Fiona, Mark and I spend some time in hammocks, and take naps after watching Mark work on the chicken coop. Then F and I head out to the west paddock as well, as this is apparently the time of day the wallabies show up. Yep! There they were. One had a little joey poking its head out.

We had a blast watching them for awhile, then spotted my first Kookaburra for the trip! Then my first Australian Pelican for the trip! That is one big pelican, let me tell you. Without even working at it, we are seeing rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, white-faced heron, and more.

Drinks on the deck over the river, followed by dinner on the veranda, and the day is done.

<b>November 25 - A day at the farm</b>

Steve and I are awake much earlier than the others, and creep out of the house as quietly as we can to seek out birds. I am a lazy birder so simply sit on the deck over the river and try to spot what I can.

I'm rewarded by a great look at the Azure Kingfisher. The blue on it seems to glow in the early morning sun. I see rainbow lorikeets, Steve tells me later that he saw some scaly-breasted lorikeets. ( won't list all the birds here!)

It's a nice day with our friends at the farm, won't bore you with those details(: We have to leave about 5 to drive to Newcastle so they can drop us with F's folks, and continue on to Sydney. We will be staying with Colin and Dee overnight, and flying out of Newcastle to Brisbane on Monday morning.

I have to mention one landmark of note on the drive back....passing &quot;The Rockhouse&quot;. It is a gas station with a replica of Uluru built over it, complete with a guide rope path built on it! Kind of reminds one of the Corn Palace and Car Henge in the US.

We are simply crazy about Fiona's parents, and enjoy our evening with them. After tea and Tim Tams, Colin takes us on a drive through Newcastle. We had stayed there four years ago when F&amp;M got married, and enjoyed the beautiful beaches. There is a lot of building going on there! He pointed out the beach where the tanker had grounded, and took us to a beautiful park on a cliff top.

Dinner, and the day is done.

<b>November 26 - December 1 - Lamington National Park, and real birding begins</b>

We have an uneventful flight from Newcastle to Brisbane on Jetstar. No problems with check in or excess weight or bagge - thanks to all the heads-ups on this board! Colin proudly wore the UMKC 'Roos hat I brought him as he takes us to the airport.

We are met at the Brisbane airport by Paul from Quiksilver Limosines. It's $220 for private car service. I know it sounds like a lot, but I didn't want to rent a car since we would need one once we got there, and I also didn't want to try that last bit of mountain road up to Lamington on my first go driving again in Australia. It's about 2 hours from the airport.

For others who may do this, if you take the train, or make your way to the transportation center in Brisbane, there is a bus you can take. But it leaves about 9 I think, and with the flight times we couldn't make it.

For us, just driving through the country is interesting, and after getting out of Brisbane, the countryside again does not disappoint. We pass lots of cattle and horses grazing, lots of beautiful flowering trees. I wish I could paint you a picture!

We arrived about 11:30 at O'Reilly's. For those of you unfamiliar with this, the O'Reilly family owns this private property within Lamington National Park. It's at the top of the mountain, in World Heritage Rainforest. Many people do take day trips up there, and there is a national park camping area, so if you are caravaning, that is another option.

The O'Reilly lodge has several different levels of rooms, a dining room, and offers guided walks, 4wd trips, and other activities. These used to be included in the room rate, but no longer. Personally, I think that is a mistake, but no one is asking me!

The place is a bit expensive, but for us, and our purposes, it was worth it. We probably won't go back a third time, but we really wanted to come back a second time so we could go on more of the walks and see more of the place.

I do think they have lost a bit of the warmth they used to have. Several others commented on it as well while we were there. It's hard to tell why that might be, and one can only hope they can bring it back.

You can get the three meals a day package, or a breakfast and dinner package. There's nowhere else to eat, so it's the best choice. Breakfast is a full buffet, and quite extensive.

A member of the O'Reilly family makes the toast each morning, to me the most enjoyable ones were when Mick was manning the toaster. He seemed genuinely happy to see the guests. Other family members looked a bit pained to be there.

They seem to have a new chef for dinner, and not to O'Reilly's advantage. The dinners were....okay. They no longer have the buffet dinner available, only a small antipasto type selection and salad bar.

The choices on the menu are without exception a bit complex and &quot;frou frou.&quot; Fine for me, a more adventurous eater, but my husband couldn't find a thing he could just order off the menu. So each night he had steak, and asked them to hold all the sauces and sides. Another couple I talked to had actually sent their meal back one night.

Also part of the complex is the store/gift shop, and there is a cafe there where you can get coffees, breakfast and lunch. The kitchen was open to 3 I think.

This is getting lengthy, I'll continue in the next post.

<b>November 26 - 30 - Whoops! I said December 1 above. I didn't mean it</b>

Since I promised you birds, you'd probably like to hear a bit about them at Lamington, wouldn't you!? Well, the birds abound. The Regent Bowerbird is the logo for O'Reilly, and there are tons of these deep black and gold, medium-sized birds at the area to the front of the lodge.

The gold and black glows, and the black just looks like velvet. Satin Bowerbirds are also abundant, with those freaky deaky violet eyes. There are bush turkeys walking about, and not nearly so attractive so definitely the poor second cousins in the group. Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots land on your head, and your deck railing. We had a regular Lewin's Honeyeater on our deck, and one day I had a bit of a hard time getting him out of the room.

I enjoy all the birds, but Steve is the true birder. One of the reasons we like this place is that he can go off and bird to his heart's content, and I can go on some of the guided activities and he knows I'm a) not bored and b) not alone. In particular, my husband likes to film the birds. So, if he is getting a good view, he'll stay on a bird for an hour. My patience doesn't extend quite that far.

We see Eastern Whipbirds, and Steve gets to see the Albert's Lyrebird. Others you can expect to see include logrunners, red brow finches, superb fairy wrens, and much much more.

There are several bowers of the Satin Bowerbirds close by. These are fascinating to me. The male has built this structure, very carefully, and placed all sorts of ornamentation about in front of the structure--such as blue bottle caps, straws, milkweed flowers, cough drop wrappers, etc, all in shades of blue. As I watched one, he &quot;painted&quot; the insides of the bower with the juice of some blue berries. This is the &quot;bedroom&quot; for the bowerbirds. There's so much more about these fascinating birds, but I won't go on here.

<b>O'Reilly Activities</b>
I went on several guided walks and 4wd activities while there. If you went to 6, you got a 25% discount on the total cost. These are the ones I participated in.

<b>Luke's Bluff - $39 per person</b>
This is a 4wd bus tour. Our guide was Chris, a great guy. In this tour they drive you to some of the O'Reilly property that was cleared back in the day, point out various flora and fauna on the way (stinging trees, Booyong trees, stopped for some tawny frogmouths, etc)

We walk around and look at all the amazing views, then Chris starts up a fire and makes us billy tea and damper. It really does taste better outside in the fresh air, doesn't it? Chris reads some passages from The Green Mountain by Bernard O'Reilly.

<b>Moran's Falls Walk $25 per person</b>
This was a walk I had taken before, but I wanted to do again since it was so beautiful. I did get to see a Paradise Riflebird on this walk, which was quite exciting. Again, the guide (this time Carol) pointed out the different flora and fauna. But of course when you are walking, you get a closer look.

She pointed out trapdoor spiders, a funnel web, the strangler figs, and more. Turns out she is an intern from Oregon State University, where my brother did his undergrad, so that was a small world momment.

The view point to Moran's Falls, and then crossing the stream that feeds it is all quite beautiful. At the end of this walk they pick you up and drive you back.

<b>Introductory Bird Walk - $10 per person</b>
Carol led this walk. While a very nice young lady, birds can be a bit more difficult than plants and spiders, and so it wasn't quite as good a walk as the one I took the last time I was there. If you can find out who is guiding the walk, try to go when Tim O'Reilly is leading it. I get the sense that there aren't as many true birders working there right now.

We did have an amusing moment where Carol pointed out the Pademelon with its Joey. Then she paused and said. Oh. That's not a joey, they are mating! Sweet young thing was kind of embarrassed so we moved on.

Side note. We couldn't afford the private guiding there. It cost about $350 for one half day and $600 for a full day there.

<b>Balancing Rock 4wd tour $39/per person</b>

Went to a different location than Luke's Bluff, so different view aspects, and some different plants etc. Again, tea and damper. Most exciting, we saw a dingo! That was quite a surprise and we sat there quietly watching for some time.

<b>Wishing Tree Walk $25/per person</b>
This was a great walk. There was just so much diversity in what we saw. Both Carol and Chris led this walk. They pointed out some amazing fungi, like the egg beater and champagne flute. The walk took us through the &quot;Wishing Tree&quot; which was a strangler fig, then down across a creek. We ended up down at the very bottom, and waited for the bus to come and pick us up and take us back up the hill.

<b>Other walks I took or wish I had</b>

As I aluded to, we also visited O'Reilly's in 2003. A walk I took then, so I didn't repeat this time because it wasn't offered on the days I was there, was the Elebana Falls walk. I <i>highly</i> recommend this walk if you go to O'Reilly's! These are the falls featured on their web-site, and you pass some beautiful scenery on the way. They leave you to walk back up on your own (probably don't want to wait on the slowpokes!)

I wish I had gone on Mick's Nature and History Tour. After I met him I was just so entertained by him, that I think I would have dropped one of the other 4wd tours and gone on this one with him (not that the other ones weren't entertaining!).

There are some adventure activities like Flying Fox and the Giant Swing that just don't hold any appeal to me, but may to you. There are also some evening activities like the glow worm walk, that I wish I could have been awake for. But Steve and I were getting up at 5 every morning so he could start birding, and after dinner, we were barely good for another 30 minutes before we went to bed!

<b>Final bits on Lamington, and off we go to our next birding location</b>

<b>Pros about O'Reilly's</b>
Everything is right there. The views from your room are fantastic. To go birding, you walk out your door. To go on walks, you walk out your door.

Because of this, I also found it really relaxing. Between activities, it was easy to go back to the room and nap if you wish, or sit in the library and read. I sat on the deck at the cafe one afternoon and had coffee and wrote postcards. I took to getting up with Steve at 5, and having my morning tea on the balcony before meeting him at 8 for breakfast.

There is a pleasant library, and bar, in nice weather a small pool and hot tub. You find yourself getting to know your fellow guests as you go on activities together, and so mealtimes and tea times are very pleasant.

<b>Cons about O'Reilly's</b>
It's fairly expensive. It's fairly expensive to get to. The food is expensive.

All that said, if your first time to Australia and you are interested in birds and nature, you really should go here, and for at least 3 days in my opinion.

<b>Notes on meals</b>
As mentioned, we did the breakfast/dinner meal plan. Mainly because the last time we were there we felt like we were eating all the time! The meal plans (whether three or two a day) also include morning and afternoon tea. Scones and gingerbread were standard, and very tasty.

On the first day, because it had been a travel day and we hadn't eaten, I did have lunch at the Gran O'Reilly's cafe (I think that is what is called). I had fish and chips and coke for $17. It was really very good, and too much food! I couldn't eat it all and wished Steve had been with me. We also ate there on the last day because we knew we had a lot of travel in front of us.

As far as the dinners go, the best things I had were the barramundi one night, a chicken dish made with preserved lemons, couscous and kalamata olives, and an appetizer of a stuffed red pepper.

<b>Other attractions</b> I think I forgot to mention that there is a treetop walk you can go on. It's suspended about 30 metres (I think) in the tops of the trees. I went, and clutched the rails the whole way, but others are braver than I.

There is also a mountain botanic garden that I really enjoyed, and took lots and lots of flower pictures.

<b>Leaving O'Reilly's</b>
We took the bus back down the mountain. I think it was All-State Tours. Basically we rode back down the mountain with a tour group who had come up for a day trip. Because of this, it included a stop at the Canungra Valley Vineyards (also owned by O'Reilly's) for wine tasting. This sounded like a great idea to me! We stopped, we tasted, I bought two bottles of wine, and on we continued to Canungra where we got off the bus and Bill Jolly picked us up.

LizzyF,

We've barely scratched the surface of birding in Australia! There is so much more we want to do and see. You are right, there are sooooo many beautiful birds, many of them fairly easy to see. And we have just met so many nice people while birding there as well.

<b>December 1 - 4, Birding with Bill Jolly</b>

We had birded with Bill back in 2003. He quotes individual rates depending on what your needs are (transfers or self drive, etc). In our trip, he did the transfer from O'Reilly's, and back to the airport.

He has a beautiful property called Abberton, and some of the time you just bird on his property. For me, that means coffee on the veranda and watching them from there! He asks you lots of questions of what you are looking for, and then off you go.

He's a great guide, but frankly, we also used him again just because we like him. He's funny, and well-read, and a pleasure to spend time with. We've met his wife Eileen as well, and think she is perfectly delightful.

<b>Driving from Canungra to Helidon Springs</b>
As mentioned, Bill picked us up in Canungra. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Helidon, so we really didn't bird on the way. However, Bill made it a quest to do the entire drive off the highway, so again we drove through some great countryside and small towns.

Most exciting though was when we saw several Eastern Gray Kangaroos. These were really powerful looking animals, quite tall. The tips of their tails, ear tips and muzzle were much darker, and you could see the outlines of their muscles in their chest. It was amazing to see when they bounded off. Bill surprised me the next morning with photos he had taken of them.

<b>December 1 birding</b>
Bill picked us up at 8. On this day we stayed mainly about the valley. At his place, he tried out his new coffee maker on me (quite good) and I birded from the veranda while Steve looped the property.

Just from the veranda I got to watch the beautiful zebra finches and doublebar finches, herons out over the creek, various honeyeaters and so on.

We drove throughout the valley, stopping at places Bill knew Steve could get good looks at things. We stopped at the University of Queensland at Gatton, where Steve got good film of red-rumped parrots, and we checked out the ponds below the piggery. I just wanted to type piggery.

This is already a long report, and if I put the whole bird list in, it will be even longer! Besides, Steve is the one who kept the list.

We ended the day back at the veranda, where I enjoyed a Victoria's Bitter. (or is it just Victoria Bitter?)

<b>December 2 - Birding</b>
Picked up again at 8, and this day we were going up over the dividing range. Steve likes the yellow-tufted honeyeater, so Bill was taking us to a place where he was likely to get good film.

We drove through the western part of the Lockyer Valley up the escarpment, into Toowoomba, along along country roads. We then got on a two lane highway continuing west, and met up with some kangaroos hopping across the road.

Along we went, stopping for birds, stopping in Leyburn. I don't have the photo I took of the memorial there, but apparently it is a place where in World War II soldiers were trained and took off for Timor? Is that right?

Anyway, headed then along the Cunningham Hwy before we turned off into the Durakay (?) Nat'l Forest to the destination waterhole. As we pull up, a Nankeen (sp?) Night Heron lands right above our head. A pair is resident the entire time we are there.

The countryside is much different here. Not so green, lots of forest with very little understory.

After hanging out there a bit, we left and had lunch at the Gore Rest Stop (there is very little other choice!) Meat pies again! Seriously. I love those meat pies. This time I have chicken curry.

We drive up to Glen Elg, but there are new owners who don't let you on the property any more (big woolshed we had visited last time). We go off through the country adjacent, the guys bird, I see more kangaroos.

More stops, back at the watering hole for awhile, then back on down to Toowoomba where there is a Glossy Black Cockatoo hanging out at the Waterbird Habitat. Bill calls a birding pal to confirm it is still being seen, it is, so we go, and Steve gets great film.

Steve didn't get as good as film as he wanted of the yellow-tufted honeyeater, so he wants to go back the next day. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but Bill's car had been making some alarming noises earlier, and we suspected transmission trouble.

<b>December 3 - Birding</b>
Indeed, the transmission was gone on the car! Bill called a friend of his, Michael Wode, who was going to meet us and take us back out while the garage worked on Bill's car. Michael was a great guy, and it was a delight to meet him.

Unfortunately, with one thing and another, it was noon before we got back out to Durakay. We did go a different way than we had previously, so again saw some interesting countryside. Drove through fields of sunflowers, got to see more wallabies, this time black wallabies.

Steve set up a blind so he could get film of the birds, and as photographers know, at a certain point it is all about patience. So we were there a fairly long time. Finally we ended the day back at Abberton for some final birding and a cup of tea.

<b>Cricket</b>
I forgot to mention that on our first day as we came through Helidon, we saw the Helidon Cricket Club out on the field. Bill pulled up the car and attempted to explain the whole game. We watched for awhile, and he kept explaining. I think Steve is getting it, but not so sure about me!

Toucan2 I am enjoying your trip report very much having lived on Tamborine Mountain till fairly recently and in Toowoomba some years ago and I know that area very well.
I have said a number of times on Fodors that although O'Reilly's is nice it is very expensive and you can have the same encounters with birds as you do there on Tamborine Mountain where you do not have to pay anywhere near the cost of O'Reilly's and there are great restaurants around together with lots of other things as well.
When I lived on Tamborine Mt I had a resident Satin Bower bird in the garden and when I had a B&amp;B there we used to get many of the birds O'Reilly's do coming to the verandah and sometimes if we were lucky a pair of little butcher birds would fly into the dining room, sit on the back of a chair and do a duet for guests. Across the road was one of the National Parks and there were lovely walks through that NP where lots of other birds lived including the Lyre birds. At night there are lots of walks to see gloworms and if you miss those there is Natural Bridge not far away with a huge cave with gloworms and a beautiful swimming hole.......... all for free!!!!
For future information for birders - the bird life at Bunya National Park is wonderful and there are cabins there for rental as well. The birds also fly down and pay you a visit on anything you have that they can land on and also there are roos, wallabies and other critters to boot.
So, for any birders out there who would like a trip to Australia to see our birds write a post here on Fodors and we can help you with areas that you either don't have to pay as much and free activities as well.
Toucan2, if I had known about your trip I could have told you where to find a really great place for Bellbirds as well as being a nice drive. Next time perhaps.
Loved your report and I hope that other bird lovers will take note of what you have said.

Thank you LizzyF. Next time we visit, we will be exploring some new areas, and will be wide open for suggestions. So many places to visit and so little time!

<b>December 4 - A rotten day</b>
On a posting I read about trip reports, someone commented that no one put the bad stuff. That seems logical to me, as who want to remember the rotten stuff?

This just wasn't a good day. There was a miscommunication between Bill and ourselves, and I take full responsibility for our part in not being clear about where we wanted to go, and think he wasn't really &quot;hearing&quot; what we were saying either.

No need to go into details, and it certainly doesn't impact how highly we regard Bill and I hope the same is true of him in how he regards us. All it really does is highlight how important it is if you are using a private guide, that you are very clear about your wants, and that is your responsibility as much as it is the guides.

Along with that, a couple of other hiccups, but then the big one.

I can't even believe that I didn't check the flight to this day. However, before we began our trip, I double checked everything, checked the airline site, and knew that I had always received updates via email in the past if there were schedule changes.

That morning, I checked my email, no schedule change, but for some still unknown reason I didn't go to the Qantas site. We arrived at Brisbane airport at 2:30 for our 3:30 flight, and there simply wasn't one.

The gate agent claimed there never was one (I knew that wasn't true) and we had been expected on a 1:30 flight. The next flight was at 7:55, which put us in Cairns around 10 pm.

It was a looooooooong wait for that next plane. I was upset, Steve was upset, and more importantly, I was looking at a long drive late at night up the Gillies Highway!

We got through the day, however, and made it to the Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge at Lake Eacham at midnight.

In our effort to give our cloud a silver lining, we decided that the benefit of arriving that late was that there were hardly any other cars on the road while I got used to driving on the left again, and, on the very very (did I say very? Let me say it again, very!) windy Gillies Hwy I could easily see the headlights of any oncoming traffic.

<b>December 1-4 - comments on lodging and meals</b>

As mentioned in the section on lodging above, we stayed at the Helidon Natural Springs Spa Resort Motel. This was primarily because it was very close to Abberton, where we started and/or ended most days.

If you find yourself traveling on the Warrego Hwy between Brisbane and Toowoomba and need a place to stay, you might like to know a few details. There were, of course, many options in Toowoomba as well.

This is a small family run property, and the folks running it when we were there previously are still running it. It is a young couple, and the young woman's parents.

The rooms are quite spacious, and the one we had had a little seating area outside that was pleasant for morning tea. They've built in butler cupboards, so if you want your breakfast brought to your room, you can fill out a sheet and they will deliver it to the cupboard in the morning.

The property is on top of springs, so the rooms have a big spa tub and you can take a nice mineral bath. I didn't have a chance this time, but did in 2003, and it was very relaxing. There is also a small outside pool, and hydrotherapy pool, but we've never had the chance to use them.

There is AC (although we never used it, preferring to simply have the windows open) and TV with Austar, as well as small fridges, and the requisite kettle.

This is not a fancy place, but the price is very reasonable (includes a light breakfast), it's clean, the shower is hot, and the people who run it are really nice.

There is a small restaurant on the grounds where we ate dinner each night as we did not have a car. We did notice that the average price of the meals had gone up considerably since 2003.

In general, we noticed this in most of the places we went in Australia. I was chatting about this with my friend who lives there, that the price of food seemed so much higher, and she talked to me about the floods, and the droughts, and the cost of transportation, and that yes indeed there had been an impact on prices.

Back to the restaurant on-site, our meals ranged from 37.30 for two to 48.90 for two during the nights we were there. Generally we only had a main and a soft drink.

If you do happen to go there, be aware that the meals are huge! (so it's really not like the meals are overpriced) One night I asked for an entree as a main, and finally on the last night, asked them to just leave off the salad.

Lastly, I thought the barramundi was their best meal, and had it the last two nights.

We did have two loads of laundry done by them, at a cost of $11.

Lunches during this time were grabbed on the go from bakeries, and in one case McDonalds, where I had a chicken tandoori sandwich (Steve just had fish sandwiches, and Bill had a healthy burger of some type that they had there).

It was interesting to see the tandoori sandwich on the menu, along with some others I can't remember right now...it's kind of like seeing grits on the McDonald's menu in the southern part of the US, when you don't see it anywhere else.

I find all the bakeries a bit fascinating as well. Along with what I'm used to seeing in a bakery...breads, pastries, etc...it seems you can always get sandwiches, meat pies, and sausage rolls.

Other interesting differences we took note of, and continued as a theme, was the use of sugar beets (actually, I said that once and was corrected to beetroot - same thing in my book!) shredded carrots, and some kind of sprout that seemed to always show on on salads and hamburgers.

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it's different to us!

Lastly, ice tea. I know, bring it on, many people can't even understand why you would do such a thing to tea. But I love ice tea. And I got some rather odd flavor combinations when I did try some of the bottled stuff when I could find it.

<b>December 5 - Chambers, Lake Barrine, a Leech, Yungaburra, the Curtain Fig Tree, and loads of Pademelons</b>

I will change the structure of my report for this day a bit, and do it in a chronological format.

<b>Chambers</b>

Not a fancy place at all, but again just fine for our purposes. We were the only ones there. At all.

It was nice in the sense that it felt like our own private resort, but we didn't get the nightly talk on pademelons that you are supposed to get (guess that they didn't want to do it for two people) and the lights didn't work for the sugar gliders that night so we didn't get to see them either. Those two things were rather disappointing.

These are self-catering rooms, with stove top (two burners), microwave, fridge, and kitchen ware. There was a satellite fed tv in the room, which surprised us.

The bedroom is separate from the front area and there was another bed in the front area with the kitchenette and lounge chairs, tv and table. There is a covered deck with table and chairs as well.

I can't remember if there was AC. I think this is probably a fine place for birders and families. If you like more upscale comforts, then this will not be for you.

For us, it was great to walk out the door and start birding. Steve was up early the next morning while I slept in, beat from the night before. He had quite a few birds already before we left for the day. Key birds there were the Victoria Riflebird, Toothbilled Bowerbird, gray-headed robin, and spotted catbirds.

The gorgeous Ulysses butterflies were also flitting about. That blue is just impossible.

When we did head out, we first headed to Lake Barrine. Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are both volcanic crater lakes, and are beautifully blue. At Lake Barrine there is a privately run Tea House, circuit track around the lake, and rainforest walk.

The minute we stepped out of the car at Lake Barrine we got great looks at Eastern Spinebills and Dusky Honeyeater. Steve has the camcorder out right way.

Eventually we make our way into the teahouse for lunch. This was one of the better meals of the trip! Steve had &quot;The Lot&quot; burger--without the pineapple. But it still had an egg and beetroot on it. I must research &quot;The Lot&quot; and general hamburger garnishments in Australia. He said it was pretty good.

I had the fish salad, which was really good. Lots of chopped vegetables such as corn, red pepper, cucumber and more (as well as the sprout like thing I mentioned in an earlier post)chunks of grilled salmon and chopped macadamia nuts with a light dressing. Yes, I recommend it if you stop here for lunch.

These and two soft drinks for 30.10 total.

There are tons of gorgeous flowers about, and I take a lot of pics, trying out the new camera (not very successfully as it turns out later, but it is truly operator error).

We walk the 600 m rainforest walk, see logrunners, and got great looks at a toothbilled bowerbird hanging around the base of a tree for a very long time.

Once the walk met up with the circuit track boardwalk, I sat down on the edge of the boardwalk for a bit, watching a musky rat-kangaroo for awhile while Steve is still filming some birds on the rainforest track.

This turns out to be a mistake as I got my very first leech on the back of my ankle! Yuck. I couldn't get a good grip since it was behind me so Steve had to pull it off. Sticky little buggers.

It's starting to drizzle, which eventually turns to rain. So we turn back on the circuit track, walk past the Kouri (sp?) Pines and look at them in awe for a moment, and head for the parking lot. More great shots of the Eastern Spinebills feeding on the bottlebrush edging the parking lot.

After a bit we decide the rain isn't going to let up, so decide to take advantage of the enforced downtime and head to Yungaburra for some groceries. We hadn't had time to pick up anything as we had gotten in so late the night before, and we would be in self-catering mode for four nights so needed a few things.

I won't bore you with the grocery items! I peeked in one of the gem shops next to the grocery store while I was there, but didn't take much time to browse.

Next we headed for the Curtain Fig Tree. Wow! Another one of those sights that is so much more in person than in a post card. The boardwalk approach doesn't even give the full impact until you round the other side. We ooo'd and aw'd a bit, then headed back to the lodge to put away the groceries.

As it happened, we ended up staying there the rest of the afternoon/evening. Steve birded, I read, then walked down to the Suger Glider Viewing area that Chambers has. The information packet mentioned that sometimes you could see bearded dragons on the logpile there, and I wanted to see if I could spot any.

No bearded dragon, but I watched an Eastern Whipbird for awhile, then a pademelon approached with a joey. She was quite cautious once she spotted me, and I tried not to make any sudden moves and startle her.

There were some beautiful butterflies about, so I went to the guest lounge area to take a look at some of their books. I did find a butterfly book and identified a few.

After we ate dinner in the room, about 6:50 I headed back to the lounge area for the pademelon viewing. Each night there is supposed to be this viewing where they give a talk about the critters and you get to watch them for awhile.

I had seen plenty at O'Reilly's, but was interested in the talk. This was not to be. The lights were on, but no one was there. Eventually a girl came out and threw out bunches of what looked like chunks of potatos, which brought more pademelons in.

When I first got there, there were three off to the side of the grassy area in front of the lodge. They slowly worked their way in. One was the largest, and seemed to be the only one that made noise. It was kind of like an old man clearing his throat.

After the potato chunks were distributed, that brought more in, there were 12 to 13 at one point. All ranges of sizes, and very fun to watch the interplay among them.

There is also supposed to be a Sugar Glider viewing each night. They put this sugar syrup stuff on trees in front of the viewing area. Unfortunately, the lights did not work that night, so they gave us flashlights to take down with us. Unfortunately, none showed up. We rather wondered if the lights were a kind of signal to the gliders, and without them they didn't have their trigger.

The day is done. Well, not completely. We haven't watched any tv on this trip, but find ourself surfing the channels and we came across a highlight show of Chasers War on Everything. This was hilarious!

<b>December 6, birding with Alan Gillander, seeing Platypus!, Stops in Mareeba, a birding rest stop, Abbatoir Swamp and Mt Molloy, and on to Kingfisher Park</b>

What a great day. Steve got up early and birded on the property, while I finished packing and made breakfast. Alan Gillander arrived about 7, and we headed out with him. I was glad to have the SUV at this point for the high clearance for some of the roads he took us on!

Steve was in search of the blue-faced parrot finch, so we first headed up to Bartle Frere. Again, for us just the drives through the countryside can be fascinating, and I don't know that we would have made our way up some of these roads on our own (just knowing about them). The Atherton Tableands is gorgeous country.

There are lots of chesnut mannikens and red-brow finches about, but only fleeting glimpses of the blue-faced parrot finch. Beyond the birds, Alan knows so much natural history.

I love plants, so he pointed out plants and flowers such as the sexy ginger (so called because the underside of the leaf is soft and velvety) as we searched out the birds, and we came across a red-bellied black snake sunning itself.

No luck for the bird Steve wants here, so we drive back thorugh the dairyland and worn lychee orchards to the Old Cairns Track. Alan explained that this was the old stock track to Gordan vale.

We drove a fair way along the track, but again no luck. The vistas from this track out over the tablelands was astounding though.

Steve knew I wanted to see a platypus, so had mentioned it to Alan. So, Alan took us off to this place where there is a lot of daytime activity of the platypus. Within minutes of arriving at the pond, the first platypus appeared, and then another and another....It was so cool!

Next we drove to a place that I think is called the Cloud Mountain Reserve. Alan was taking Steve to see a Golden Bowerbird. I started down the track with them, but it was a bit steep, and I'm not the most surefooted of individuals, so I headed back for the car. Steve was pretty excited when they got back as he had gotten really close and lots of good video.

It had also started raining at this point, which made for some exciting moments on the track back down this mountain as the red clay became slicker than, well, you know. Again, glad for the car we had.

All too soon it was time to head back to Chambers and drop Alan back at his car. He had been able to squeeze us in, but had other obligations that day. for 7 to 12:30 we paid $140. We definitely hope to use Alan again, and go on one of the night tours. He's knowledgeable, and entertaining.

Well pooh! I wrote the entire rest of the post above, and it only posted through the part with Alan!

Sorry the heading was misleading, but I'm going to need to come back to it tomorrow, too late tonight.

<b>December 6 con't - birding on the way to Kingfishers, and a bit about Kingfishers Lodge</b>

<b>Fodor's Moment</b>
While traveling about with Alan, the conversation made it's way at one point to the fact that I was originally from Seattle. Alan then said something about this couple he had recently guided from Seattle. I said, Oh! That must be Sally from Seattle!

Alan paused and just looked at me for a moment. I then had to explain that I was on the Fodor boards a lot, and that he was spoken of highly here, and that I had recently read Sally's trip report which included references to their time with him. I don't actually &quot;know&quot; Sally. It was kind of a funny moment.

&lt;Back to Birding - Stops at Mareeba Rotary Park, Big Mitchell Creek, Rest Stop just past Mt Molloy &amp; Abbatoir Swamp

After taking Alan back to Chambers, we decided to use mid-day for travel time as that isn't the best time for birding. We headed back through Yungaburra to Atherton, then on the Kennedy Hwy to Mareeba.

Just on the north edge of Mareeba is the Mareeba Rotary Park. If you stop there and cross the rr tracks, there is some good birding. Steve had had some luck there in 2003, and we stopped there again this year.

He took off and I read a book for awhile. I wasn't thinking, I should have taken the opportunity to go to one of the coffee places like Skybury while I was there. Oh well.

He had some luck, and we continued on to Big Mitchell Creek where he got the white-browed robin and we also got great looks at a red-backed fairy wren. I love how they stick their tails up in the air!

On to the rest stop just past Mt. Molloy. It has a specific name, but I forgot to write it down. I know it is listed in the book on birding in Queensland though. This is where the last time we were there we had fun watching blue-faced honeyeaters feeding their young. This year I dropped Steve and went back to the Mt. Molloy General Store for a few groceries to use at Kingfishers.

<b>Hints on Groceries if you are staying at Kingfisher Park</b>
While you can get some basics at Mt. Molloy, this is not an big shop. We would have been smarter to shop at Mareeba coming from that direction. If you were coming from Daintree or Cairns, would suggest purchasing in either Cairns or Mossman.

After groceries and picking up Steve again, we did stop briefly at the Abbatoir Swamp which is located on the Rex Hwy not long after you turn off the Kennedy Hwy on to the Rex Hwy. We saw some sunbirds, but not a lot else that evening. We had better luck on a subsequent visit.

<b>Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge</b>
Kingfisher is another self-catering accommodation. It is great for birding right on the property, as well as a great jump off point for other locations.

When we arrived, Keith set us up with several mud maps of local birding places, and gave us lots of helpful hints. He does do some guiding on the grounds and night walks, but he seemed so busy when we were there that we never asked. They had a lot of Japanese birding groups coming through.

The big bird here is the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, and Steve sees one almost right off the bat when he goes out. I think he saw noisy pittas as well, and I got some great looks at kookaburras and a sunbird (of course there were many more birds, I'm just giving you highlights!).

Each room is spacious, and there is a pretty decent kitchen area with full stovetop, full fridge, and microwave. There is a dining bar inside, and there is a wide covered veranda across the front of the lodge. In front of each suite is a table and chairs.

Very nice and peaceful, and again great to walk out the door and go birding.

You can get a breakfast tray here, but need to bring in your other groceries. There is a washer and dryer available. A great place for birders.

By the way, please feel free to correct me if I misspell the name of a place, or a bird, or a critter!

And I apologize in advance if I miss a their/there, its/it's etc. I figure you aren't grading me, right?

<b>December 7 - Birding-Abbatoir Swamp, Lake Mitchell Causeway, Mareeba Wetlands,Emus and a Breathalyzer!</b>

I do like the places where Steve can get up and bird right away while I take my time getting ready(: Steve was out the door early, while I had coffee and toast on the veranda, caught up in my notebook, and watched a blue-faced honeyeater. Got a glimpse of the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher, and unfortunately that was all I got to see of it this trip.

<b>Abbatoir Swamp</b>
Our first stop on this day was the Abbatoir Swamp. We knew it could be a great place, and today it really was! Right out of the parking lot we watched a sunbird, which was simply beautiful.

Then, on the boardwalk, we had the privilege of watching a brown-headed honeyeater building its nest. It was cool to watch it flutter down in the nest, flapping it wings, and it looks like it was trying to shape it from the inside. Then it would take a piece of the nest in its bill and pull it tight, as if it were pulling on a needle and thread. Saw lots more blue-faced honeyeaters there, very pretty.

<b>Lake Mitchell Causeway</b>
Next stop was the Lake Mitchell Causeway. We were so glad that Keith had given us the mud map and told us that the gate here was unlocked and that we could go through.

We lingered a long time here. The water and sky was so blue, the hills in the distance were reflected in the water, tons of waterbirds, including pelicans and jacanas and a darter. Steve chased golden-head cisticolas for awhile.

I saw some of the prettiest dragonflies here as well. One had gold and black tiger stripes on its wing, another had a long red tail and the wings shimmered with gold and red.

<b>Mareeba Wetlands</b>
After enjoying the birds, and sun, and dragonflies, and views at the Lake Mitchell Causeway, we headed on to the Mareeba Wetlands. One of the funnier things I have seen is on the side road into the wetlands.

At the Birooba BnB, someone had dressed up a log as an alligator, and a termite mound as a lady with a green afro and vest. A bit further they had placed a toilet seat on top of a stump and had a guy's head popping out of it with a beer in hand and a &quot;no junk mail&quot; sign. This gave me a giggle and I took pictures.

We kept driving through the termite mound moonscape, and came up on 3 emus! We were told later that these were probably the three females. There is a family of five in the wetlands, and the male and young one hang together, and the three females hang together. Apparently they were brought to the wetlands when very young, so while they are not tame, they are used to people and very curious.

They were very curious, and didn't run off. Steve got within 8 feet of them, and got some good film. I took pics from the car, and then they started walking towards me! One was right outside my window, and do I think to take a picture then? No! This was the absolute highlight on this day.

We got to the vistors centre, planning on going on one of the guided walks....and they weren't doing them. They thought they were too hot. We didn't want to wait an hour for the boat tour (there weren't many waterbirds about) so we decided to have lunch then go to Mareeba.

They had a decent salad and chicken filo there, and I bought some post cards and posters for my nieces. They also had the Gouldian Finches there that they are working to save. What absolutely fantastically colored birds. They look like they have a purple easter egg in their breast.

On the road back out we saw the blue-winged kookaburra, which was gorgeous! That blue in their wing is so cool when they fly.

We have now lingered so long that yet again I have missed going to the coffee places for tours (they all closed at 4) I had dropped Steve again to bird at the Rotary Park, and drove out towards the Skybury location. Alas, closed.

I did notice the cemetery on the way seemed to have all the graves above ground. I wonder if this is because the water table is high? They were like the ones we see in Louisiana.

<b>Road Trains and a Breathalyzer</b>

Driving the Kennedy, we passed our first (and only) Road Train! I knew this because they had a big banner across the front of the truck that said Road Train. Big.

Heading back to Kingfisher, there was a random checkpoint on the Kennedy Hwy! I got to meet my first Australian police officers, and take a breathalyzer. This was pretty funny as I had never done that before and did it wrong the first time ): Hey, what can I say, I don't drink much! So it was an exciting day on the highway.

<b>December 8 - Mt. Lewis, Barramundi Gardens, West Mary Road and Bustards!</b>

Steve's early morning birding had provided him with some good looks at Metallic Starlings, so we started out about an hour later than we intended. This was the day we headed up Mt. Lewis.

This was where I was particularly happy to have the SUV. The high clearance was helpful. The road is, however, much better than it was in 2003. There was only one red clay patch that was a bit slippery from the rain two nights before. It's about 12 K up the mountain, but it takes awhile because you can't exactly zoom up!

Right out of the car we saw a scarlet honeyeater, which was beautiful. A fleeting glimpse of a blue-faced parrot finch, and another later in the day, and that was about it for that elusive finch.

I am decidedly not dressed appropriately for this day. I should have had on long trousers as we got pestered by marsh flies and pulled off a lot of leeches. One got all the way through Steve's sock on a vein on his foot, and he bled for quite a while. That blood-stained sock can be a little Australian memento for him.

After walking down to the creek area, we headed up the trail in the Brooklyn Wildlife refuge. It's a very pretty trail. Saw more sexy ginger (see Alan, I remembered!) and a really cool flower that maybe is an orchid. It is five petals in the shape of a star, in a slight pinwheel orientation. The tips curl under slightly, and the leaves were a really thick glossy green.

We saw a chowchilla, then Steve filmed a fern wren. It was pretty bad light, so he still has to check the video to see how it looks. It was a pretty nice hike.

We run into Del Richards in the clearing where the cars are parked. He seems like a really nice guy and we chatted with him a little bit. With one thing and another we didn't end up calling him for guiding this time around, but I could see contacting him in the future.

Spotted a mistletoe bird back in the clearning as well.

<b>Barramundi Gardens</b>
After heading back down the mountain we stopped at Barramundi Gardens which is just by the lodge. We bought some Barramundi filets and mixed greens for a salad. As well, they had barramundi spring rolls for sale.

Again, if you are cooking for yourself at Kingfisher, this is a good recommendation for a dinner. The fish was good, as were the salad greens. If you buy the spring rolls, be sure to thaw them first no matter what they might tell you. Frozen, the fish in the spring roll never really gets cooked.

<b>West Mary Road and Bustards!</b>
After dropping the dinner fixins at the lodge, it's time to look for bustards! I love their bustard strut, and looking for these is something I've looked forward to.

Soon we see the first one, being all sneaky and hiding behind a bush in a field. Eventually he comes out, and Steve starts filming. Closer, closer, closer he comes. We can see that he is in breeding plumage, which we had not seen before. Then comes another one! Also in breeding plumage.

They fly across the road, and the two start running kind of quickly, parallel to each other, and they take flight. That is one big bird to be airborne.

They landed in the next field, and then they started swirling about in some kind of display! They were two males, so I don't know if this is some kind of show off moment, or face off moment, or what, but it was fantastic.

We saw several more after that, some smaller with none of the breeding plumage, which we thought were probably females, and some much smaller ones which we thought might be babies.

We made a couple of other stops, none as exciting as that, and the rest of the evening was laundry and dinner.

Yes Toucan2 you are being graded, however you are doing well. :0)
Enjoying your post very much and I am sure that when the Aussies get over the Christmas drinks and get to reading Fodors they will all enjoy it.

Yes Toucan2, Dell Richards is a great guy and a top birder. Tough luck on those parrot finches. Actually, I paid someone to scare them off so you would come back. Also a shame that you did not get a good view of the Paradise Kingfishers at Kingfisher Lodge. When I was there a couple of weeks after you we were almost at the stage of swatting them out of the way as we walked around the grounds. The Fern Wrens have been hard to find of late so I am glad steve got onto one of them. if they came out where the light was good they would not have been Fern Wrens. ;-)

Your discriptions of the Brown-backed Honeyeater building its nest are most accurate and discriptive.

Lizzy, what do you mean, &quot;when the Aussies get over the Christmas drinks.&quot; If you stay drunk all year there is nothing to get over! It is getting sober that hurts, not getting drunk.

OK I should stay drunk all year then Saltuarius and that would solve any problems. Should go a long way in getting that effect with the bottles of the fine stuff I got for Christmas.

Glad to know I'm doing okay LizzyF(:

So <i>that's</i> the reason we couldn't see those parrot finches S! We'll definitely have to come back.

<b>December 9 - Baby Kookaburras, Great Bowerbirds, Blue-Faced Honeyeaters <i>everywhere</i>, The Freaky Red-eyed Figbird, Mt. Molloy and shopping in Daintree Village</b>

<b>Baby Kookaburras</b>
Steve is out the door early, as usual, while I take my time, drink my coffee, etc. I do decide I better walk around the grounds a bit as I really haven't much. First I spot a black skink running across the birdge, then I wander around taking pictures of lots of flowers.

At the red-necked crake pond I see two baby kookaburras. They are much smaller than regular kookaburras, and kind of fluffy, and clearly kookaburras, so they have to be the babies don't they? (: They are so close I can even take pictures with my point and shoot.

<b>Great Bowerbirds</b>
Back up to Mt. Molloy to look for great bowerbirds. Keith had told us to walk down the bike path which you can spot by the Public Toilets sign. Sure enough, there are several bowers, and many great bowerbirds around.

Even trying to keep our distance so as not to disturb them, we got very good looks at the bowers. The adornments for these bowers were more shades of white than the Satin Bowerbird. There were a couple of red straws, but mainly small rocks, clear and white bottle caps, etc.

One male was turning and preening as we watched, and we got to see the beautiful neon fuschia marking on the back of its head.

Note: While we were in the area, there was a book launch for a book on bowerbirds by Frist and Frist. I don't remember the title. The book is beautiful. I've been trying to find cost and order info online, but haven't been successful. So if anyone has that info, please do share!

<b>Blue-faced Honeyeaters and Figbirds</b>
There were loads and loads of blue-faced honeyeaters (I don't get tired of watching them though!). A fair amount of the freaky deaky figbirds with their big red eyes. I'm convinced they were models for some of the creatures in Lord of the Rings.

<b>Mt. Molloy</b>
We explore Mt. Molloy a bit, driving down Vain's Close to the school, noticing lots of property for sale. We looked with envy at a Queenslander with gorgeous stain glass doors and wondered if they'd take Visa? (looks like it is under contract, just looked it up on Century 21).

Bicentennial Park (?) is quite pretty, and then we decide to try out the Mt Molloy Cafe which advertises Mexican food. Hm. There was very little in the way of Mexican food on the board--no enchiladas, no chile rellenos, no tacos--so we decide we will wait. But hey! They have chocolate milkshakes! Hmm. more like slightly chocolate flavored pepto-bismol. Interesting.

<b>Shopping in Daintree Village</b>

It's time to head on, going down the winding Rex Hwy, through the sugar cane fields, through Mossman, past the brilliant blue ocean and into Daintree.

We are greeted by Trish and Andrew at Red Mill House, and it is good to see them. They are just sitting down to lunch, and I don't want to disturb that, so we take off too and will worry about check in later.

Lunch at the Big Barramundi. The kitchen closes at 3, and sometimes earlier if it has been slow! (we tried to eat lunch there the next day at 20 to 3 and she had already cleaned of the grill (: ) 2 hamburgers, one basket of fries and soft drinks $22. Good Burgers.

Now I want to shop. The shops in town generally close at 4, and we are out a lot at that time, so I want to make sure I get the opportunity!

I had checked out the Daintree Timber Gallery online, and knew I wanted to buy some pieces. I ended up with two vases, one Purple Gidgee and one Banksia Nut. They are beautifully turned. The heartwood of the purple gidgee turns a beautiful violet color as it is exposed to light. www.daintreetimbergallery.com.

At the store across the street I end up with some sea snake bangles for my nieces. They are made with the skin of sea snakes that have been caught in prawn nets. Some are just brilliantly colored.

What I wish I had bought - a pottery piece by Ellen Terrell. Kingfisher Park had some in their gift shop, but I was indecisive at that point, then I forgot to follow up when we were in Daintree Village.

Good grief this is a long report! Well, it was also a long trip. Only 6 days to go.

<b>December 9-12 - Staying at Red Mill House</b>

Trish and Andrew Forsyth have running a bnb down right. They have the perfect blend of warmth, helpfulness and professionalism.

As happened when we stayed there previously, they also were great about helping us with tour information, dining information, etc. Trish can really get you organized in a hurry! She really listens and points you in the right direction. As you can tell, I can't say enough about them, and hope if you go up to that area you are lucky enough to stay at Red Mill House.

The rooms are really nice and comfortable. There is AC, but we never plugged it in. Open windows and a fan were fine. The rooms are beautifully decorated, with lots of nice personal touches.

There are wide covered verandas, with table and chairs outside each room. There are small fridges available on the verandas. The veranda outside the guest lounge is where you will have your breakfast, and there is a hot water dispenser for tea and coffee any time you like.

Breakfast is very good, includes a tropical fruit place, and hot breakfast of your choice. Homemade fruit and yoghurt is provided, along with a variety of cereals.

The grounds are quite nice, and there is a great pool on the grounds as well.

<b>Dining in Daintree Village</b>

We ate at three places in Daintree Village. In fact, I'm not sure there are any more than that?

<b>The Papaya</b>
This was new from our last visit. It's not open every night, so watch the opening hours so you can have some variety in your evening dining. It was very good. Steve had his regular steak and potatoes, I had a really good marinated pork tenderloin dish served over asian style greens and rice. Definitely recommend.

<b>The Big Barramundi</b>
Open for lunch, and I think this is also open for breakfast. We just ate there once, and had really good hamburgers. We got there at 20 to 3 the next day and they had already cleaned up because it was slow, so be aware! Standard burger and sandwich fare.

<b>Ellenor's Place</b>
I believe this is open every day. You'll want to let them know you are coming if you plan on eating dinner there, again if it is slow they may close up. I had a pretty decent seafood basket, Steve had, guess what? Steak. Also good. The salads served with the meal were particularly good. It's not an extensive menu, so eating there every night won't give you much variety.

<b>December 10 - Daintree River Experience with Ian Worcester &amp; Ellen Terrell, Heading over the Daintree River, A Cassowary! Why they are called Mud Maps, and Lychees</b>

<b>Daintree River Experience</b>
This river boat tour leaves from Barrett Creek Landing. Ian Worcester is such a nice guy, and so enthusiastic about the river. We enjoyed him so much, we actually went out with him three mornings in a row.

We met him at six, and on the first morning Ellen Terrell came out with us too, which was just great. Between the two of them we didn't miss much! In addition to her other talents, Ellen knows a ton about the plants and trees, so it was fun to learn from her.

Beautiful looks at shining flycatchers, little kingfisher, azure kingfisher, several papaun frogmouth (they look so cool with their babies under their breast).

Double-eyed fig parrots where fluttering about in the tree tops, taking a bath in the morning dew.

One beautiful plant we saw was the Blooming Barringtonia. I can't describe them very well, but here are some links to the family. The ones we saw were white, and just really lovely. http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/...a_racemosa.htm

Got back to RMH about 8:30 for breakfast. Cool fruit of the day-chocolate pudding fruit. yum.

<b>Heading Over the Daintree River, a Cassowary, and why they are called Mud Maps</b>
Ellen came back to RMH too, and she and Trish gave us some pointers for going over the river. They got us a mud map, and finally I had to ask...why are they called mud maps?

I was told it was from the habit of drawing a map with a stick in the mud. Makes sense doesn't it?

So, Trish packed us an esky with some ice water, handed us some sunscreen and mosquito repellant, and sent is on our way.

Ferry, $18 return ticket. It's very efficiently done. Not that many cars go over at once, but it all really seems to go smoothly, it's only about 10 minutes across the river.

First stop, Jindalba Boardwalk. It's a pretty cool boardwalk loop through the rainforest. We both agree standing in these rainforests makes you feel relatively small and insignificant! We can hear birds, but not really see any very well. Didn't matter, we enjoyed the stop.

Next stop, the Daintree Icecream Company. Today they had a four-flavor icecream cup for $5. It was mango, Jak fruit, apricot and wattleseed. Pretty different flavors, and good.

Here the grounds are also beautiful, and we wander it a bit. There is a cage with the Jak fruit curing, as well as some soursop. Apparently the Jak fruit is the largest fruit in the world (it is pretty darned big!)

We drive further up the highway to Cooper Creek. Steve birds up a side road, I watch some flying foxes.

The birding has slowed down at the mid-day, so we decide to take that slow time to drive back to Daintree Village. The big old SUV that had been so handy in other locations was unnerving on this very winding road. It's a lot bigger than my normal car, and I was ready for a swim by the time we got back to RMH.

But, before we get back, we do see a cassowary! It was an immature, and we didn't get a long look. Alas, there were two cars right behind me, no opportunity to even slow down.

This was the day we didn't get to the BB before they cleaned the grill. So, we wandered over to Ellenor's Place and shared a bowl of the potato wedges with sourcream and chilli sauce since it wouldn't be all that long until dinner.

Another thing I don't understand why it never gets served over here (not even at Outback Steakhouse! Okay, I'm just kidding, for all I know they do serve potato wedges with sourcream and chilli sauce).

It's time for Steve to bird around town, and me to go to the pool. Yay.

<b>Lychees</b>
I described our dinner at Ellenor's Place above. We got to chatting with Ellenor, and told her we had been there four years before and remembered her. She came out later with a couple of lychees for us. I had never tried one, so peeled it and nibbled on it. They are really sweet and juicy, but I'm not sure I can get over the odd gelatinous texture!

<b>December 11 - Back out with Ian &quot;Sauce&quot; Worcester, Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime, a low-key day</b>

Another great morning out on the river with Ian. Fantastically close looks and Steve gets great film of the azure kingfisher. Get to see the bright red inside of the male shining flycatchers mouth. Ian handles a green treesnake-beautiful.

After breakfast, we head out to Mossman Gorge. Steve wants to walk around Mossman Gorge, and I wanted to go to the guided walk conducted by the Kuku Yalanji. I took Steve up to the gorge and headed back.

Our guide was Robert, and he was really interesting. There is much of what you would expect of such a walk--pointing out plants and their uses, a display humpy, and so on. But Robert makes it even more interesting, talking about his experiences growing up.

He tells us of hunting cassowary, his initiation at 11, marrying a Tjukapai at 15, cooking fish in ginger leaves. There is a huge boulder with rock paintins that we view. As I said, he was really interesting, but a little hard to understand. You need to concentrate. There are different guides as well.

After they serve tea and damper, and he talks a bit more. Unfortunately, it had started kind of late, so I was running up against the time I had to go back and pick up Steve, so had to leave. I'd really recommend this walk if you are in the area.

We are pretty low key the rest of the day, so not much of interest to report. Lunch in Mossman, bought some sandwiches to eat for dinner, found a cash machine, looked around at a newstand, walked up and down. Most amused by the Christmas tree decorated with gold and white balls...and cans of Gold XXXX.

Pool and laundry for me, Steve went back out with Ian at 4:30.

<b>December 12 - On the river again, Lex the Crododile Hunter, Flecker Botanic Gardens, Cairns Esplanade</b>

<b>Lex the Crocodile Hunter</b>
We went out with Ian again, another great morning. Lex went along as well, and Ian introduced him like this &quot;Lex has an interesting hobby--he likes to hunt crocodile nests.&quot; So naturally I ask what he does when he finds them. &quot;Look at them and take pictures.&quot; Makes perfect sense to me!

Lex is also a blast, has lots of stories. He has a great eye too, and can mimic birds like nobody. He spots a little 18 inch crocodile for me, so I can say I saw a crocodile too(: (we did see the bubbles and mud trail the first day as one went up the creek in front of us)

Alas, we have to fly out later this afternoon, so we breakfast, pack and hit the road. The Captain Cook Highway is a gorgeous drive down to Cairns.

First stop, Flecker Botanic Gardens for me, Centenary Lakes for Steve. There's a bit of construction on the main road, so we actually end up parking by the back gate and walking through.

I'm so glad we did! I didn't get to stop there the last time, and the gardens are fantastic. I took all kinds of photos, and was just in awe of some of the specimens. The fern house as well had some fantastic plants, including some outrageous looking pitcher plants.

I was really excited and thought I saw the Cairns Birdwing butterfly, but realized later that it wasn't. Not big enough and had some red spots. It was a really gorgeous, quite large, green butterfly though!

Next I drop Steve at the Esplanade by the mangroves while I go fill up the rental car and buy us some sandwiches for lunch. He gets the mangrove robin and spiny-cheeked honey eater while there, and then unfortunately we have to go get on a plane. It's never enough time!

We catch a flight back to Sydney, and spend the night again at Fiona and Mark's.

Toucan2--I just found your trip report, and settled back with a cup of tea to read it. You are doing such a wonderful job. I just finished reading &quot;Kangaroo Dreaming&quot; (in preparation for our trip next Sept./Oct). Your trip report has been extra fun for me to read, because you are &quot;reinforcing&quot; what I picked up about various birds and animals by reading that book! Gives me hope that we may actually be able to see some of those birds too!

It seems like part of the reason you had such a wonderful trip is that you really took time to slow down and experience each area. Would love to see any pictures you might have!

Caligirl, I'm glad you aer enjoying it. It's turned out to be such a novel, that you may need more than one cup of tea to finish it!

Sally in Seattle's recent trip photos put mine to shame. There is a link to them here on the board. I hope to put up my photos, but I have a feeling it may be awhile...after I finish this trip report I start school again, so just don't know when I'll get to it.

A book I got last year and enjoyed is Lonely Planet's Watching Wildlife - Australia. I ordered it through Amazon. It's not a super in-depth field guide, but a good overview of lots of critters, and where to see them. May give you some ideas as well for places you may want to go.

<b>December 13 - Boo--Google Maps!, Royal National Park, Blue Mountains, Capertee Valley</b>

You would think I'd know better. We didn't have a map, so I got on Google the night before to get directions from where we were staying to Royal National Park. I know you should never completely trust these things, but I was about to find out just how bad online maps could be.

Good grief, I can't even bear to relive it in words, but suffice it to say that we wasted an hour lost, and we finally simply returned to the apartment, located a map, and were on our way. Once we had a good map, it took us about 30 minutes to get to Royal National Park. Grr.

We'd also gotten a later start than we intended, so we weren't all that hopeful of seeing the lyrebird, and we were right. On our last visit here 4 years ago, we were treated to magnificent displays and a lengthy concert. I even got close enough to take pictures with my camera. We just have to rely on those memories cause we didn't see them this year.

It was just one of those days. For some reason, I didn't change into my regular shoes, and we took off down Lady Carrington drive with me in my sandals. We suspected rain, and I threw my rain jacket in my pack, but still I didn't change my shoes.

This was regrettable. We were about 1 1/2 miles out when it started raining buckets. The rain jacket helped, but my trousers were soaked through, and my feet, well, not pretty.

There were fairy wrens to be seen, however, and a crested something (see, my husband is the birder)but towards the end I was a bit miserable.

However, if you are a birder, and you want to see the lyrebird, Lady Carrington Drive in RNP is still apparently the place to see them. The walk itself is nice as well. A helpful hint is that after you turn off (just by the visitors center) don't stop at the first parking lot. If you keep going, there is one further down before the drive is blocked off. We stopped at the first one again, exactly as we had before. You'd think we'd learn.

The park has all kinds of terrain and flora and fauna. When you are down on LCD, you are walking just above the river, and below cliffs to the new main park road above. The river side tends to be lush, and there is one area with what I can only describe as a palm grotto. The cliff side is mostly gum trees, of every type. Some with such beautiful trunk patterns.

Apparently, back in the day, this was where the genteel folk took carriage rides. In one spot some of the original stone pavers remain.

This wasn't the most beautiful of days, so we didn't get to enjoy RNP to it's fullest. Still, we stopped at the Kiosk right by the visitors centere (oh yes, $11 for visitors pass)picked up a cappacino,sausage roll and chips, and a burger, and drove on to Wattamolla beach. We didn't exactly picnic on the beach, but we had our lunch, and we were at the beach, right?

No beach swim today, but I did change out of the wet clothes and put on shorts, so it wasn't too freezing. It is a lovely area. If you walk down to the beach, there is a sheltered area where the stream comes to meet the sea, and last ime we were there, plenty of people were swimming there.

We hiked up and down the coastle trails a bit, although not as long as we had originally planned. So, I guess we have to come back again and give RNP the attention it deserves(:

We have short-changed RNP because we made a change in our final plans. We had contacted Carol Probets and arranged to meet her in the Blue Mountains and go out to the Capertee Valley. This was a great decision as we really enjoyed this as well.

There was no really straight route for quiet a ways from RNP to Katoomba. Thank goodness we now had the map. It took about 2 hours to get up there. We met Carol, and dropped our car (really Fiona's car) at Carol's.

There was still a bit of daylight yet, so Carol started birding right away. She took us to some spectacular lookouts in the Blue Mountains. One was called Hargroves Lookout. She and Steve hiked quite a ways out on one of the ridges. Again, not being the most surefooted, I stopped about midway out. All the viewpoints were quite beautiful. A few more stops, and we started heading out to the Capertee.

We stopped for dinner on the way in Little Hartley at the Talisman. We had really good wood-fired pizzas. Carol's was an interesting one with roasted sweet potato, carmelized onions, and goat cheese. I mention this because if you are on that western highway past Katoomba, you might want to stop! It was really good. There is an art gallery attached with metalwork.

Carol had a great eye, and in addition to the birds, we saw a swamp, or black kangaroo--very dark, some eastern gray kangeroos, and a fox trotting across a field with a rabbit in its mouth.

<b>December 14 - Capertee Valley, Lake Wallace, Blue Mountains and another good pizza in Sydney</b>

We had arrived in darkness the night before.

We stayed at: Binalong, (situated between Glen Davis and Glen Alice). Two guestrooms in a private house available for self-catering accommodation for up to 5 guests, situated on 140 acres of prime bird habitat. Sit on the deck and watch a variety of honeyeaters coming to the birdbaths. The property boasts a list of over 120 bird species. Full kitchen facilities, linen and towels provided, very reasonably priced. For enquiries and bookings phone April Mills on (02) 6379 7326. (from ww.bmbirding.com.au)

Again, Steve was up before me to meet Carol and start birding. Later he told me he got to see two kangaroos playboxing, so I def wish I had gotten up earlier!

Boy, but when I did! The Capertee Valley is fabulous. Sheer cliffs rise from the valley floor. I think I read or heard that this is the largest enclosed valley in Australia. Here you go, a better description than I can give you is here on Carol's web site: http://www.bmbirding.com.au/valley.html.

If you are a birder, make this a must see stop on your trip. We squeezed out a day to go here, but it definitely deserves more.

After leaving April's property, we went to visit Carol's property, which was 300 acres backing against the cliffs. The closer you get to the base of those cliffs, the more awe inspiring than ever.

We enjoyed the birding there, then made some more stops. The Capertee river was one such lovely spot. On the way out, Carol spotted a bearded dragon on a fence post, so we stopped and took a look.

Heading back through Glen Davis and Glen Alice, we headed for Lake Wallace. Lunch here by the lake, and did get to see the Musk Duck.

Back to the Blue Mountains, more beautiful look outs with magnificent rock outcroppings and house sized boulders.

One of the places we stopped was where the Blaxland Expedition had crossed, and where the tracks for the old Cox road start. There were a lot of plaques detailing the crossing, the mail runs, etc.

It was amazing to see the pickmarks in the stones, and remnants of the old stone hand-cut gutters where these maniacs took carriages down the mountainside. I wouldn't want to go down that mountainside in any kind of vehicle, much less a horse-drawn one!

It was a truly fantastic day, and we really have Carol Probets to thank for that. See contact info in initial posts.

After leaving Carol about 5 in Katoomba, it took us an even 1 1/2 hours back to Mark and Fiona's.

<b>Pizza in Pyrmont</b>
At home, we rarely eat pizza, but here we were eating it two nights in a row! So, a brief note here to tell you that if you do happen to be in Pyrmont, the pizza from Little Italy was really very good!

<b>December 15 &amp; 16 - Lunch at Swagman's Post Cafe, Shopping at the Rocks, Paddy's Market, Harbourside, and saying Good-bye</b>

Fiona and I leave the boys sleeping and head down to the Rocks. We take a circuitous route, and that is nice. We hop off the bus and walk over via Circular Quay. Since we spent most of this trip outside of Sydney, I have to drink in what I can of the harbour sights.

Someone said they are talking about taking down the sails for the Saturday market at the Rocks...why is that? Fiona and I settled in for some powershopping. She hadn't bought any Christmas gifts, and I had a few final gifts to buy. There is a great mix of items here, including glassworks, wood, food items, and much more.

We lunched at the Swagman's Post Cafe right there by the market. Fi ordered a chicken avocado sandwich on Turkish bread, I ordered a Thai beef salad, then we shared halvsies. The sandwich was good, but that salad was fantastic! Two watermelon juices for Fiona, one for me, and a bottle of water for the table, $50. Very reasonable for a tasty meal.

After cabbing back, we left Fiona and Mark alone for a bit and Steve and I headed back for Paddy's Market. Steve had done no souviner shopping at all, and had several kids he wanted to get mementos for.

Paddy's Market is definitely the place for the really inexpensive stuff if you need a lot. The quality of the shirts and hats isn't fantastic, but we got six shirts for $5 apiece and six hats for $5 apiece, and 2 jackets for $10 apiece. These were some of the kids he coaches, so we didn't want to spend a lot, but wanted to get them something they would enjoy. At least they can wear them when practicing, right? (:

It does take a lot of time to wind through all these booths. Upstairs are even more shops, and a food court and several restaurants above that. Here we paid the most I have ever paid for a can of coke - $3.50! Oh well, we were thirsty and it was only once.

Eventually all the decisions were made, and we began our walk back via harbourside. We knew this was our last taste of summer for many months. We enjoyed the sun, and walking past all the different waterfeatures of this area. People sunning on the grass, children running through fountains, buskers drawing a crowd.

We stopped in at Harbourside for yes, more shopping! There were several shops here with some higher quality shirts and jackets. We bought some more, then stopped in at the grocery store at the end of the mall area and bought Tim Tams, which had been requested. (Fiona had also gone out grocery shopping while we were away, and bought more Tim Tams! So we had a lot to hand out when we got home).

Back at the apartment, Fiona fixed an absolutely fantastic meal as I decorated the tree as I had promised her I would do. It was a fun and relaxing final evening with our friends in Australia.

This was it. Saturday we headed out for the long trip home. One note here. The Qantas web site will tell you you only need two hours in advance at the airport. Fiona told us two hours at the airport. That was true in the strictest sense, but if you want to look at the shops at all, buy a bottle of water, or even catch your breath, frankly I would recommend 3.

I haven't figured out how to make that trip home work as well as the trip over. Part of it is of course that you are returning from vacation, not embarking on vacation.

But we just never got more than a few stolen snatches of sleep leaving at noon and arriving at 6:30 in LA (where the immigration guy was amazingly friendly and chatty!) 5 hours there, not long enough flight to Dallas to catch sleep, then flight delays there before the short flight to KC. I still haven't gotten completly over my jet lag almost two weeks later, and it has never ever taken me this long from anywhere. Oy.