Birding in Australia

Even in the land ‘down under,’ there are those who spend more time looking up at the sky.  Damon Ramsey, a renowned birding and biologist guide is the best person to have by your side as you discover Australia’s extraordinary wealth of birds that inhabit its stunning landscape – from the cosmopolitan charm of Sydney to the dazzling beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tablelands, Daintree, Lamington and the Mallee Outback. 

Days 1/2 - Los Angeles/En Route
Board your flight in Los Angeles and enjoy excellent in-flight service.  Cross the International Date Line and lose a full day.  (Meals Aloft)

Days 3/4 - Sydney/Royal National Park
Arrive in Sydney, where Damon Ramsey greets you with a cheerful ‘G’Day’ and escorts you to your elegant hotel.  Relax poolside or begin your birding in the Botanical Gardens. Enjoy a welcome dinner cruise on the harbor, with spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.  The next morning, explore Australia’s oldest national park – Royal National Park.  ALL SEASONS PREMIER MENZIES HOTEL. (Meals Aloft, D; B)

Days 5/6 - Sydney/Cairns
Fly to Cairns and enter the Australian tropics – the highest point of biological diversity on the continent.  Your hotel is located on the famous esplanade where you may see waders such as Whimbrel and Eastern Curlew.  Next morning, board the Ocean Spirit, a high speed luxury catamaran to explore the submerged beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.  This 1,260-mile coral reef is the world’s largest living organism and home to thousands of invertebrates and diverse birdlife.  An informative talk on the biology and history of the reef is followed by guided snorkeling.  Just off the tiny coral cay, Michaelmas Cay, take a small transfer boat onto the island and walk up to some of the thousands of nesting birds, including colored Sooty Terns.  TRADEWINDS ESPLANADE. (B;B,L)

Days 7/8 - Atherton Tablelands/Lake Eacham/Lake Barrinne/Hypipamee National Park
Visit the beautiful Botanical Gardens, than drive to the Atherton Tablelands for some of the best tropical birding in the country.  Among the treetop dwellers are the raucous Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.  Arrive late in the afternoon at your lodge hidden in the tropical highland rainforest.   Your host, John Chambers, will provide rainforest kangaroo viewing and wildlife commentary as sugar gliders, possums and giant white-tailed uromys often feed on the verandah railings.  The next morning, have breakfast while ‘birding’ on the central verandah.  Afterward, head for nearby volcanic Lake Eacham searching for rainforest endemics such as Chowchillas, before taking a boat cruise on Lake Barrine. After dinner, look for Australian mammals. CHAMBERS WILDLIFE RAINFOREST LODGES. (B,L,D)

Day 9 - Daintree National Park
Head through tropical savannah woodland and into drier savannah woodland.  At Granite gorge, you may see Yellow Honeyeater and Mareeba Rock Wallabies.  Bird in the sugarcane fields en route to Daintree and your internationally renowned lodge and spa.  Daintree is believed to be the oldest living rainforest in the world containing over 430 species of birds, 135 of those have been recorded in your lodge’s boundaries.  Aboriginal guides present an insight into the wonders of their culture.  DAINTREE ECO LODGE & SPA. (B,D)

Days 10/11/12 - Daintree National Park/Cairns/Brisbane/Lamington National Park
Enjoy an early morning river cruise on the Daintree River past an enormous range of animals and countless species of trees, ferns and fungi.  Fly to Brisbane and drive to Lamington National Park, a World Heritage Site.  The local mammal list contains 68 native species and more than 160 bird species, including Albert’s Lyrebird, Wompoo Pigeon and Spinetailed Log Runner.  Among the epiphytes, orchids are numerous with more than 700 identifiable species.  Walk to the cascading wonder of Elabana Falls and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the rainforest canopy from the Treetop Walk – the first of its kind in the world.  O’REILLY’S RAINFOREST GUESTHOUSE.  (B,L,D Daily)

Days 13/14 - Brisbane/Melbourne/Phillip Island
- Drive to Brisbane and fly to cosmopolitan Melbourne.  Today is free to cruise up the Yarra, bike a long the river of visit the fine museums and art galleries around Flinders Lane.  The next morning, discover the nearby national parks and the best birding areas around Melbourne.  In the late afternoon, head to Phillip Island, home to Fairy Penguins, the only resident penguin in Australia.  Watch from the elevated boardwalk at Summerland Beach as hundreds of penguins waddle ashore.  RADISSON ON FLAGSTAFF GARDENS. (B; B,D)

Days 15/16 - Mallee Country
En route to Ouyen, keep an eye out for the tallest of all Australian birds, the 6-foot Emu.  Arrive late at your lodge in the Mallee town of Ouyen, one of the top birding areas in the outback.  Next day explore this seeming desolate woodland of Eucalyptus ‘mallee’ trees often brimming with birds.  Continue to Wyperfeld National Park, home to Emu and the black-faced mallee kangaroo.  Go to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, a World Biosphere Reserve bordering the mighty Murray River with more than 200 bird species sighted here.  It is the only region in Australia where all major species of kangaroo can be spotted.  OUYEN MOTEL. (B,D Daily)

Days 17/18 - Melbourne/USA
On the drive back to the southern coast, you may visit a bird-watching spot just outside of Melbourne and see the Aboriginal rock wells on the Big Rock.  Your farewell dinner is a 5-course, moveable feast aboard the converted 1927 Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, at the Crown Casino where you can either try your luck or take the coach back to your hotel.  Next day, you are transferred to the airport for your return flights home.  En route, you cross the International Date Line and regain your ‘lost’ day.  (B,D; B, Meals Aloft)

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