Kirrama Birdwatching & Wildlife Tours - Australia & New Guinea

North Queensland Bird Tour

11 Day Tour

6 birdwatchers maximum
Cairns - Musgrave - Lakefield N.P. - Julatten - Atherton Tablelands - Georgetown - Undara - Mission Beach - Cairns

The Wet Tropics World Heritage area between Cooktown and Townsville is one of the best and most famous birding regions in Australia. 14 species of birds are endemic to the highland and lowland rainforests, which receive the highest rainfall on the Australian mainland.

The high rainfall accounts for its natural beauty, clear creeks with Platypus and a large number of endemic frogs and possums. This tour has even more to offer, as we visit woodland areas with some special birds in mind.

Day 1 + 2

Your tour starts in Cairns, pick-up time is around 7.00 am, and we drive north to Musgrave. The Golden-shouldered Parrot is one of the endangered birds of Australia and endemic to the Musgrave area on Cape York Peninsula. During the nesting period, which takes place between February and May in most years, you have the best chance of seeing the parrots. Musgrave Station, a roadhouse on the rugged, unsealed road to the Tip of Cape York, is our base for two nights. It is basic accommodation with shared amenities, has clean rooms with with two single bed and ceiling fans. The distance from Cairns to Musgrave is about 450 km.

Accommodation: Musgrave Station Roadhouse, Musgrave

Day 3 + 4

In the morning we look for the Red Goshawk and drive via Musgrave to Julatten. Kingfisher Birdwatchers Lodge in the northern part of the Tablelands is well known for its bird life and is the prime spot for Lesser Sooty Owls and Red-necked Crakes among many others, and the rooms are set in lush rainforest with birds present at your fingertips. We also travel to nearby Mt Lewis, which has the only reliable population of Blue-faced Finches. These Finches are best seen between November and May.
On Day 4 we leave Julatten very early and drive down to the coast. On the Daintree River we take the well-known River Cruise with Chris Dahlberg, who specialises on birdwatchers. Highlights are Great-billed Herons and Little Kingfishers, and it's not uncommon to see 40 species of birds.

Accommodation: Kingfisher Birdwatchers Lodge, Julatten

Day 5 + 6

Yungaburra in the southern part of the Tablelands is our next destination. Places like Lake Barrine, Mt Hypipamee and Hastie's Swamp are the spots for the endemic highland rainforest birds. One night we look for Rainforest Possums with possible nocturnal birds always on our minds. Most birding regions are between 700 and 1000 metres above sea level, so temperatures can be 10 degrees Celsius lower than coastal Cairns and Mission Beach.

Accommodation: Yungaburra Park Motel, Yungaburra

Day 7

From Yungaburra we travel through the highland sclerophyll forest to Georgetown. Here we encounter different birds in the dry woodland. The area is well known for Black-throated-, Masked-, Zebra-, Double-bar Finches and other birds like Cockatiels, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Yellow-tinted and Rufous-throated Honeyeaters and more.

Accommodation: La Tara Motel, Georgetown

Day 8

On our way back we stop at Undara and visit the Lava Tubes, which are now a world-famous, partly collapsed network of underground tunnels of unusual beauty. A 2 hour tour into the tubes is part of the itinerary.

Accommodation: Undara Lava Lodge, Undara

Day 9 + 10

The Cassowary is our main objective in the lowland rainforest at Mission Beach. Several times we walk in the lowland rainforests with its spectacular Fan Palms, where our nocturnal search for Rufous Owl also takes place. Beach Thick-knees, Noisy Pittas, White-eared Monarchs are other target species.

Accommodation: Castaways Beach Resort, Mission Beach

Day 11

After some birding in the morning we leave Mission Beach and travel north towards Cairns. Depending on time we'll visit Eubenangee Swamp, and the mangroves at Edmonton are a good place to see the Mangrove Robin among others. Depending on time and tides we may visit the Esplanade and then you'll be returned to the accommodation of your choice. The tour ends in the late afternoon.

Transport is in a 6 (forward-facing) seater Toyota 4WD troop carrier, and we carry a satellite phone and a First-Aid Kit. Six birdwatchers are maximum on this excellent tour.

We always search for, and concentrate on, the endemic and special birds of each region and generally have great views of them. Of course we also enjoy looking at all the other birds encountered.

Note: No Reef Trip is planned on this tour, as you could easily do it yourself at lower cost. There are currently 3 companies, which visit Michaelmas Cay daily.