| Birding
On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002 Emmalee Tarry |
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Little Desert National ParkBarren Grounds Bird Observatory Echidna and Koala Grampians National Park Great Ocean Road Little Desert Lodge Malleefowl Yookamura` |
 Malleefowl |
Barren Grounds Bird Observatory and Budderoo National Park
After each trip to Wollongong, I spent a few days at the Barren Grounds Bird Observatory. The BGBO is actually close enough to Wollongong that you could stay in the accommodations there and drive in to Wollongong for the pelagic trip. The observatory is on top of the Great Dividing Range and the road up the east escarpment is steep and narrow.
The BGBO is easily reached from Princes Highway . Drive south from Wollongong through Dapto to a rotary and follow the Illawarra Pass Road to Jamberoo. Just outside Jamberoo look for a stone wall on the right. Turn here onto tourist Route 9. This is a narrow mountain road up the Great Dividing Range that is marked "Not suitable for caravans." This is a typical route up the steep escarpment and probably the worst of the ones I drove. My campervan took this road with ease in lower gear. At the top watch closely for the left turn into the Barren Grounds Bird Observatory. It is just past a curve and easy to miss.
The road into the BGBO is gravel and the wardens house is on the right. There is no camping here, but there are some accommodation you can rent for AU$25 per night. There is also a campground about 1/2 mile past the entrance in Budderoo National Park.
Drive up the gravel road to the parking area where there are picnic tables and a chemical toilet.. Several tracks start in the parking area and I walked at least part way on all of them. You can see some good birds right in the parking area.
This is the best place in Australia to see the Ground Parrot or it is the best place to miss the bird. .The ranger advised me to walk on "service track" near the observatory that leads to a communications tower. I met several people who reported seeing the bird along this narrow track. I walked it several times with no luck. Usually one person walking or standing quietly sees the bird. Ground Parrots are nocturnal and most active at dawn and dusk. I worked very hard for this bird finally seeing it fly away.
Another speciality bird is the Eastern Bristlebird and I saw it easily on the first day I was there. Two other specialties were more elusive: Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Hylacola) and Southern Emuwren. I never saw either. A Fan-tailed Cuckoo followed me around one day in the summer.
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Typical Ground Parrot Habitat. The Ground Parrot walks in the
heather without making much disturbance. To see it on the ground you have to
get lucky. This is also good habitat for the Beautiful Firetail Finch
which I saw here on my first visit. Seen in the woods without difficulty were New Holland Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Gray-backed Silvereyes, White-naped Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird, Golden Whistler. |
| This is a Pied Currawong a very common bird
photographed in the parking lot at BGBO. Just sitting in the parking lot can be profitable. While I was out pounding the tracks another birder had Gang-gang Cockatoo here. |
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Just outside the BGBO is Budderoo National Park. There are
several tracks and fire roads worth exploring especially for Southern Emuwren.
I finally saw the Ground Parrot from the fire road. This is a view of the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range photographed from the Budderoo National Park that surround the BGBO. |
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