Birding On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002
Emmalee Tarry 		Comments | Table of Contents

Queensland North

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Cassowary House

Kuranda is located at the top of the Great Dividing Range at about the middle of the Atherton Plateau. Owned by Phil and Sue Gregory, the Cassowary House is a lodge catering to birders. Phil leads bird trips and was not there during my September visit. Sue is a an excellent cook and very knowledgeable about the birds that come to her feeders. I came here to see a Cassowary and again was disappointed. I am beginning to get worried about seeing this bird. Sue reports that at Mission Beach the rangers have closed the Licula Forest track because one of the Cassowaries was too aggressive. Sue only sees her Cassowary on certain days and this just wasn't one them.
My room was downstairs in the main house and had a shower and sink. The toilet was next to my room and I shared it with Sue's son.The room for one person cost AU$55 and I paid AU$32.50 for dinner and breakfast.It was worth a visit just to sit and watch the feeders and talk with Sue and to enjoy her fine cooking.

Mail From Sue - April 2003

Our male (Cassowary) did not return until November with three chicks in tow. We had got very worried about him but I imagine something happened to the first brood and he had to start all over again. Father and chicks are all well and visiting us daily on their tour through the forest. Mum drops by a couple of times a week occasionally meeting up with them but showing no maternal signs when she does. At least she is not aggressive towards the chicks, she just ignores them.


Spangled Drongo waits to visit the feeder at Cassowary House.
The Spotted Catbird is a very aggressive visitor to the feeders. MacLeay's Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird, Bush Turkey, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Emerald Dove, Little Shrike-thrush, Spectacled Monarch, Silvereye, Victoria's Riflebird, Figbird.

In the evening the Red-necked Crake appeared right outside my bedroom. This bird alone was worth the visit. In some years you can see it at Kingfisher Park and it can also be seen from the boardwalk in Caines.
Several Musky Rat Kangaroos about the size of a rabbit come out at night. This is not a rodent, but a marsupial. You can tell by the way it hops. Unfortunately the Musky Rat Kangaroo is considered vulnerable. It suffers primarily from rainforest clearing and loss of habitat.
Cassowary House
Phil and Sue Gregory
PO Box 387
Kuranda, Qld 4872
Self-contained units or full board (no camping)
(07) 4093 7318
sicklebill@internetnorth.com.au
www.cassowary-house.com.au

Orchid blooming in the garden at the Cassowary House.
South Atherton Tablelands

There are some excellent birding spots on the south end of the Atherton Tablelands. I made my headquarters on the south end at the large and shady Miranda Falls Caravan Park. From here I visited: Lake Eacham, Curtain Figtree at Yungabura, Broomfield Swamp, and Hastie Swamp.
This Spotted Catbird hid in the woods behind my campsite, but eagerly came down if I put out some crackers.

There was a Bush Turkey mound in the woods also. One large male defended my camp site from about 10 other birds. I suspect the mound right behind my camper belonged to him.

There are two sites at the campground where you can see Platypus after dark and at first light. The first was near my campsite. Go down the stairs to the swimming pool under the falls. Stand on the small bridge and look downstream. I had no luck at this spot.
To reach the other platypus site, drive out of the campground and turn right. You will cross a bridge. Just over the bridge and across from the Wet Tropics Center you will see a track into the woods. Walk to the viewing platform at a pool. Here you will see turtles. Go on past the platform until the track paving stops and the path starts to climb the hill. Walk left to edge of the creek and wait here until it is good and dark. I saw my first Platypus swimming across the creek. about 6:10 PM. It is important to be very quiet while looking for Platypus. Usually they make ripples in the water and sometimes you can see bubbles. While waiting I saw a Wompoo Fruit-dove sitting on a swinging vine and a big lizard crawled out of the water onto a log.

Curtain Fig Tree

The Curtain Figtree is 500 year old, 50m tall with a circumference of 39m. It grows in a beautiful old growth rainforest and is surrounded by a beautiful boardwalk from which you look down at the forest floor. I saw Bush Turkeys and Brown Gerygone here. The fig tree grew up around another host tree which then fell landing at a 45 degree angle. The figtree continued to grown and send down roots which eventually formed a curtain. All the tourist buses make a quick stop at the Curtain Fig Tree so there is a constant stream of people walking around it, taking pictures and talking. An early morning visit might produce better birds, but you really have other places to be early in the morning.

Lake Eacham

Lake Eacham is a small lake surrounded by a beautiful mature rainforest. I arrived here about mid-morning and found it a bit hot. I took a walk on the track around the lake seeing Brown Cuckoo Dove and Grey Fantail. There was a White Pelican on the lake.

It was so hot, I decided to join the others and take a swim from the beach. The water was cold and clear. Just after I got out a snake swam along the beach with its head out of the water and disappeared into the weeds at the edge. A man declared it to be a very poisonous Brown Snake, but I am uncertain of his credentials. Sort of discouraged any more swimming on my part at least.

Broomfield Swamp

Got an early start from Miranda Falls and took the road to Atherton turning left on Upper Barron Road. This road is a one lane sealed road as far as Broomfield Swamp after which it becomes a one lane unsealed road. Same rules as the Barkley Highway and there was quite a bit of traffic mostly farm trucks.

I stopped at the first farm because there was a flock of Brown Quail in the grass along the road. I also saw Helmeted Friarbirds and Bar-shouldered Dove.
Five kilometer down the road look for the viewing platform for the Broomfield Swamp. The swamp in a private pasture is a bit of water in the remains of an extinct volcano. Get here early to see the Sarus Crane and Brolga. I had 2 Sarus Cranes which are obviously different. Their tails are lighter grey and legs are pink. I had already seen Brolga in the Northern Territory so I was looking for the Sarus Crane. Actually most of these birds are Sarus Cranes. By 8:30 all the cranes had taken off to feed in the surrounding fields.
This is the view from the Broomfield Swamp viewing platform. This is definitely a scoping opportunity. The water had Magpie Geese (200), Purple Swamphen. A Laughing Kookaburra was in the trees near the platform.
After the cranes took off from the swamp I was able to relocate them in a field some distance from the road. This is the best photograph I could muster.

I then drove back the way I came to avoid driving on the unsealed part of the road.


I went to Mt. Hypipamee National Park and walked the paved track to the edge of the volcano crater located in a higher, cooler rainforest. The track gave a view into the upper story of the rainforest, but there were not many birds. It was still an interesting walk. In the parking lot Blue-faced Honeyeater, Grey-headed Robin, Lewin's Honeyeater.

On the Wongabel Botanical Walk I saw White-throated Treecreeper and Eastern Whipbird.

Hastie Swamp

Visiting Hastie Swamp requires driving on a short length of unsealed road. There is very little traffic. At the end of the road is a fine bird hide. One of the first birds I noticed here was the Yellow-billed Spoonbilll.
Black-fronted Dotterel in front of the bird hide. In the swamp there were 1000 + Plumed Whistling Ducks, Australian Grebe, Hoary-headed Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, Magpie Goose, Pink-eared Duck, Straw-necked Ibis, White Ibis.
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