Malanda

26 - 28 November 2014

Our last minute booking has turned out really well. The unit is very well set up with a good kitchen-with just about everything you might need – as well as a decent sized lounge area, separate bedroom and small private veranda. We went for a walk around the grounds – down to the creek and along the edge of the bush. It's a very quiet, pleasant setting.

Lillipillies were flowering all around the grounds attracting lots of bees and butterflies. Most were too high up to photograph but I was able to catch a couple on lower shrubs. There were also plenty of birds around the place, including Rufous Whistler, Rufous Fantail, Silvereye, Bower's Shrike-thrush, Lewin's Honeyeater and Eastern Spinebill. Mick.

Bower's Shrike-thrush

This White-headed Pigeon was photographed next to the unit.

Common Jezabel

Green Awl

On Thursday morning we headed out fairly early - for us - and made our first stop at the Curtain Fig Tree. This magnificent example of a strangler fig has always been a favourite spot. After a walk around the boardwalk which circumnavigates the tree we made our way over to Lake Barrine, another favourite spot.

Little Shrike-thrush at the Curtain Fig Tree

Lake Barrine is one of two crater lakes on the Atherton Tablelands. It is popular with tourists as there is a boat tour as well as a remnant of days gone by - Tea Rooms. This facility has been run by the same family almost continuously since the 1920’s. Apart from this small pocket of privately owned land, the rest of the surrounding area is National Park.

Through the gardens to the Tea Rooms by the lake.

A great view with lunch.

Eastern Spinebill

From the car-park we heard Superb Fruit-doves calling but could not locate them. I would love to get a shot of one of these little beauties but they blend perfectly with the rainforest canopy and are very hard to find.

The beautifully maintained gardens at Lake Barrine are a good place to find  Eastern Spinebill, Dusky Honeyeater and Lewin's Honeyeater. 

There is usually a variety of waterfowl present on the lake. You may see Pelican, Pacific Black

Male King Parrot

Duck, various Cormorants, Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen, Australasian and Great Crested Grebe. The latter can be found in large numbers out in the middle of the lake. The occasional  bird will come closer to shore but usually still too far for a good photograph.

The cruise around the lake is recommended. It's fun and not too expensive. You may be lucky and see a Amethystine Python sunning itself near the lake edge. Turtles and eels are also seen. Mick.


When we arrived, Mick spotted a fellow birdo – you could tell by the binoculars around his neck - a dead giveaway! Anyway, Mick asked if there was anything interesting around and he suggested we might see Tooth-billed Bowerbird on the 600m ‘rainforest walk’ so of course, that was where we headed. Although we have visited Lake Barrine lots of times we had never taken this particular track. It was a very pleasant walk, but we didn’t see the Bowerbirds even though we could hear them. When we came to a fork in the path, we decided to take the 4.7km walk back to the tearooms – definitely the long way round! It’s actually a really nice walk around the lake, through the rainforest. The path is mostly flat with a few gentle uphill sections and a small number of easy stairs. It took us about 2 hours, but only because we kept stopping to try and photograph birds. We made it back in time for lunch at the tearoom, with a beautiful view of the lake.

Male Chowchilla, a bird of the rainforest floor, difficult to photograph in the low light.

Near our table, this female Olive-backed Sunbird returned again and again to add to it's nest.

After lunch we headed in to Yungaburrafor a look at a new shop – a fudgery which has only been open for a short time. We believe in supporting small, local businesses so made a small purchase. Next we made our way down to Peterson Creek. There has been a significant amount of re-vegetation carried out by the local Landcare group and the walk along the creek is very pleasant – mostly flat with some gentle uphill sections. We didn’t see much birdlife (too hot and dry) but Mick did spot a Green Ringtail Possum asleep in tree. Much easier to photograph than birds which keep flying away!

Red-browed Finch

Green Ringtail Possum

Green Ringtail Possum

Sleepy looking Bush Stone-curlew sitting on eggs

Next stop back home to the unit and a well deserved swim. It’s usually cool up on the Tablelands, but this time it was really hot. 

We left for home fairly early on Friday and stopped at Cardwell for coffee. We decided to visit Big Crystal Creek for lunch. There is a camping area, a picnic area and a creek for swimming. We'll file this one away for future reference.

Kuranda

25 – 26 November 2014

After a leisurely morning at The Sanctuary, with cassowary encounter, we headed up the highway to the Atherton Tablelands – another of our favourite spots. We stopped for coffee at a cafe near Millaa Millaa, at the op-shops in Malanda, and in Atherton where we also had lunch. We always manage to drag our journeys out as much as possible.

We arrived at our destination – a rainforest cottage near Kuranda, but there was no-one there. When the owner returned it seemed there had been a mix up with our booking and she had us booked in for three nights next week, not this week. She was able to offer us other accommodation which we accepted for one night only. The mix up was a bit of a blessing in disguise – the cottage was “rustic” to say the least, with the certainty of nocturnal creepy crawlies, and the alternative was a little better, but very small. We also discovered late in the evening that the hot water wasn't working! (This was sorted out in the morning – but didn't make for a pleasant stay).

We were rewarded in the morning with another “up close” encounter with not one, but two, cassowaries. They spent about an hour wandering around near the upper level deck where breakfast is served to B&B guests. The male was known to be the father of a chick but the young one hadn't been seen for a number of days – causing some concern. The chick was far too young to be wandering around on its own so fears for its safety were genuine. We will probably never know of its fate.

Southern Cassowary taken from the veranda

Musky rat-kangaroo

We packed up and headed to Mareeba to consider our accommodation options over coffee and then lunch in the park near the visitor centre. We found a couple of likely options and tried calling but no-one was answering their phones, so we moved on to Atherton and Platypus Park – another regular stop. We tried calling again and this time did get an answer of sorts – he would phone me back in a few minutes – he didn’t!

We drove back to the Atherton visitor centre and tried calling places again – and this time the owner of Johnstone River Retreat answered and advised that, yes, she did have a unit available (and yes the price was very reasonable) so we headed over to have a look (just in case it wasn't quite as described). Although it is really a garden setting rather than our preferred rainforest, it is on the river so we booked in for two nights. The unit is spacious, has a private veranda and there is a swimming pool.

Mission Beach

24 - 25 November 2014

We've done it again - headed to Mission Beach as the first stop on a short break away - but this time we have broken with tradition and have chosen a different place to stay. After our usual coffee and op shopping in Ingham, and lunch in Cardwell, we arrived at the Sanctuary Retreat. Not really in Mission Beach (the address is Garner's Beach) the retreat is a few kilometres north. Perched on a ridge with views to the ocean, this is a very peaceful place to stay - but there's not a lot to do (which may be why some people stay here).

The view from the long house deck at sunset.

On arrival at the car park, guests must contact reception via a phone provided to be collected by 4WD. The road up to the accommodation is extremely steep and private vehicles are not permitted on this part of the property. We had read in various places that the road and walking paths are very steep, and only suitable for those with a reasonable level of fitness - and they weren't kidding!

Our cabin was nestled in the rainforest with canopy views. Although quite small (compared to places we usually stay) the room is well set up and private, but not air-conditioned. A table and chairs on the balcony allowed us to sit and enjoy the afternoon breeze. There were surprisingly few birds, so no action with the camera. Because it was so hot, we decided to go for a swim. Down the steep path was hard enough but coming back was a killer - short but really steep, sure had the heart pumping.

Because you don't have easy access to your car, you're sort of locked in to eating at the retreat restaurant. The menu is small, changes daily and has a selection of genuine vegetarian options, as well as meat dishes. Although I'm a meat eater it was nice to be able to order a proper vegetarian meal. Our meals were very tasty, beautifully presented and reasonably priced considering guests are pretty much a captive audience.

It's not so bad being a captive audience.

Being in the middle of the rainforest we expected the usual night noises but it was actually very quiet. In the morning we opened the curtains and enjoyed the early morning view of the treetops. The breakfast menu was just as good as the dinner menu, again with various vegetarian options. Mick deviated from his usual bacon and eggs to try the eggs benedict with ham - delicious. My scrambled eggs came just as I like them - fully cooked (I really don't like runny eggs).

Walking back to our cabin after breakfast we spotted a few butterflies so Mick collected the camera and started to stalk these elusive creatures - but what a surprise when he spotted a cassowary. This magnificent and highly endangered species is declining in numbers due to a number of factors including loss of habitat, dog attacks and vehicle accidents so it is always a treat to see one in the bush. Mission Beach has always been a good spot to see cassowaries. Visitors will often see "recent cassowary crossing" signs along the road from Tully and around Mission Beach.

Southern Cassowary

Southern Cassowary

At first this one was snuggled into the bush drinking from a water point, but after a while it began to walk across the track and into the bush for a feed, then up the track towards us. We kept our distance as cassowaries can be dangerous - their enormous claws can inflict serious injuries and we had no desire to antagonize this particular specimen. We both took lots of photos - some completely out of focus, but with a few good ones.

This was was not the greatest birding location I've been to. What it lacked in variety, however, was certainly compensated for by this wonderful encounter. The Cassowary is as beautiful as it is dangerous and any interaction should be from a safe distance and with an escape route for both you and the bird in mind. At this time of the year male birds may have a chick or two at heel and could react savagely to any perceived threat. Their stout legs and sharp claws make formidable weapons. With this in mind, I believe I have an excuse for the slightly shaky shots above. Mick.