Deniliquin

 22 - 25 March 2022

Mick is a very keen bird photographer and is always looking for opportunites to capture new birds, or get a better shot of one he already has. He has wanted to go out with the guide in Deniliquin to photograph the plains wanderer, but the timing was never right. He was so pleased when a chance phone call while we were stoppped for coffee in Sheppartton lead him getting a spot with Philip Maher (Australian Ornithological Services) for the following night.

Once we had locked the tour in, we reset the destination in the GPS and headed for Deniliquin. We stopped for lunch by the Murray River at Barmah and then crossed the border into New South Wales. We arrived at the Riverside Caravan Park to find there were no powered spots so we accepted an unpowered spot by thr river. What a great location it turned out to be. Hardly anyone else camped in this part of the park, river views, shady trees, plenty of sun to keep the solar happy and very peaceful. Another really hot day - 35° - had us contemplating a swim in the pool, but we went for ice creams instead.

In the morning we walked into town for a look around and to pick up a few things, then returned to our spot by the river. Mick had to be ready to go at 3:30pm so he pottered around getting his gear ready - just a litle bit excited I think. The couple he was joining had booked a full day tour - but to be taken as an evening and then the following morning. I was surprised when Phillip announced they would return around midnight, and even more surprised when Mick arrived home at 1:30am! The morning's jaunt would leave at 8:00am so I set the alarm and went back to sleep.

Over an early breakfast, Mick related some of the details of the evening's excursion, including getting to photograph the Plains wanderer. We provided a morning cup of tea to the other birders who happened to be camped across the road from us and they set off for another session with Phillip. This time they were back after only a couple of hours - but in total they had spent about 11 hours on tour. Naturally Mick was very excited to look at the photos he had taken, but had to take a break for a well-earned afternoon nap.

Our detour to Deniliquin had been well worth it but it was time to decide where to move on to. We wanted to go to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, but discovered that some of the tracks would be closed over the weekend to allow for feral animal management. We resolved to head in that direction, but to find somewhere along the way to spend the weekend. We set the GPS for Swan Hill and set off.