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Book Now →Welcome to Cairns, heart of Tropical North Queensland, where roughly half of Australia's bird species can be found. Today we begin our 8-day expedition by focusing on the tropical lowland rainforest, wetland and mangrove species found in the region. Our tour begins with a 6:30am pickup where we will explore the local birding hot spots of Cairns Esplanade, Centenary Lakes and Cattana Wetlands for shorebirds and lowland rainforest specialists such as the Sahul Sunbird, Varied Honeyeater, Beach Thick-knee, Green Oriole and various species of Knots, Sandpipers and Terns. After lunch we will drive north along one of Australia's most scenic coastal routes towards the famous Daintree River for a 2-hour sunset cruise along the saltwater section of the river, targeting the Azure Kingfisher, Large-billed Gerygone, White-bellied Sea Eagle and of course the Saltwater Crocodile, the world's largest species of crocodile. A short drive will take us back for the evening's meal and accommodation.
Day 2 begins with an early morning cruise in the freshwater section of the Daintree, targeting Great-billed Heron, Pale-vented Bush-hen and Shining Flycatcher. We will then begin our journey to the high-altitude rainforest of Mt Lewis for Fernwren, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Blue-faced Parrot-finch and Bridled Honeyeater before heading out to the dry savanna for Great Bowerbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater and an assortment of Australia's parrots such as the adorable Galah and Pale-headed Rosella. Our day will conclude in the small town of Yungaburra, where we will be based for the next 2 nights exploring the Atherton Tablelands.
We will start the day birding in the scenic Crater Lakes National Park for such wonders as Victoria's Riflebird, Spotted Catbird, Pale-yellow Robin and Macleay's Honeyeater before moving on to the famous Mt Hypipamee, a small park which boasts some of the highest levels of biodiversity in Australia. Here we will target Grey-headed Robin, Golden Bowerbird and the colourful Wompoo Fruit-Dove. The afternoon will take us back out to the dry country on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, targeting Little Lorikeet, Eastern Spinebill and Eastern Shrike-tit. As dusk falls we head to one of the Tablelands' best-kept secrets — a quiet creek where Platypus reliably surface in the evening calm. Tonight we will also have an optional spotlight for Lesser Sooty Owl, Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo and various other nocturnal mammals of the region.
Today we head out of the Wet Tropics bioregion and drive into the outback town of Georgetown. This area is dominated by savanna and eucalyptus woodland and gives you a real sense of the scale of the Australian continent. As we head into the dry country we encounter an almost completely different suite of birds — the elegant Australian Bustard, the cheeky Apostlebird, and an assortment of finches including Black-throated, Masked and Zebra Finch. It is out here that the Emu wanders the seemingly endless plains. We will stop at waterholes along the way, arriving in Georgetown in time to watch the birds come down to an old mining dam at sunset — a relic of the region's gold rush past. Georgetown is not only a great place for Australian birds and wildlife, but a window into colonial history.
Today we have a full day to explore the outback, searching for such specialists as Red-browed Pardalote, Red-backed Kingfisher, Brown Falcon and the tiny Diamond Dove. Sunset will be at another waterhole where we may be lucky enough to catch some of Australia's most celebrated birds — Budgerigar and Cockatiel alongside Red-winged Parrot, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Common Bronzewing.
After some early morning birding at Cumberland Dam we make our way back to Cairns, stopping at the Cairns Esplanade to search for any species we may have missed on Day 1.
Today we head south of Cairns to Etty Bay, well known for its resident Cassowaries that occasionally emerge from the jungle to patrol the beach. This can be something of a waiting game, so we have set aside time to maximise our chances of great views of this iconic bird. If time permits we will visit the Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walk, an elevated platform providing 360-degree views of the rainforest canopy — great for Grey Whistler, Cryptic Honeyeater and Grey Goshawk.
This stunning coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef is a vital sanctuary for up to 20,000 seabirds, including Greater Frigatebird, Brown Booby and nine species of Tern. We will take a full-day trip out to the cay with Ocean Spirit Cruises, with time to snorkel the coral gardens that fringe the island. We return to Cairns late afternoon, concluding our expedition with drop-offs at your accommodation or the airport.
Expected species count: 200–230 species across eight days, all 15 Wet Tropics endemics targeted plus outback and reef specialties.
| Habitat | Target species |
|---|---|
| Coastal & mangrove | Varied Honeyeater, Sahul Sunbird, Mangrove Robin, Beach Stone-Curlew, Pacific Baza, Rufous Owl, Papuan Frogmouth |
| Daintree saltwater | Black Bittern, Bush Stone-Curlew, Large-tailed Nightjar, Striated Heron, Saltwater Crocodile |
| Daintree freshwater | Great-billed Heron, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Pale-vented Bush-hen |
| Mt Lewis high-altitude | Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Bridled Honeyeater, Bower's Shrike-thrush, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo |
| Atherton Tablelands | Golden Bowerbird, Victoria's Riflebird, Spotted Catbird, Macleay's Honeyeater, Pale-yellow Robin, Chowchilla, Grey-headed Robin, Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, Platypus |
| Georgetown outback | Australian Bustard, Apostlebird, Red-backed Kingfisher, Diamond Dove, Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Red-winged Parrot, Emu, Black-throated Finch, Masked Finch |
| Etty Bay & Mamu | Southern Cassowary, Grey Whistler, Cryptic Honeyeater, Grey Goshawk |
| Michaelmas Cay reef | Greater Frigatebird, Brown Booby, Crested Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Roseate Tern |
Full details in our Terms & Conditions.
Maximum 5 guests. 20% deposit confirms your place — balance in two further payments before departure.
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