AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, Cairns to Daintree

The esplanande at Cairns

Sept 22: The third day of my Australian Tour began early, as several of us went out before breakfast, to explore the Cairns Esplanade.  This wonderful recreational area features picturesque palm trees lining a paved walkway that runs the length of Trinity Inlet.  Exercise was clearly the order of the day, with beach volleyball, jogging and various cardiovascular work-outs in full swing, even at this early hour!  Per the custom of many busy pedestrian corridors, one has to stay to their side of the path, in this case, the left side.  I heard a mother admonish her young sons who wandered into the right, “You weren’t born in America.”

Buff-banded Rail

For us it was a marvelous location for birding, even with the tide being far out.   We enjoyed up-close views of Whimbrels, comparing them to Eastern Curlew foraging nearby. Three Royal Spoonbills paced around a small pool, bills swaying in the water from side to side, stirring up what they could, much to the benefit of a Little Egret following them.  A beautifully-patterned Buff-banded Rail stalked along a ridge of mud, hunting for its breakfast.  Scaly-breasted Munia were feeding in short grass along the beach, as Peaceful Doves strutted about.  Pairs of Australasian Figbirds, part of the oriole family, rose from their roost sites to perch on tree tops and catch the morning’s warmth.

Janis had already sussed-out the local birding scene, when she arrived a day early.  She gleefully pointed out the Esplanade’s “Tree of Knowledge” under which the local ‘birding elite’ would sit daily on the “Bullshit Bench,” to discuss the comings and goings of the avian world in front of them.  No doubt they saw the Lesser Sand Plovers, Red-capped Plovers and pairs of Black-fronted Dotterel patrolling the open flats, as we did.

View towards Cairns from the Sky Rail

Following breakfast our whole group headed north of Cairns, and up the eastern slope of the Great Divide to Kuranda.  From Kuranda we took the Sky Rail Rainforest Cableway over the pristine tropical rainforest of the Barron Gorge National Park to Tjapukai. The Cableway construction is marvelous, ensuring minimal impact to this world heritage rainforest.

Sky Rail over Barron Gorge NP

We boarded gondolas in groups of 4, for the 7.5 km scenic ride, with stops at two mid-stations. At the first stop, Barren Falls, we followed a short boardwalk to three lookouts of the falls, while Red Peak, the second stop, had a 175-meter rainforest boardwalk.  Avian activity was rather slow, and communication was a challenge between separate gondolas, but we managed to find Little Shrikethrush, Graceful Honeyeater and Spectacled Monarch.  We also saw Tree Martins, Topknot Pigeons and fairly close views of a pair of perched Pacific Baza.

Aboriginal Storytelling

Our journey ended at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, where we had lunch at the cafe.  We were treated to demonstrations by indigenous people of traditional storytelling, fire-making, boomerang throwing, dance and music along with the obligatory didgeridoo, much to Vicki’s delight, who has been taking didgeridoo lessons. John was even inspired to get up and join the dance!

Leaving the coastal, palm-fringed beaches, we drove through the lowland tropical rainforest on the escarpment and past sugar cane fields that had sadly replaced the forest, to Daintree, an area in Northern Queensland.

Laughing Kookaburra

Since arriving in Australia, we were all eager to see the animals most associated with the country; as luck would have it, we saw a mob of Agile Kangaroos in a field while driving.  Unfortunately, we were not in a position to pull the bus over for them, however, Barry was able to stop for a flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. There was great excitement when Enid spotted a Laughing Kookaburra. We also saw Bar-shouldered Dove, Graceful Honeyeater and Sacred Kingfisher, a smaller member of the “kookaburra” family.

Nankeen Night-heron

Hook-a-Barra, a play on kookaburra, was the name of a small commercial set-up for fishing barramundi. Peering through a fence, we could see Whiskered Terns quartering the ponds, Nankeen Night-Herons roosting in trees, as well as Rajah Shelduck and Black-winged Stilts on the banks.

Pheasant Coucal was the last new bird for the day, seen before arriving at the picturesque, laid back Daintree Village. Greeted by Trish and Andrew, hosts extraordinaire at the Red Mill, our group was too large for all of us to stay in their wonderful abode, so some of us settled into rooms at the adjacent Campground.  It had been a wonderfully full day ‘Down Under,’ and everyone was eager to see what the next would bring!
all photos © adrian binns