Bird Watching

From the sand dunes and gibber plains of the Channel Country in the south west, to the Mitchell grass plains of the centre and the fringes of the Great Dividing Range in the east, Queensland's Outback is comprised of diverse and uniquely Australian environments. These areas in turn support a surprising array of birdlife.

Bustards and emus wander the Mitchell grass plains, wedge-tailed eagles soar on the desert thermals, while around the outback's life-sustaining billabongs corellas and galahs keep up a constant cacophony in the trees, fairy-wrens dart through the undergrowth, and flocks of luminescent green and gold budgerigars descend for a quick drink and to escape the heat. Queensland's Outback really is a bird lover's paradise!

The diversity and variety of the outback's avifauna waxes and wanes considerably with the seasons, and the occasional oddity or early arrival therefore has a habit of turning up when you least expect it. The onset of summer floods for instance can attract huge numbers of waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants, herons and various waders to move inland and breed. This means that every trip to Queensland's Outback can be different, resulting in constant surprises of the birding variety!

So arm yourself with a good birding guide book, strap on some binoculars and head off in the early morning or the late afternoon when the birds are most active. Also, don't hesitate to have a chat with the locals when you're passing through (or drop into the local Visitor Information Centre) as they know these areas best and might be able to point you in the right direction of some hidden bird watching gems!