Heading south.....and west

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On Mon 23rd, after one final morning stint with the birds, we reluctantly packed up and headed south towards the Tablelands. It was really sad to leave and even once we got to our destination at Mareeba Gorge, the cooler weather, and civilisation made us question whether we should have stayed just a few more days?? The upside though was that we would get to spend more time in this region, as we were unable to head to southern outback Queensland around Lake Diamantina, due to all of the recent flooding.

Anyway our stay at Granite Gorge was lovely- we had a nice bush camp down at the back near the edge of the swimming hole. We had the very cute Mareeba rock wallabies coming into camp throughout the day and night and there was a rope swing into the river- lots of fun!! The people here had a collection of various parrots and it was the Fiery Parrakeet that brought back memories for Chris from his childhood. He came across this rare but naturally genetic mutation (a completely red form of the Eastern Rosella) in the wild around bendigo. As he identified it, he was encouraged to study it further and write it up, which he did and it was published in the Australian Birdwatcher. They also had a very tame and friendly Eclectus Parrot and Galah which we had the chance to hold and give a little scratch behind their head. Merlin was also lucky to hold their beautiful juvenile Storrs Monitor. We had 2 nights here and due to its proximity back to Mt Lewis and Julatten, we went in search again for the Blue-faced Parrot finch. Although we stumbled across some stunning little creeks and watercourses, we unfortunately didnt 'stumble' across any of these cryptic birds.

From here we headed back to Bonadios RV park as we were hoping to glimpse the platypus and Lesser Sooty Owl again. Wow- what a change! We were now in the start of peak time for nomadic travellers and boy you could tell as the park was very full when we pulled in. Luckily Jan and Ross got there ahead of us and bagsed us a spot. Although the playtpus eluded us during this stint here, we were able to get onto the Lesser Sooty. We heard its unmistakable call late afternoon early evening as we were going to head out to dinner. We decided to delay dinner just a little to find it. We were in luck and got some great views of this spectacular creature. We had a fabulous dinner and although exhausted, upon hearing it call when we got back to camp, Chris decided to head out in search of it again. He had a fabulous time and was rewarded for his dedication with some amazing photos. However, at 5am, this little guy was calling to us again and so very close that he even woke me up!! So we all decided we may not get this chance again for some time, so up we hopped in search of him. It was a wonderful experience.

Later on we packed up and headed out for Chambers Rainforest Retreat. We loved this place on the way up and given the awful weather we had at that time, were keen to come back and experience it under good conditions. Again it was so amazing having the birds come in to our balcony each morning and seeing the striped possums in the evenings. Our focus this time was to see some new varieties of possum, the Lumholz Tree kangaroo and a few new gecko species.
We headed out to the Nerada Tea Rooms as we knew the habitat surrounding here was good for tree kangaroos. This was a win-win experience for us. We had a delicious lunch and then got lucky glimpsing the Tree kangaroos perched up high and munching on the large leaves, much like a koala. These creatures have a very cute sloth-like face, large tan to dark brown rounded body with kangaroo-like legs and tail. Although they are arboreal, on appearance they seem a bit awkward and non adapted to their environment and unfortunately they succumb to some of the perils of the forest, namely falling from a height.
The next day we again explored our local patch before heading back out to where the we encountered the tree kangaroos. Our determination to see these unique creatures was rewarded with spectacular views of the family, mum dad and little joey in mums pouch- oh so very very cute. We spent the best part of the afternoon here before calling it quits and heading for Mt Hypipamee. This region was home to various possums and we were most keen to try and see the Lemuroid and get better looks at the Green Ringtail possum.
We met up with Jan and Ross there, had some tea under the stars and then started spotlighting. It was fabulous and before long we had seen both of these furry species, with the Lemuroid being quite abundant. From here we called it a night as we had another early start the next morning. We got up and headed to Atherton for Parkrun (great training), and then stopped in at Yungaburra to get supplies before heading back to Chambers. Merlin and I spent the afternoon doing work, while Chris did some photography and then we went to Lake Eacham for a swim before coming back for a swim  in the pool. After dinner, we headed out to Lake Eacham in search of the Northern Leaf-tail Gecko and if we were extremely lucky, the Chameleon Gecko- both of these would be key for Merlin's Gecko book.
Not far along the track Merlin said' I havent seen any yet, but i got some eyeshine up ahead which i think is a spider'. As we got closer he decided to check it out before exclaiming, 'oh my gosh mum, its a Chameleon gecko, its a Chameleon Gecko!!'which of course i responded with, 'oh wow, that's great, where??'. I kept very still while Merlin stealthily got into position and then with
Iightning reflexes he carefully bundled up the little guy. Wow! what a specimen and as the name suggests so camouflaged with a generally creamy light brown body and darker head/snout and with stunning eyelids with curled edges which make it look like eyelashes. So we spent the next little while with this guy before reluctantly having to leave him safely under cover where we found him, and say goodbye. We kept looking although really tired at this stage and then it was Chris' turn to exclaim, 'I've got a Leaf-tail!!' Merlin rushed over and sure enough Chris had a little fella in hand. We had seen the Southern relation to this guy at Lamington NP earlier on and the Northern cousin was very similar but just larger in overall size and with larger markings. He was a beautiful creature and we then spent some time with him before having to say farewell. By this stage it was quite late and we were exhausted. We got back to the cabins and decided to have one last look at the striped possum before heading to bed as it was our last night here. Our patience was rewarded as we got one last look at this very cute creature lapping up the yummy honey.
Next morning we packed up and headed out as we had decided to go further south in search of the isolated population of the Crimson Rosella subspecies only found in this region. Upon leaving Chris asked the question, 'have you guys seen my hat'? As we both replied 'no', the dread set in and the re-tracing our steps commenced. As most of you know, this hat is synonymous with Chris and you would rarely see him and it, apart. So much so was it an extra appendage, that it was worn, battered and bruised showing its age having travelled most of Australia with him, from at least 2016 onwards. We spent the next few hours driving and searching and coincidentally traversed the highest road in Australia whilst doing so. We had to get in to our next spot which was at Millaa Millaa park. Luckily we secured the best bush camp spot and got set up. At this stage we decided to ring around and leave our details in case anyone had picked it up or handed it in while Chris went out in search of the birds he needed. The following day was spent looking for Crimsons again and luckily we had success. After this we headed into Malanda to the shops and at this point we agreed more searching was needed- i really wanted to find the hat before we left the area. So we headed back to Mt Hypipamee, where we thought we must have lost it, and went searching through the bush and the picnic area, down the walking tracks but still no luck- someone must have picked it up. We were all saddened by this as we were so confident it would turn up- but unfortunately it was not to be.

Tues 31st we packed up and headed west as we were keen to get to Cloncurry to photograph the Cloncurry Ringnecks. We were now heading into outback queensland and the landscape would dramatically change from rainforest to savannah woodland and ultimately arid desert flora. Our destination would be somewhere around Georgetown and we had heard the wetland near the racecourse had an abundance of birdlife. We arrived late in the day but with enough time to have a scout at the wetland. It was alive with so many fantastic species such as the Pale- headed rosellas. After going his own and taking all sorts of photos, Merlin was patiently and quietly sitting in wait when we was rewarded with a large family group of Brown Quail come waddling through and right next to and around him- a special experience to be that close and see them going about their business oblivious to camo man. We decided to camp there the night and it was lovely to have the peace and quiet and melodious morning chorus.

From here we were aiming for a big day trying to get close to Cloncurry so we headed out early and would have a stop not far along the way at Cumberland Dam in search of finches. We arrived at the dam and immeidately heard Black throared finches and saw the unmistakable loping flight of Red- tailed Black cockatoos so of course we were going to be awhile. As it turned out, it was a fabulous morning and we decided to hang about until afternoon photographic light so another stint was in store. The afternoon came but unfortunately the birds had taken off to enjoy their siesta and water somewhere else. Frustrated, we left in search of a camp spot for the night. Luckily we came across a great spot, tucked away adjacent the Gilbert River. In the morning, after a run and pack up, we headed off aiming to get as close to Cloncurry as possible.  After a few stops along the way and as it was getting late in the day, when we were approx 60km north, we started to look for a camp spot for the night. We ended up tucking ourselves in amongst two mesa's. In the final light of the day, Merlin raced off to scale one of these amazing rocky wonders to secure some artistic sunset photos. We had dinner and then he and Chris were out climbing the other knoll in search of geckos. Success was had, not only in finding a gecko we hadn't seen previously, the Dubious Dtella, but also in spying a Stimsons python. Of course photos were in order and then they were left to enjoy the night.

In the morning we were treated to large flocks of budgies wheeling and darting around camp. Nothing beats the bright flashy green and yellow sight and the sound of their wingbeats as they wheel and bank past us- such a delight to experience. We all went in search of getting some down low to photograph, and whilst there was a lull in our efforts, Merlin and I had a bit more creative photographic fun. We knew we had to keep moving so packed up and headed out. We checked a few dams along the way and then made our way west of Cloncurry to Clem Walton Dam. We drove in and as expected there were caravans everywhere- we had seen the influx of nomadic travellers heading north since leaving Artemis and this was no different. Luckily we had good intel that there was a track further down that had a few spots along the creek. Although several campers were here (including a few at one end cranking music and dance lighting) we made our way to the other end and tucked ourselves away in the best spot. Jan and Ross were next to us and we had Blue winged kookaburras welcoming us, as well as Varied Lorikeets overhead and the prized Cloncurry Ringnecks- it was lovely. Chris spent the rest of Fri afternoon trying to get photos of the ringnecks. These are stunning birds, only found in this region and one of only 4 subspecies of the Ringneck- the others being the Southwest WA form (28 parrot), the Central Aus form (Port Lincoln ringneck) and the Southeast Aus form (Mallee ringneck).

Sat morning we headed into Cloncurry for Parkrun. Avid parkrunners, whenever we were near a town with a parkrun, we would try to get there to join in on the fun and experience diferent courses. We were rapt to see that Cloncurry had one and this was good training for Merlin and his upcoming cross country season. It was fabulous!! A small but very welcoming crew and a very bushy course, much like trail running on the classic red dirt synonymous with the outback. We all loved it and had pretty good runs (Merlin even managed to snare the overall course record, which had stood for a few years). A bonus were the Ringnecks that the boys heard and spotted while running.  After finishing up the obligatory post parkrun coffee catchup and saying goodbyes to everyone, Chris headed into the parkrun bush as the birds were quite low down. He was successful taking some stunning pics of these lovely creatures feasting on the Hakia's. We then headed back to camp and spent the afternoon birding, reading, doing work and having a swim in the river. As the creekline was surrounded by a number of rocky knoll's Merlin was keen to scale another right on dusk to get a sunset pic. This time, as he was against the clock he had to engage his inner spiderman to scale it as quickly as possible to get the shots before the sun disappeared. He made it and was impressed by the views and the climb so he said that we needed to do it in the morning for a sunrise shot.

Although we were meant to leave on Sun 5th, we loved it here and so decided to stay another day. This would give us a chance to complete the sunrise walk, as well as Chris, Ross and Jan head out in search of some other feathery friends. It was a terrific day but the day had finally come for us to head south, for home. We were sad to be leaving the warmth, the birds and the outback landscape but looking forward to new locations on the way. Hope everyone at home are staying warm and well. Xx

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