Northern Territory

The Northern Territory boasts some of the best wildlife watching locations in the whole of Australia. My favourite is probably the most unlikely place - the Alice Springs Sewage Ponds. I love it when I find a location with accessible water treatment plants as I think it shows a real commitment by the local council to the community. Why else would they do it? It is mostly birds that can be found enjoying the pleasures of our sewage but you can also find marsupials and reptiles at times. In Alice Springs, the site is huge and you have to get a local, trained volunteer to guide you around the area. I found that to be most rewarding as the volunteers are so knowledgeable and personable. In PPE and always going early to avoided the scorching heat in the very exposed location, you can wander around the many pools for as long as you like and see a wide range of birds. White-winged Fairywren are common here and it is a reliable spot for the Australian Crake. My favourite bird to see here are the Red-necked Avocets who often rest on the walkways between the ponds. They won't let you get too close but watching them is always a treat. 

When visiting Darwin, there is one place that is an absolute must do. Buffalo Creek is on the north-east coast and is one of the least publicised but most diverse birding spot. Consisting of a wide beach, walkway through beautiful bush and the creek itself, you could be here for days. On the wide beach area, you can see all the usual shorebirds as well as kites, eagles, mudskippers and armies of soldier crabs. The walkway yields stunning Red-headed Myzomela in numbers as well as other honeyeaters and finches. But the best part of Buffalo Creek is the water itself. If you are lucky to get on a boat heading up the creek early in the morning or late afternoon, there are incredible sightings of Azure and Little Kingfishers, herons, rails and other shorebirds. Best of all I think was several sightings of the very rare and cryptic Chestnut Rail out in the open. 

Cahills Crossing is famous in Australia for one thing - a crazy causeway over the East Alligator River (that name is a whole different story). Crocodiles will sit in wait on the upstream side for fish to be swept over the causeway into their mouths! Add to that the crossing is the main access to Arnhem Land and is frequently used by tourists, locals and trucks. This place is so popular for tourists visiting from the nearby town of Jabiru (and even from Darwin) that there are now 2 platforms on either side of the river for people to watch proceedings. Only in Australia! But the area is also fantastic for birds, with a wide variety of speciesd seen here including the White-quilled Rock-Pigeon and even the Rainbow Pitta out in the open. It might be busy at Cahills Crossing but it is never boring!

I loved visiting Daly Waters. It is the most unusual place set in the middle of nowhere but an absolute hive of activity. The first thing you see and hear when you arrive are the Red-collared Lorikeets. Closely resembling their rainbow cousins, they are noisy, active and stunning. While I saw them in numerous other places in the Northern Territory, this was my first sighting and the only place where I could hope to get close to them and photograph with ease. 

Fogg Dam is renowned for being one of the best wildlife hotspots in the country and it certainly lives up to that reputation even in winter. While it is difficult to find somewhere to stay close by, it is worth the early drive to get there. When I visited, the walk along the dam wall was closed due to crocodile activity but you could still drive along it and stop at spots to look at the water. Birds, frogs and stunning spiders can be seen here. The walks through the forest are beautiful and peaceful, interrupted only by the calls of numerous birds and the yelping of unsuspecting walkers avoiding the huge webs!

In the heart of Alice Springs is the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, the most unusual gardens in the country. Desert plants and rocky slopes fill the area and are home to bowerbird, parrots and the rather wonderful wallaroo. Climbing the small hill close to the centre of the park gives you stunning views across the city and to the outback beyond. I love this place and visit several times whenever I am in town.  

To the east of Alice Springs is Trephina Gorge. It is much less commercial than the Western MacDonnell Range which plays host to the famous Larapinta Trail. By contrast the gorge hosts several quiet campgrounds which are very close to each other. They all give access to walks through and around the gorge. Many hard to find and exotic species can be seen here, from grasswren to flocks of Budgies and courting kingfisher and cuckoo. It remains the only place that I have ever seen the Black-eared Cuckoo..  

At the heart of the Kakadu National Park is Yellow Water. Close to the Cooinda Resort which provides hotel rooms and a caravan park, this famous billabong is home to abundant wildlife. It is an absolute must do for anyone visiting Kakadu. At the Yellow Water boat launch there is a boardwalk providing early morning access to the wetland. After that, a boat trip around the billabong itself is the most wonderful way to access the wildlife. Some of it may be too far away but when you have kingfishers, eagles and crocodiles within metres of the boat, you can't really go wrong.