Visited: summer and autumn
Recommendation: This little haven in the middle of the rainforest is one of the best places to get up close to a wide range of animals that are nearly impossible to see elsewhere. If you have the opportunity to visit, then you won't regret it.
Lamington National Park is an interesting place. Most people (including me) only really know one place in it, particularly for watching wildlife. And that is O'Reilly's Holiday Park. I think it is the only such place in Australia. There is a long history and story about how it came to pass that a National Park has a holiday village in the middle of it. But here it is and it offers easy access to an amazing rainforest and the animals within.
It is a long, windy uphill road to get there and once at the top there is nowhere else to go but O'Reillys. I was grateful to find it welcoming and not too expensive. Unfortunately, I was there in the school holidays so it was quite busy. Noisy children and bird photography do not generally mix. So, I was up before light every day and into the forest. I loved listening to the dawn chorus and having bats whizzing past my face in the gloom. Everything was heightened at that time of day. Even the rain was atmospheric and brought the place alive.
Most of my time was spent in the forest and the most sought after birds were the bowerbirds. Both the Satin and Regent were common here, depending on the season. I was fortunate to find the bower of a male Satin Bowerbird early on and spent many hours sitting at a distance watching him repair and decorate it. Every now and then a ray on sunshine would sneak through the canopy and light him up.
Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
There were not too many Regent Bowerbirds present in the early springtime that I was there but I still found the male and female. The gold on the back of the male was another one of those times that the glowing plumage of a bird outshines the photograph. I liked the female too. She was a variable brown colour and every bit as interesting.
Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus)
One of the most distinctive sounds in the forest was the Eastern Whipbird. Unsurprisingly, the bird is named so because the call sounds like a whip cracking. It is one of the most wonderful sounds in Australia. Unfortunately, they are very secretive and do not readily pose for photographs. So I was thrilled not only to catch one out in the open but also to photograph it in the process of unleashing that whipcrack. I also saw juveniles who hopped around on the verge of the forest and so were a bit easier to see.
Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)
Another rainforest skulker is the Australia Logrunner. A very pretty bird (both male and female) with striking plumage but often difficult to spot as they spend their time scratching around in the leaf litter. I found it very beneficial to just sit quietly and wait. It paid off as I found a pair, watched their routine and was able to return to them several times.
Australian Logrunner (Orthonyx temminckii)
The biggest surprise for me was that there were Albert's Lyrebird wandering around the camping car park. Seemingly unconcerned about humans, they just went about their business looking for bugs in the soil and allowed me to watch, follow and photograph them.
Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti)
One of the most popular visitors to O'Reillys was the Australian King Parrot. Common in the trees and feeders, they could often be seen landing on people's shoulders and heads. Something as a professional birder I disapprove of severely but I must admit I loved it when they landed on me!
Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
Other notable mentions are the Eastern Spinebill, Paradise Riflebird and Golden Whistler, all of which could be seen with a little patience in the area. Such terrific birds and great photo opportunities.
Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)
Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
Paradise Riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus)
The real highlight for me was when the most experienced guide took me into the forest to find a Sooty Owl. I doubted we could find it and even more that I would get a decent photo. But we did and I did. I couldn't believe that I only took half a dozen shots in semi-darkness and managed to get it in focus. A magical moment for sure.
Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa)
Rose Robin (Petroica rosea) in Australia
I visited O'Reilly's again a few years later in the autumn with my partner. This time, we stayed in the caravan park rather than the lodge and I much preferred it. Each morning and afternoon Crimson Rosella and Australia King-Parrots would look for food on the ground right outside the campervan. When we were really lucky the parrots would come and sit on our shoulders. It is a little disconcerting that the birds at O'Reillys are so tame but you can't help but enjoy getting so close to them.
Above campsite I could hear a new call, regularly repeating. It took me a while to track it down but I was very rewarded when I did. A male Rose Robin was singing and singing. It was present the whole time we were there and this is my best shot.
We were lucky enough to find some very interesting lizards including the Angle-headed Forest Dragon, a relation to the Boyd's Forest Dragon frequently seen in Far North Queensland. There is a great walking track out to Python Rock which gives incredible views of the area. It is also a beautiful walk through the forest where you can find a variety of birds and animals. Our favourite sighting was of several Land Mullet, Australia's largest skink.
Southern Angle-Headed Dragon (Lophosaurus spinipes)
Land Mullet (Bellatorias major)
We went out spotlighting a couple of times and were thrilled with what we found. Even on our way back to the campground, we came across a gorgeous small possum sitting just munching on leaves. It allowed us to get quite close, possibly as curious as we were!
Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)
One of my favourite sightings was the White-headed Pigeon as I had only seen them once before and didn't have any decent photos. Although we saw lots of them, they were always flying high up and pretty fast. Then, one morning right in front of the campervan, one sat beautifully for me. The photo doesn't really do it justice, they are stunning birds.
White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela)