Embedded Files
Visited: all year round
Recommendation: Yungaburra is a lovely village set in rolling hills and patches of incredible rainforest. There are many wildlife hotspots in the area so the town is a great base.
I first looked around Yungaburra with the wonderful local guide Alan Gillanders. He showed me some great sites right in the township. We started with the school where lorikeets can often be found. The Platypus lookout and the Peterson Creek walk are stuffed with wildlife. The creek runs through patches of rainforest and all the local exotic species can be found here, although most people visit this area to look for Platypus. There have been safety concerns about this area in recent years so it's probably best to check access before visiting.
Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius)
Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis)
Pacific Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)
Alan also took me to a private property deep within the rainforest and we found a range of honeyeaters including the Macleays and Bridled. The highlight was seeing a Tooth-billed Bowerbird. These unusual birds are so different from the other bowerbird species. For a start, they are not very glamourous. Then, the male doesn't build a bower, displaying a court instead that he decorates with leaves. I haven't managed to find another one of these very interesting birds in the local area since, but they are definitely there!
Tooth-billed Bowerbird (Scenopoeetes dentirostris)
Out in the fields around the township, in the winter months, you can often see Brolga (and sometimes Sarus Cranes). It is always worth keeping an eye on the open areas as you drive around Yungaburra as you never know what you might come across.
Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
Following the theme of exploring the rainforest areas around the township, make sure you visit the Curtain Fig Tree. It is an incredible tree but it also has parking and a boardwalk. This provides you with good access and views of the rainforest. Anywhere in the area that you find rainforest, you can find some of the endemics.
Yellow-breasted Boatbill (Machaerirhynchus flaviventer)
White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaeus)
Pied Monarch (Arses kaupi)
Pacific Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps longirostris)
One of the best areas around Yungaburra is Bonadio's RV Park. Set on a working farm, it has access to a decent length of rainforest lined creek. This is THE only place that I know of that you are just about guaranteed sightings of Platypus. And I'm talking, close and lengthy views. It is quite incredible. If that isn't enough, there are Tree Kangaroo on the property as well as rainforest specialist birds like the whipbird, riflebird and catbird.
Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse