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Visited: summer
Recommendation: This wonderful campground is more than a fantastic place to camp. The incredible wildlife present in the Dryandra Woodlands can also be found here. Read on ...
This campground is much larger than neighbouring Congelin Dam and despite being just up the road, it is a completely different ecosystem. The surrounding woods are largely full of Brown Mallet trees with lots of fallen branches and logs littering the ground. There is a lot more shade here and a nice breeze blows over the ridge. It is peaceful and wonderful.
On my latest visit to Dryandra, I spent one night at Congelin and 4 nights here. There was quite a bit of bird noise here but it was difficult to see anything as the birds tended to sit in the canopy.
There was a familiar face though. The Rufous Treecreeper were here in good numbers and frequently ran around the campervan. I think humans bring insects, which of course they love. My favourite sighting was of a fledgling bird that was actively practising its bug hunting skills.
Rufous Treecreeper (Climacteris rufus)
I also spotted some Red-capped Parrot here. I find this species really difficult to photograph. They are so shy and easily spooked. A long lens is very helpful to catch them. Even then, the photo of this non-breeding bird is not great. A much more helpful subject is the Scarlet Robin. This juvenile male was happy to let me watch it for 10 minutes as it practised its hunting skills.
Red-capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius)
Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)
At Gnaala Mia, the star of the show was the Numbat. You can, and likely will, drive for hours around Dryandra looking for these rare and amazing creatures. The advantage of being here in 40 degree heat was that not many other people were there. And that meant the Numbat was comfortable wandering through the area. In 4 days, we saw 3 animals just from the campervan. In fact, that was the only place we got photographs as we sat quietly with cameras sticking out the bug nets! It was an absolute privilege and thrill to see them at such close and natural quarters.
Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
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