Northern Tablelands Tour
Adults - $430.00 per person
Children - $60.00 for children 3 - 15.
Under 3 years old are free.
Available 7 days
10 hours
Minimum 2 adults
Pick up at 7am & return at 5pm
This can be discussed at time of booking.
Details & Itinerary
A day spent checking out the birds found on the Tablelands to the north of Cairns. This is a full day birding tour. This tour mainly concentrates on dry country habitats but if you are coming from Cairns we may start the day with a quick visit to the rainforest along Black Mountain Road, where Victoria’s Riflebirds and Southern Cassowary are amongst the regular visitors. Around Mareeba we visit much drier country for Squatter Pigeon, Red-backed Fairywren and Pale-headed Rosellas and more. We then continue through dry country to the north past the Wetlands at Lake Mitchell, towards Mt Carbine where a completely different avifauna can be found with Australian Bustards, Apostle Birds, Galahs and sometimes even Budgerigars all possibilities.
Schedule
- 7am – Pick up from your accommodation
- Morning birding – sites visited can depend on weather and target lists
- Midday – Lunch
- Afternoon birding – sites visited can depend on weather and target lists
- 5pm – Return to your accommodation
Tour Inclusions
- Tour Guide Fees
- Transport in a comfortable tour 4WD air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Permits & entrance fees
- Accommodation pick up and drop off
- Bottled water in vehicle
Tour Excludes
- Items of a personal nature including soft drinks and snacks
What You Should Bring
- Comfortable covered walking shoes – while there are no major hikes during this tour there will be some walking on potentially rough paths
- Lightweight long-sleeved shirt and long trousers- some plants can be rather scratchy
- Lightweight raingear
- Hat
- Sunblock
- Insect repellent
- Camera and binoculars
Mareeba Area
Arriving in Mareeba we will look for Squatter Pigeons, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and White-browed Robin before taking time to explore some of the side roads around Biboura. This area often has Australian Bustards, Red-backed Fairywrens, Brown Honeyeaters, Yellow Orioles, Lemon-bellied Flycatchers, Weebills, Grey-crowned Babblers, Plum-headed and if we are lucky Black-throated Finches. Mareeba is a good place for kangaroos with Mareeba Rock Wallaby and Eastern Grey Kangaroo both likely today.
Roadside lagoons on the road north are worth a look for waterbirds and can hold Jacana, Brolga, both Pygmy Geese and Black Swan. Lake Mitchell usually has an Osprey’s nest near the road. The road north is often good for raptors including Wedge-tailed Eagle and Little Eagle, Black Kite, Whistling Kite and Square-tailed Kites. After stops along the way we will reach Mt Molloy where the bowers of the Great Bowerbird complete with their decorations of white snail shells can be seen. Mt Molloy offers a few different lunch options.
Mt Carbine
Continuing up the Cape Developmental Road the fields around Mary Farms are usually great for Australian Bustards. We then continue heading north to the small settlement of Mt Carbine through dry cattle country. The Caravan Park at Mt Carbine provides a little oasis for Tawny Frogmouth, a number of parrots and perhaps Apostle Birds. Occasionally inland birds like Cockatiels and Budgerigars can also be found.