Australia July 2026 (1 Viewer)

[bonxie birder]

Uk birder. After our tremendous independent trip to Brazil in 2024 with over 500 species, my non birding wife and I are taking the plunge for Australia. I have zero experience of the area, but I have a couple of thoughts. Remember that my wife isn’t a birder but is happy to tag along. So it’s definitely not dawn to dusk birding.

As it’s winter down there, we are thinking of Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin and Perth. We have family in Perth so that’s why we are considering it.

Places we are considering are Lamington, Atherton, Cairns Esplanade and Kingfisher Park in Queensland. Katherine and Kakadu near Darwin.

Initial questions.

Should we drive from Brisbane to Cairns? Or fly?
Should we go to Uluru?
Is going to Darwin actually worth it?
Any birding locations around Perth, I think Albany may be too far?
Local guides were essential in Brazil, same in Australia?

And any other tips, suggestions, no-nos will be of huge assistance.


Ian

 

[halftwo]

How long do you have? Worth driving between Brisbane & Cairns, if you have time.
I'll be in the Brisbane area in July - am there for a week, with two nights at O'Reilley's - which would be ideal for a non-birding partner.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Many moons ago I did a 7 week trip to Australia in July August - Darwin, Kakadu, Uluru, Melbourne, Queensland, Perth; some time with camper vans, some with friends; managed about 350 species. Happy to be more specific when you have some times worked out.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Darwin - one week with camper van (not Katherine)
Queensland - around 20 days
Perth - one week with camper van, not really enough

 

[DMW]

Local guides - much like most places, you'll see more species with a good local guide in less time, and for a few species there's no other realistic way, but it's not a country where you will struggle without one. Their rates are also typically very high (Australia is not a cheap place to visit).

While it might seem like stating the obvious, Australia is BIG, so don't underestimate travel times. It's easy to spend too much time in the car if you don't plan well.

Finally, I wouldn't dismiss spending some time in the SE even though it's winter.

 

[bonxie birder]

That’s a great start. Thanks. I’m sure I have a lot of very difficult decisions to make. It will be roughly a three week trip

 

[jurek]

Try to keep slightly flexible e.g. accommodation wise and check recent sightings online. When I was around Cairns and looked for waterbirds, it turned that best known places had few birds and birds moved to less known places.

And good advice not to underestimate distances.

 

[delia todd]

You may be interested in my trip report linked below. Starts in Brisbane.

If you want to know if Albany would be worthwhile it's the last part of my report starting on Page 31 (post 608). There's a lot of interesting history there which may interest your wife.

Two Months of Lifers Down Under

Part 1: 21 September to 4 October Based in Wellington Point, Brisbane As the title suggests I spent two months in Australia with Life Birds hitting me in the face at every turn (I didn't see too many introduced species). After the long flight from Edinburgh a very tired old lady landed in...

www.birdforum.net

It was September to November though.

 

[bonxie birder]

That’s excellent. Any further advice will be welcome

 

[bonxie birder]

Nobody is suggesting Uluru.
And is a few days in Darwin going to worth time and money that could be spent elsewhere?

 

[Edward]

Nobody is suggesting Uluru.
And is a few days in Darwin going to worth time and money that could be spent elsewhere?

I've been to Brisbane three times and the last time I was there I went to Darwin for a week and did the typical Kakadu circuit (not hardcore birding at all, was with my wife and 7 year old twins) and I thought it was definitely worth it from a birding point of view and from a general holiday making point of view, as it was a very different side to Australia from what I knew from Brisbane and Cairns. Quite a lot of new birds (but I also missed a lot as couldn't do much proper birding) and even though the diversity is lower than Brisbane and Cairns, how can you turn down the chance of Rainbow Pitta and Hooded Parrot? Boiling hot and bone dry there in July. Don't be tempted to swim in the rivers

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Uluru is great touristically, but I didn’t have great birding success there.

 

[Dutchbirder64]

In 1991 I did a 6 weeks trip. Darwin - Alice Springs - Adelaide - Cairns. One week Top End, flight to Alice Springs for 3 days, flight to Adelaide and then driving Adelaide to Cairns in 4,5 weeks. I had 493 species and about 450 lifers. Historical eBird list https://ebird.org/checklist/S186444579.

It was a major undertaking to get so many, because it was in the non digitale era, no mobile phones, very few trip reports. Local birders helped a lot with the difficult ones like owls, button-quails, quail-thrushes, bristle birds and scrubwrens. I couldn't reach north to Cape York for the Palm Cockatoo and Eclectus Parrot but you always miss some. And we didn't go to the West. You will get some 'endemic' species there. Sadly I don't think I will ever go to Australia again but it was epic. Sure in 34 years a lot has changed.

Uluru would be very nice to visit for your wife too. I mean you are in Australia so visiting that place is practically a must. There are some interesting Red Centre species to see.