Sunshine Coast Birds

Birding and other wildlife experiences from the Sunshine Coast and elsewhere in Australia - and from overseas - with scribblings about travel, environmental issues, kayaking, hiking and camping.

Monday 20 June 2016

Queensland Road Trip 11- The Wonderful Daintree

Olive-backed Sunbird

Following our three-day visit to Daintree Village (see following post) we crossed the Daintree River on the vehicular ferry for a two-night stop at Cape Kimberley. This little-known camping ground is beautifully situated by the beach just 10km from the river crossing.

Cape Kimberley
The facilities are a little shabby but this place is hard to beat for location. It is surrounded by a mix of rainforest and melaleuca and mangrove swamp.

Cape Kimberley
Snapper Island is a short distance offshore.

Snapper Island
The Daintree River mouth is an easy 3km walk along the beach. A Beach Stone-Curlew was encountered on the beach.

Beach Stone-Curlew 
Daintree River Mouth
Side streams were well populated by mud skippers.

Mudskipper
Birds about the camping ground included Olive-backed Sunbird and Brown-backed Honeyeater.

Brown-backed Honeyeater
We drove to Cape Tribulation, stopping at various sites along the way including Hutchinson Creek, Thornton Beach (where a woman was killed last week by a crocodile), Noah Beach and Cooper Creek. 


Daintree River mouth & Cape Kimberley from main road
Many of these places I know well, having camped here a few times over the years. What has changed is that these days, a constant procession of traffic reflects how the Daintree has emerged as a top tourist destination.


Thornton Peak
Above it all towers Thornton Peak, Queensland's third largest mountain and the home of Lampropholis robertsi, a skink named after me by the venerable Glen Ingram.
Birds are pretty quiet at this time of year.


Macleay's Honeyeater
 Those commonly about included Macleay's Honeyeater.


Australian Swiftlet

While Australian Swiftlet was predictably difficult to photograph




1 comment:

  1. These posts help prove what an awesome place the land down under can be! I went on a tour down the Daintree River a few years back and it's something I'll never forget!

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