Island hopping in South-east Australia

[kittykat23uk]

Island hopping in South-east Australia

 

P2200075_01  Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I mentioned in my Ecuador trip report that my friend and I had planned to go to Sri Lanka in March but postponed it due to their economy tanking. So then I posted on here looking to see if anyone was interested in visiting Tasmania and @ElaineAust offered to join me and, bonus, do all the driving! So after getting some recommendations we settled on working with Susie De Carteret at Tasmanian Odyssey to work up an itinerary and then, as the dates that were available for our desired itinerary turned out to have us starting and finishing midweek,  I decided to add on a few days either side in Melbourne to take advantage of weekend flights. I also booked a 2 day/1night private guided tour with Treeswift wildlife tours for after the Tassie portion to hopefully expand my list. Despite a few issues with Treeswift, I finally managed to find a couple of other people to join me on that leg, significantly reducing the cost to me. 

 

I also used Birding Pal to hook up with a local birder who agreed to take me round the Werribee treatment plant. That left just a few days to fill, and as I wasn’t sure if my flight would be late or whether or not I’d be really jetlagged I left the rest open. 

 

So this is what I ended up with to start:

 

Date	Itinerary
Saturday, February 18,	Depart UK LHR 1415
Sunday, February 19,	Arrive Mel 2305
Monday, February 20,	Melbourne TBA
Tuesday, February 21,	Melbourne TBA
Wednesday, February 22,	Melbourne werribee with birding pal Dave Torr (night airport hotel)
Thursday, February 23,	dept Mel 0845 arrive Launceston 0950 Collect your hire car from Budget Car Rentals at Launceston Airport Accommodation – Mountain Valley Eco Retreat & Private Nature Reserve (2 nights, Family Flora Cabin, meals TBC)
Friday, February 24,	Free to explore at Mountain Valley (as above)
Saturday, February 25,	Accommodation at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village (2 nights, Queen Chalet, room only)
Sunday, February 26,	Free time to explore Cradle Mountain (as above) Confirmed Tour: Devils@Cradle Wildlife Sanctuary Feeding Tour – 515 pm for 530 pm departure
Monday, February 27,	Accommodation at Russell Falls Cottages, Mount Field National Park (2 nights, two bed cottage, room only)
Tuesday, February 28,	Free day to explore Confirmed Tour: The Platypus Paddle with Tassie Bound Adventures – 5 pm pick up at Gretna War Memorial
Wednesday, March 1,	Accommodation at Lyenna Cottage, c/o Inala Nature Tours, South Bruny (3 nights, room only, including an Evening Wildlife-spotting Tour) * Confirmed Tour: Private Guided Evening Wildlife-Spotting Tour with Inala Nature Tours – time TBC
Thursday, March 2,	Free day to explore
Friday, March 3,	Confirmed Tour: The Bruny Island Cruise with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys – 1030 am check in for 11 am departure
Saturday, March 4,	Accommodation at Wind Song B&B, Little Swanport (3 nights, The Lodge, including breakfast provisions, dinner TBC)
Sunday, March 5,	Tour: Maria Island with Encounter Maria/Maria Island Ferry or East Coast Cruises (TBC)
Monday, March 6,	Free day to explore/visit the Freycinet Peninsula
Tuesday, March 7,	Return your rental car to Budget Car Rentals at Hobart Airport and depart on (flight TBC likely 1230).
Wednesday, March 8,	Aussie Icons 2 day 1 night tour with Treeswift wildlife tours
Thursday, March 9,	Aussie Icons tour with Treeswift wildlife tours
Friday, March 10,	Free day Melbourne possibly banyule flats tbc
Saturday, March 11,	1615 depart Melbourne
Sunday, March 12,	0625 arrive UK LHR

 

 

Saturday 18 Feb

Getting a visa was easily done and the approval was instant. Ian dropped me at Heathrow so early that he got back home to Norwich before I’d even boarded the flight. 

 

Sunday 19 Feb

I flew Qatar Airways via Doha, everything ran to time, unlike KLM. Passport control in Melbourne was a breeze as we can use the e-gates, sadly this means no stamp in my passport. Getting through customs was super-easy, barely an inconvenience, even though I did declare my walking boots just to be sure (a quick glance and they waved me through). 

 

I downloaded the skybus app and got my ticket online and it was easy to find my way to the bay. Then about a half hour drive to Southern Cross Station and I was then about an 8 minute walk from the hotel. After checking in I got my head down for a few hours.  I decided to spend all my nights in Melbourne at the Atlantis Hotel. It was comfortable and well located for the train and trams being on Spencer street and close to both the Skybus and main Southern Cross Station. The pool which I had hoped to use was, however, freezing cold and the buffet breakfast was uninspiring.

 

Monday 20 Feb French and Phillip Island

I woke up reasonably early and didn’t feel too jet lagged so I went down for breakfast and to find a sim for my phone. Thankfully they had the ones for the network I’d been recommended to use in the lobby so that was easily sorted. Then I sampled the meagre breakfast offering (scrambled egg on toast) and then gave a local tour company a call to see if I could get on the afternoon excursion to French and Philip Islands. There was one space left so I took it. The minibus departed at 1230 from a few minutes walk up the road. We dropped some participants off at an animal sanctuary before the rest of the group carried on to the French Island. 

 

We were dropped off at the passenger ferry for the short trip across Western Port Bay to French Island. Australian Pelicans, Australian White Ibis and Australian Magpies were all seen en route from the ferry. After being picked up by another guide, we were taken to a local farmgate for a nice afternoon tea. On arrival I noted the first of many Cape Barren Goose, these birds are apparently the most endangered goose but the islands, including French and Phillip Island seem to be a stronghold for them. I got better pictures of these birds later in the trip. 

 

The star of the farmstead though were a couple of delightful Koalas that were snoozing in the owner’s oaks. She managed to persuade one of them to rouse itself for a few seconds as it gazed lazily upon us. French Island is home to Victoria’s most significant population of Koalas. In fact so many live here that many have to be relocated, otherwise they would run out of food! 

 

P2200086  Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2200110  Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

P2200142 Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Afterwards our guides took us on a drive round the island. The tour is described as, “a guided tour around the island where our tour guide will share their knowledge of the natural environment whilst we observe the Koalas and array of wildlife that inhabit the island”. 

 

Our guide did find us another slightly more active Koala. As we drove around he pointed out a distant wedge-tailed eagle and a laughing Kookaburra landed briefly on a signpost. However I didn’t feel like we made the most of our island safari as we mostly just drove around. I think a bit of time spent birding would have been a better use of time. Further information about French Island can be found here.

 

P2200227_01 Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_20230220_170522  French Island by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230220_170542  French Island by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

All too soon this leg was over and we caught the ferry back to Stony point. Then we met our original guide in the minibus. Our next stop was Point Grant, also known by the locals as ‘Nobbies’. The tour promised that this is “where we’ll take in the remarkable natural sights and home to a seal colony, dramatic sea bluffs, and panoramic ocean views”.  What they don’t say is that the seal colony is miles away so you might be disappointed if you were expecting to see seals there. 

 

I was by no means disappointed because instead of seals I got my first sighting of one of my most sought-after mammals of the trip, the enigmatic Short-beaked Echidna. These are one of two monotremes, egg-laying mammals, that I really hoped to see on my trip. The other being the implausible Platypus. 

 

P2200300_01 short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Echidnas have really odd-looking feet! 

 

P2200307_01 short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The echidna was busy feeding on an ants nest and was therefore partially hidden initially. I took a quick walk down along the boardwalks, passing Cape Barren Geese and spotting my first Little Penguins, before returning to the Echidna. 

 

IMG_20230220_184623 The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230220_184631  The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230220_185003  The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Luckily at this point he had finished one ants nest and was making his way along a hillock looking for other tasty morsels to sniff out. So I managed to obtain cracking views of this implausible little creature. 

 

 

P2200400_01  short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 P2200436 short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2200366_01  Little Penguin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2200393_01  Little Penguin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2200461   Little Penguin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230220_185300  The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230220_185401  The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_20230220_185409  The Nobbies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Soon it was time to move on and we took the short drive down to the Penguin Parade visitor centre for dinner and to get ready to watch the penguins returning to feed their chicks. En route all of the Swamp Wallabies were getting active and we saw lots of them on the way to the parade visitor centre.  

 

P2200505_01 swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2200546_02 swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After dinner we made our way to the beach and settled in to watch the show. Unfortunately any kind of photography is strictly forbidden after dark so as not to disturb the penguins. Thankfully I did get a couple of shots of penguins at their burrows before it got dark. 

 

P2200698_02 Little Penguin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Phillip Island is home to the largest Little Penguin colony in the world, holding over 40,000 birds. Of the 18 penguin species around the world, Little penguins are the smallest. They’re also the only species of penguin with blue and white feathers. The penguins gather offshore waiting for sunset before risking a landing. You can read more about them here.

 

While we waited for the penguins to start gathering I noticed that the night sky was alive with Short-tailed Shearwaters. Over 34 million short-tailed shearwaters breed within Australia, making them the most abundant seabird found on Australian shores. Phillip Island hosts approximately 1.4 million that arrive each year around the 24th September from the Aleutian Islands near Alaska. Further information about short-tailed shearwaters can be found here.

 

Eventually, small groups of 6 to 10 penguins started to appear out of the surf, nervously at first, but soon becoming bolder. Then they stared to make their way up the beach to the burrows. After watching a few of these groups make their journey into the dunes, I decided to walk back up the boardwalk to spend my last few minutes watching them up close. 

 

In amongst the penguins I spied a small mammal with a pointy nose and some striping on its back, some people were calling it a rat. But it wasn’t a rat. It was a critically endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot. These small nocturnal marsupials were once widespread across southwest Victoria and Tasmania. 

 

Today, the mainland Eastern barred bandicoot is endangered due to predation by foxes and the loss of much of its native habitat. Fortunately, thanks to efforts to reintroduce the Eastern barred bandicoot into the wild on offshore islands, including Phillip and Churchill Islands, this species has been brought back from the brink of extinction. You can read about the success of reintroduction and more on this enigmatic mammal here.

 

Eastern Barred Bandicoot  (c) Phillip Island Nature Parks, on Flickr

 

I was delighted to watch it snuffling in between the penguin burrows. As I was respecting the no photography rule, I didn’t get my own photo so this one is reproduced with kind permission from Phillip Island Nature Parks.

 

Then as time was running short to catch the bus back to Melbourne, I started heading back, but then I spotted a larger mammal in a thicket. It turned out to be a black morph of a Brush-tailed Possum, another lifer! I didn’t know at the time how many of these fluffy nocturnal denizens we would meet on our trip so I watched him for a few minutes before heading back.

 

I got back to the hotel at about midnight.  

Edited April 22, 2023 by kittykat23uk

[Kitsafari]

great to have a chance to see mammals in Australia through your eyes and that Echidna is just darn cute. 

looking forward to reading more .

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks @Kitsafari

 

Tuesday 21 Feb Sorrento Dolphin and Seal Snorkel 

 

I had been umming and ahhing about this trip since I first spotted it on the usual excursion sites because it seemed like a bit of a faff to get to. But in the end I decided to go for it, mainly because I really enjoy snorkelling with dolphins, hadn’t snorkelled with seals before and also really wanted a chance to see a leafy sea dragon. The tour was booked with Moonraker dolphin swim.

 

But without a car, Sorrento is about a 3 ½ hour train and bus journey away. The first thing I needed to do was download the Myke app which is their version of the oyster card system we used to have in the UK before everything went to contactless. Why they still use this for public transport I don’t know as it should be just as simple to tap on and off with a credit card. But anyway, it was quite easy to set up the app and load up my account and compared to the UK the transport costs seemed pretty cheap. It did mean getting a train to Frankston and then the 788 bus down to Sorrento pier. If I’d had a car it probably would have taken me half that time. But it was fine, and a nice ride out along the coast at times. The tour didn’t start until 1230 which gave me plenty of time to get to Sorrento. 

 

I arrived early enough to have a scout of the town, and I stopped in at a lovely icecream parlour to pick up a cone of rocky road gelato. It was delicious! Afterwards I made my way down to the pier. Staff were on hand to help size participants up for wetsuits and fins before we boarded the boat. We then had a briefing as to how things would go before as we set off. 

 

For the dolphin swim they take you in the water in groups of 10. There were too many people on the boat for everyone to go into the water at once and so we were divided into three groups. I was in the first group. It wasn’t long before we started to see flocks of Austalasian gannets feeding on a shoal of fish and then, as we approached we started to see a pod of dolphins were feeding with them.

 

P2210862 Australasian Gannet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2210963_01  Australasian Gannets by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

So the crew told us to get ready as we were going to try and snorkel with them. I got lucky being in the first group and we were still in the water holding onto a floating rope whist the pod of dolphins including some babies, joined by Australian fur seals, frollicked and played all around us. The only issue was there was a fair amount of disturbance in the water, lots of bubbles which impacted the view, but it was still a fantastic experience and the highlight of the day.

 

Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Australian Fur Seal and Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Australian Fur Seal and Burrunan dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Unfortunately my time in the ocean was all too short as they wanted the other two groups to have the same opportunity. But the dolphins seemed to have other ideas and the second group struggled to see the dolphins for quite some time, despite them still being spotted all around the boat from the surface. I think they eventually did get some good views, as did the third but sadly I didn’t get a chance to go back in with them and had to content myself with photographing them from the surface.

 

 

 

P2210728_01 Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2210744_01 Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2210806_01 Australian fur seal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2210947 Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Once the dolphins had moved on, our next location was to look for the weedy sea dragons. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to find any on this occasion. You see, the thing about the weedy sea dragon is that it looks like greeny-brown seaweed. And the thing about where we were looking for them was that it was full of clumps of greeny-brown seaweed. So how are you supposed to see them? Especially in water that’s a) quite cloudy and b) too deep to effectively see the difference between the seaweed and the weedy sea dragons from the surface. So, whilst the tour does often find them, it wasn’t to be for me. 

 

I thought the trip was over, but they had one final site for us to visit which was supposedly to swim with the seals at this little pier thing.  The roof and gantries of the pier were covered in Australasian Gannets and Pied Cormorants and a few fur seals rested on the platform below. 

 

P2211067  Pied Cormorant  &  Australasian Gannet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2211089  Pied Cormorant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2211162  Australasian Gannet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2211184_01 Australian fur seal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2211188_01 Australian fur seal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

Whilst we didn’t see many playful seals in the water, we did spy a few small Port Jackson Sharks and one large Short-tailed Stingray glided beneath me. I think most of the seals must still be away fishing with the pod of dolphins. 

 

Short-tailed Stingray by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Stingray by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I made a few friends on this trip and travelled back to Melbourne with one of them. While we waited for the bus a few juvenile Crimson Rosellas kept use entertained as they fed in a local garden. Once we arrived back in Melbourne we went for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I can't say it was the best meal that I had on that trip, the fresh pasta had that kind of glue-like texture to it which made for quite a stodgy meal. It was getting late, so I made my way back to the hotel.    

 

P2211241_01  Juvenile Crimson Rosella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

Wednesday 22 Feb

 

This evening I was due to meet Elaine at the Best Western Hotel near the airport so I checked out of my hotel and left my luggage in their storeroom. 

 

Today though, I was meeting up with Birding Pal Dave Torr at Werribee station for a day of birding around the Western Treatment Plant. I arrived at about 0930 and we planned to spend all day on the site until about 4pm. Werribee’s Western Treatment Plant welcomes birds from as far away as Siberia. The plant’s lagoons, grasslands and coastline provide an ideal and varied habitat – offering a permanent water supply, plenty of food, and little interference from humans. Much of the surrounding areas have been recognised as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention. One needs a vehicle to get around the rather vast site, and, whilst it does still operate in part as a treatment works, most of the site is now farmland. The site requires a permit to access, and most local birders have access. There’s also a large number of padlocked gates to navigate between the different parts of the site, all of which thankfully operate on the same key. So I spent quite a lot of time hopping in and out of Dave’s car opening and locking each gate that we passed through.

 

Dave was great company and he pointed out a lot of lovely birds and a couple of cool reptiles. 

 

We started off by spotting a few Galahs and Musk Lorikeets on the drive in. The first place we stopped at added a perched Crested Pigeon and Red-rumped Parrot. Superb Fairy Wren families were darting through the reeds and tall grasses, and Little Ravens soared overhead. Some more familiar birds were seen in the form of Goldfinch, Starling, House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon and Common Mynah.

 

P2221189_01 Superb Fairy Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220023 Crested Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220048 Red-rumped Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Native birds were well-represented, Magpie Lark, Australian Magpie, Willy Wagtail, Fairy Martins and Red-browed Finch being the first of many that we saw. Later we added Welcome Swallows.   

 

P2220060_01 Fairy Martins by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

A Red Fox was an unwelcome sight for its potential impact on the local fauna making its way through one of the drier fields. 

 

According to Dave, the treatment plant was a bit quieter than normal as it’s used mainly as a stopping off point for birds and there had been a lot of rain in Melbourne over the past months, so the birds were less reliant on the permanent water source that the plant’s lagoons offer. 

 

Despite this, around the lagoons we discovered an array of waterbirds, including Hoary-headed Grebe, Black Swans, Australian Shelduck, Musk Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Australian Black Duck, Hardhead, Blue-billed Duck, Australasian Shoveler. Yellow-billed and Royal Spoonbills, Australasian Swamphen, Coots and Dusky Moorhen also dwelled in the lagoons around the site alongside Australian Pelicans, Little black Cormorants, Pied Cormorants, White-faced Herons and Australian White Ibis.  

 

P2220722 Australian Black Swan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220748 Australian Black Swan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220102 Musk Duck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220077 Hoary-headed Grebe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220154 Australasian Swamp Hen by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220165 Australian Shelduck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221209 Australian Shelduck & Cinamon Teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221011 Black Swan, Chetnut Teal, Australian Black Duck, Grey Teal, Australian Shelducks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220200_01 Grey Teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221007 Chestnut Teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221076_01 Blue-billed Duck and Hardhead by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221085_01 Blue-billed Duck and Hardhead by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220253_01 White-faced Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220615 Australian Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221558 Royal Spoonbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also encountered a range of raptors including a fantastic view of a Wedge-tailed Eagle which flew right over our heads.   Black Kites and Swamp Harriers also soared over our heads. 

 

P2220520 Wedge-tailed Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220515 Wedge-tailed Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Some raptors perched on telegraph poles including a beautiful Australian Hobby, more distant Brown Falcon and a Black-shouldered Kite. 

 

P2220231 Black-shouldered Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220638 Brown Falcon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220881  Australian Hobby by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220988 Swamp Harrier by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Golden-headed Cisticolas seemed to be everywhere, interspersed with reed warblers and the occasional Striated Grass Wren and White-fronted Chat, whilst white-browed scrub wrens skulked in the bushes. A Singing Honeyeater, apparently miss-named, perched silently in a tree. 

 

P2220330_01 Striated Fieldwren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220769_01 Singing Honeyeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220816 Golden-headed Cisticola by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Photographing a lot of the birds around the lagoons proved tricky as there was quite a lot of vegetation in the way, and the light was often not in the best direction. As the day progressed, the high sun brought out the heat haze, killing any hopes of getting clear photographs of the more distant birds. 

 

Nevertheless it was a great day and as it went on we reached some pools that were favoured more by crakes and waders. We added both Buff-banded Rail and Baillon’s Crake to the day list. 

 

P2220680_01 Buff-banded Rail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221499 Baillon's Crake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Of the waders, perhaps fewer in number and variety than would normally be expected, but more than Dave saw the last time, so numbers were starting to recover. We saw Red-necked Avocet, Masked Lapwing, Pied Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.   

 

P2220436 Red-necked Avocet & Australian Shelducks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221277 Pied Stilt & Marsh Sandpiper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221314_01 Pied Stilt by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221339_01  Marsh Sandpiper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221361 Red-capped Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

There was one spot particularly good for terns and we got Great Crested and White-winged Terns. Pacific Gulls were less numerous than Silver Gulls, but both species were present on the site.

 

P2220896 Great Crested Terns by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

As we drove we encountered a fantastic Tiger Snake basking on the roadside which was accommodating enough to allow a few photographs. 

 

P2221033 Tiger Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also spotted a Blotched Bluetongue Lizard also basking on the track. 

 

P2220991 Blotched blue-tongued lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Towards the end of the day we reached an area where we encountered several Brolga, a type of crane. Cranes are always a delight to see so it was a great sighting to end on. 

 

P2221622_01 Brolga by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221632_01 Brolgas by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221636_02 Brolgas by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2221666 Brolgas by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After expressing my thanks to Dave for a lovely day I headed back to Melbourne. Once I picked up my bags I grabbed the Skybus back to the airport and then called for the courtesy bus to the Best Western. I expected to be meeting Elaine there around 1830 or so as she was flying in that evening. 

 

While I waited I took a little dip in their outside pool and then had a wander around the grounds. A few new birds were added to my trip list, including my first Rainbow Lorikeets, exquisitely beautiful birds and a Red Wattlebird. Another Wedgie flew overhead being mobbed by a raven and as dusk fell the site was alive with Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Long-billed Correllas who came in to roost into the trees lining a local playing field. Before they settled down, many of the parrots came over to drink from the gutters of the Best Western’s conference centre, allowing some excellent close up views. 

 

P2220014 Red Wattlebird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220032  Wedge-tailed Eagle being mobbed by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220052 Wedge-tailed Eagle being mobbed by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220066 Crested Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220163_01  Rainbow Lorikeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220231  Sulphur-crested Cockatoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220296_01  Long-billed Corella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220307_01_01  Long-billed Corella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220312_01_01  Long-billed Corella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220336 Long-billed Corella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220394_02 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220405_01 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220449_01 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo & Australian Raven by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220491 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2220492 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I had a worrying message from Elaine to say that she was going to miss her connection in Sydney. Thankfully they managed to put her on the last flight out and she finally made it to the hotel late that night. Next stop Tasmania!

Edited April 24, 2023 by kittykat23uk

[Atravelynn]

Though not as pristine a setting as some of your other shots the Red Wattlebird in the garden with the purple flowers and statue is mystical!

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks! I quite liked that setting too. It was basically in the small garden of one of the static caravans on the site.. 

[kittykat23uk]

Thursday 23 Feb

 

We departed  Melbourne on the 0845 flight,  arriving into Launceston around 0950. Elaine sorted out the rental car collection whilst I waited for our baggage and we were soon on our way towards Mountain Valley. 

 

As I mentioned, we worked with Susie at Tasmanian Odyssey to put together the Tasmanian aspects of the trip. Tasmanian Odyssey makes an annual donation to The Tasmanian Land Conservancy – a not for profit organisation which acquires land to protect the habitat for native and endemic flora and fauna. They also sponsor a Tasmanian Devil at Devils@Cradle, a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to the Tasmanian Devil and its cousins the Eastern and Spotted-tail Quoll (we visited this place later on in the tour). Susie had put together a very comprehensive itinerary with detailed instructions on where each of our stops was located, places to stock up on provisions and local sights to take in en route. We used google maps for navigation and this worked pretty well throughout our tour. 

 

Tasmania is Australia’s only island state, and one of the most beautiful archipelagos on our planet. Tasmania became a life raft for birds, animals, trees and plants found nowhere else on earth when the land bridge that separated it from mainland Australia flooded some 12000 years ago. The main reason that I wanted to visit the island is of course to see the Tasmanian Devil and it’s also a very good place to see a variety of other marsupials that are difficult to see on the mainland. 

 

Susie had organised a national parks permit for us which provided us with unlimited entry into any of the national parks that we would visit. For our first leg of the trip Susie suggested a few places to  visit en-route to Mountain Valley. We opted not to spend too much time in Launceston, preferring to get on the road, so we did not stop in at the recommended Cataract Gorge. 

 

Our first stop was at a little raspberry farm to pick up some provisions and stretch the legs, and we took a walk around a large pond on the property. Here we spotted our first endemics, Tasmanian Thornbill, Tasamnian Native Hen, plus the now familiar Chestnut Teal and Welcome Swallows. Other new birds came in the form of Maned Duck, Pacific Black Duck, New Holland Honeyeater. We also spotted our first Tasmanian Pademelons.

 

P2230028_01 Tasmanian Thornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2230032 Chestnut Teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2230039 Welcome Swallows by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2230118  Tasmanian Native Hen by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

We then headed off to the Tasmanian Arboretum for a date with my next sought-after target, the implausible platypus! 

 

Situated in a  wide valley at Eugenana, in the hills in northern Tasmania just behind Devonport, the wonderful Tasmanian Arboretum can be found. The Arboretum is run by a not for profit volunteer organisation. It’s quite amazing how a committee of volunteers, working in their spare time, have developed such a beautiful place. It only costs around $5 entrance and is well worth a visit. There is a small cafe-cum-shop-cum-reception and we were greeted by a very friendly lady who was able to give us information about where to find the platypus. 

 

There is a large lake that forms the centrepiece of the arboretum in which several Platypus make their home. Unusually for platypus, the ones in the arboretum seem so relaxed that they are active throughout the day. In most areas, platypus are crepuscular and / or more elusive.  We made our way down to the lake and started to scout around. It wasn’t long before we were watching the Platypus paddling along the surface of the lake, frequently diving to dabble their beaks in the silt at the bottom of the lake before bobbing back up to the surface. 

 

P2230221  Platypus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Everyone knows the story of the first discovered platypus being brought back to England and how everyone dismissed it as a made up animal, but it’s not until you see one in the flesh that its odd morphology really hits home. As well as the odd fleshy bill, the poison spurs and its egg-laying characteristics, it also has a very odd almost bulbous tail. The Platypus doesn’t have a stomach, because it east food that is easy to break down and therefore doesn’t need one. But that means it has nowhere to store food either, so it has to eat for about 12 hours a day. The Platypus’s tail sometimes looks bulbous because a Platypus stores fat in its tail. 

 

P2230227 Platypus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After mating, a female platypus digs a burrow in the ground and lines it with leaves and packed soil. A female typically lays only 1-3 eggs at a time and incubates them herself. She holds her eggs close to her stomach with her large tail to keep them warm. Platypus don’t have nipples so, whilst they still secrete milk from their mammary glands, the milk is secreted through the skin, and the babies, known as “puggles” suck it off the skin or fur. Unlike some aquatic mammals, Platypus swim with their front feet, steering with their rear. They also use electroreceptors in their bills to locate prey such as crustaceans.  It’s truly incredible how diverse a group the mammals are. I was so much in awe of these little creatures that I didn’t really explore much of the rest of the site, whereas I think Elaine did explore some of the other trails. 

 

P2230236 Platypus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

Around the lake were a few waterbirds, including Australasian Grebes and a nesting Black Swan.

 

P2230283 Australian Black Swan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2230295_01 Australasian Grebe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We met back at the cafe for lunch which consisted of some tasty toasties and some delicious homemade ice cream. The shop also does a lovely line of local wildlife pin badges and I bought three for my hat, an Echidna, a Devil and of course the Platypus.

 

We then headed off, stopping in Davenport to pick up some provisions for our stay at Mountain Valley. We mostly self catered throughout our trip so had to factor in going to supermarkets and farm shops en route to our accommodation. Sometimes these were few and far between but Susie’s instructions came in handy for pointing us in the right direction. 

 

As we drove on the landscape started to change and we soon began to take a winding road up into the mountains of Tasmania. We arrived at Mountain Valley mid afternoon to a warm welcome from owner Len. Mountain Valley is literally a ‘lost valley’ deep in the North West of Tasmania, a ‘Land for Wildlife’ private conservation plot where the rich fertile north meets forest and valleys, bordering on the glacial World Heritage listed Central Highlands, and on the edge of the extraordinarily powerful Leven Canyon. We were shown to our rustic log cabin, which was situated towards the back of the property and was raised off the ground. This wasn’t as ideal for viewing as some of the lower cabins which were at ground level. 

 

We took a walk around the property and down to the bordering river in the late afternoon, spotting superb Fairy Wrens, Black Currawongs and Laughing Kookaburras. The latter are not native to Tasmania and there is some concern over their  impact on the island’s native wildlife. 

 

P2230387 Tasmanian Native Hen by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The scenery by the river is spectacular, and platypus can be found in this river as well. As the sun got low the property came alive with Tasmanian Pademelons. 

 

P2230373  Tasmanian Pademelon (Rufous-bellied Pademelon) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

P2230393 Tasmanian Pademelon (Rufous-bellied Pademelon) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230223_185748 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I

MG_20230223_185813 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230223_190545 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2230439 Black Currawong by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When dusk had properly settled in, we retired to the cabin to prepare dinner. After we ate, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine on the verandah whilst Len set about baiting the area with chicken. Initially just Pademelons were milling about, then later came a variety of Brush-tailed Possums, at least two black ones, a mother and joey, a grey one and a more rufous individual were in attendance at various times,  although there were probably more as it was hard to keep track of all of them. I began to wonder if there would be anything left for the devils to eat. 

 

At one point we got an unwelcome shock as I heard a thud on one of the upright poles holding up the Verandah roof. All I could see from my angle was four massive spider legs poking out from the back of the pole. “Oh hell no!” I exclaimed. Elaine took a peep, promptly grabbed the broom from the room and deftly evicted the spider off the verandah. 

 

After taking advantage of this commotion to grab some duvets, we settled back down to wait. More possums arrived and the amount of chicken diminished. Around 1030, I think Elaine decided to call it a night and headed to bed. I stayed up and around midnight I saw a Spotted-tailed Quoll but it didn’t come close to our verandah on that night unfortunately.

 

At about 0030, I was delighted to finally see a Tasmanian Devil tentatively approaching the remaining chicken. Once he got some confidence he settled down to feed and I was able to observe him feeding for several minutes. Unlike the possums, which would pull the meat off the chicken and leave the bones, the Devil would just crunch them up, bones and all. 

 

Back in the day, there used to be quite a few devils visiting Mountain Valley cabins and you used to be able to hear them make their screaming vocalisations for which they are well known. But unfortunately these days their numbers are much reduced owing to the Devil Facial Tumour Disease. I’m pretty sure I only saw one individual during my stay. The Devil  mopped up all the remaining chicken so after he left I decided to turn in for the night. 

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

Friday 24 Feb Mountain Valley and Leven Canyon

 

P2240411_01 Laughing Kookaburra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Today we decided to visit Leven Canyon. There is a circular walk, but that involves traversing 697 stairs and some steep terrain. We didn’t fancy that much, so we took both the more gentle walks, out-and-back to the Cruikshanks Lookout. We didn’t see many birds, just a few skulking thornbills and the odd Grey Fantail and Tasmanian Scrubwrens. The views from the lookout platform were stunning and rewarding in themselves for the walk as you can peer down 275 metres to the Leven River at the bottom of the canyon. We then completed the Edge Lookout Track - This easy 30-minute return walk took us through damp forest vegetation to a canyon cliff wall and another impressive view. 

In the afternoon, I spent a bit of time chasing Superb Fairy Wrens and then the neighbours ushered us over to show us a beautiful Copperhead snake. Then we spotted a Scarlet Robin in the trees near our cabin. 

 

P2240014 Black Currawong by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240021 Ink Berry by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_101721  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_101728  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_101825  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_101839  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_101948  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240024 Skink Species by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240064 Grey Fantail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_112339  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_112415  Leven Canyon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240193 Tasmanian Scrubwren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240218  Superb Fairy Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240232 Superb Fairy Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240245 Superb Fairy Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240253  Copperhead by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Later we took a walk with Len, spotting wombat poo and searching the river for the platypus, of which we got sightings of one individual. Len asked if we wanted to see some glow worms in a cave. It involved a bit of spelunking down steep, muddy steps with a rope to get to the cave entrance. Len took me a short distance into the cave, past a cave spider and then I started to see the little pinpricks of green glowing light as my eyes adjusted to the dark. I think if we’d gone further into the cave we might have seen more of a spectacle, but it was still nice to see them. It wasn’t as hard to get back up to the surface as I expected, clinging as I did to the rope, but the next day my legs were really stiff.

Pademelons that skulked in the vegetation during the day emerged again late afternoon to feed and kept us entertained until dinner time.  

 

P2240389 (2)  Scarlet Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240391 (2) Scarlet Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240397 (2) Wombat Poo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_175430 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230224_180422 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240416 (2) Brown Thornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240430 (2) Brown Thornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240464_01 Tasmainian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240473_01 Tasmainian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240504_01 Tasmainian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240513_01 Tasmainian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We resumed our vigil after dark and once again our first visitors were Pademelons and then the Brush-tailed Possums. Quite a few of these little teddy bears came out to feed. This time I tried a different approach with my camera, setting it up on manual focus ahead of time, which worked a lot better and I was able to obtain quite a lot of footage. I’m pretty impressed by the software I used to edit the videos, it’s a basic programme but considering how dark the original footage was (the only available light was from our verandah). I just used an auto exposure enhancement on it and it’s almost like it’s daylight out there! 

 

 

 

P2240557_01 Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240567_01 Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2240616_01 Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

I was also really lucky in that the Spotted-tailed Quoll paid me a visit (sadly after Elaine had retired to bed!) and granted me a few precious seconds of footage as he wandered around picking up several pieces of chicken before leaving to eat them in peace. 

 

Spotted-tailed Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

After the Quoll left, it wasn’t long before the Tassie Devil showed up and he also stuck around for a bit this time, chewing on the chicken and crunching up the bones. Both times it came around 1230 AM. After that, I assumed it wouldn’t be back again that night as there wasn’t any chicken left and so I headed to bed.

 

 

2023-02-26_07-20-08 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited April 25, 2023 by kittykat23uk

[Atravelynn]

Tasmanian Devil, Duck-billed Platypus, and that odd looking Spotted-tailed Quoll all in a short time. What a score!  The flying cockatoo is angelic.

[kittykat23uk]

@Atravelynnyes it has been a great first week already! 

 

Saturday 25 Feb Mountain Valley to Cradle Mountain

 

It was time to head to Cradle Mountain today. I was up early and took a walk locally by the river, spotting the platypus again. So I enjoyed watching it feeding for a while. The pair of kookaburras were actively calling to each other on the way back and a few Pademelons were still awake. We decided to take a detour back to the arboretum to have another look at the platypuses / platypi? before heading on to Cradle Mountain.  

 

IMG_20230225_063727 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250003  Tasmanian pademelon, AKA  Rufous-bellied pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250034 Platypus - Ornithorhynchus anatinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250092  Laughing Kookaburra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250098 Laughing Kookaburra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250107 Laughing Kookaburra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

There was one platypus that had come all the way out of the water to had a scratch and a groom so I was able to film it from the other side of the pond. 

 

P2250236_01 Platypus - Ornithorhynchus anatinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250276_01 Platypus - Ornithorhynchus anatinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250288_01 Platypus - Ornithorhynchus anatinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250313_01 Platypus - Ornithorhynchus anatinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We arrived at Cradle Mountain in time for check-in at 1430. We had a lovely double queen chalet at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village. Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village is nestled in a secluded bush setting in the Cradle Valley on the edge of the World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park. It is on the right as you drive towards the entrance to the National Park. Reception hours are from 830 am to 530 pm every day. Check in time is from 230 pm but if you arrive early there are endless walks to enjoy and plenty of opportunities to spot wombats and wallabies. From our secluded balcony we were greeted by some relaxed Bennet’s Wallabies. 

 

P2250352 Bennetts (red-necked) wallaby - Notamacropus rufogriseus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250391 Bennetts (red-necked) wallaby - Notamacropus rufogriseus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Normally there is a restaurant on site, but unfortunately it had a fire not long before we arrived and so that was closed until further notice. So we had decided to self cater, although there was also a food van which we were able to make use of.  

 

The Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, with its ancient rainforests and alpine heaths, is home to the world-famous Overland Track and iconic Cradle Mountain. Part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, the park is one of the state's most iconic and distinctive landscapes, where ancient pines fringe glacial lakes and icy streams cascade down rugged mountains. The vegetation is rich and diverse including grassland, rainforest and many ancient plants such as the long-lived and endemic King Billy pine and the unusual native deciduous beech. 

 

After relaxing for a bit, we checked in at the park visitor centre and then took the bus up to the main area of the park. Regulations imposed by the Parks & Wildlife Service mean that you cannot drive your car through the boom gate to the national park during the hours of the shuttle bus. The shuttle buses run a very regular operation from the Visitor Centre and if you purchase a National Parks Pass this will give you free use of the buses.It’s possible to drive your own vehicle down to Dove Lake once the shuttle buses have stopped running, although you must take great care as light falls as wildlife will be abundant and the road is narrow in places with steep drops so this is not recommended at this time of year. Elaine was not keen to do this so we just used the shuttle during our stay and I spotlighted after dark on foot. We later found out that the park offered nocturnal spotlighting tours in the park which we could have booked, had we found out earlier.

 

Susie had tipped us off about getting out at Ronnie Creek late afternoon where a boardwalk offers one of the best wombat spotting places in Tassie, along with Maria Island, especially since mange has decimated numbers in Narawntapu. Wombats as you might have noticed have cube shaped poo which they use to mark their territory. It is cubed so that it doesn’t roll away apparently. The wombats here are completely habituated and we saw quite a few in our two days here. 

 

But before we even got to the first pair of wombats, we were distracted by another Echidna.  This one was making its way through the alpine meadow. We carried on spotting a distant wombat up on the hill before finding a crowd of people watching a mother and joey that were feeding right beside the boardwalk. They were pretty adorable! I kind of split my time between watching the wombats and watching the echidna whilst I think Elaine explored a little further afield. Soon though the weather closed in and it started to rain in earnest so we got the next bus back to the visitor centre. 

 

P2250450  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250454 Black Currawong by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250502  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250535  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250633  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250680 Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250715 Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250752  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250773  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250819 Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr
 

 

We sheltered in the shop from the rain for a few minutes until it eased off enough to head back to the car. 

 

It seemed like a good time to have some dinner and relax for a bit with a nice glass of cider or wine. The wallabies had been replaced by Pademelons as we looked out from our balcony.

 

P2250847  Tasmanian pademelon, AKA  Rufous-bellied pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250863  Tasmanian pademelon, AKA  Rufous-bellied pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250890  Tasmanian pademelon, AKA  Rufous-bellied pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After dark, the rain had eased off enough that we could do some local spotlighting around the lodge entrance road. High up in the trees we spotted a pair of Ring-tailed Possums and a number of Brush-tailed possums were foraging both up in the trees and on the ground. I kept spotlighting for a few hours but I didn’t see anything else.

 

P2250001 (2)_01 Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250015_01 Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250026 (2)_01 Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250045 (2)_01 Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250068 (2)Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2250110 (2)_01 Brushtail possum - Trichosurus vulpecula by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[TonyQ]

What a brilliant start to your trip. So many excellent sightings already and I am really enjoying your photos and videos.

 

[Atdahl]

What a awesome few days already Jo.  Fantastic pictures too!  Your trip is bringing back a lot of great memories for me.  Can't wait to read more.

 

Alan

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks both, yes it was definitely a fantastic start to the trip! 

 

Sunday 26 Feb

 

In the morning we took the bus up to Dove lake, where a 6 km trail takes you around the edge of the glacially carved lake directly beneath Cradle Mountain. The walk takes you through some of Tasmania's special vegetation, from buttongrass to myrtle, sassafras, fagus and King Billy pine. Unfortunately, Cradle Mountain was shrouded in low cloud, making it barely visible. Birds were thin on the ground but we did connect with a nice Crescent Honeyeater. 

 

IMG_20230226_091606 Dove Lake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_093754 Dove Lake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_093805 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260032 Crescent Honeyeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260045 Tasmanian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After having a wander around the lake we headed back, stopping off at some other picturesque areas to have a look around. Leaving from just behind the interpretation centre is a short boardwalk called the Rainforest Walk. The boardwalk meanders through a patch of cool temperate rainforest of pencil pines and myrtle and we were rewarded with views of the pretty Pencil Pine Falls.

 

P2260116 Scrubtit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_103232 Pencil pine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_103954  Pencil Pine falls by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260191 Tasmanian Thornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_125347 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_131005 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In the afternoon we headed up to Ronnie Creek to look for wombats and echidnas and we weren’t disappointed.  An echidna was the first sighting, followed by several wombats and an Australian Pipit. Superb fairy wrens were hanging out by a small creek. A wombat was feeding close to the boardwalk on the hillside so I stopped and filmed it for a few minutes. Then I took a walk further up into a nearby woodland, it proved to be quite productive as in a wet forest area I came across a Bassian Thrush and then a small flock of Green Rosellas (I did take some pictures but I got better ones later on). Also Present were scrubtits and Tasmanian Scrubwrens. The view was also quite spectacular. 

 

P2260426  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260442  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260450  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260484  Short-beaked Echidna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260631 Australasian Pipit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260658  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260698_01 Superb Fairy-wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260709 Superb Fairy-wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260722 Rainbow Skink by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260754  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260812  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260828  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260837  Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260935 Bassian Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260947 Scrubtit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260957 Tasmanian Scrubwren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260964 Tasmanian Scrubwren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230226_145954 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261043 Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

As I approached the edge of the woodland I came across another Wombat. This one was having a good scratch against a fallen trunk. 

 

P2260973 Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260997 Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261063 Common Wombat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

P2261135 Black-faced Cuckooshrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261146  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After dinner we Susie had organised us an after dark feeding tour at the Devils@Cradle sanctuary.  The Devils @ Cradle Tasmanian devil sanctuary is a breeding and conservation facility focusing on conservation programs for the three largest carnivorous marsupials – the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the Spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and the Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverinus). All three of these species are currently listed as either threatened or endangered in the wild and all occur locally in the Cradle Mountain area.

 

P2261164  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261188  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The facility is located on the edge of the Cradle Mountain National Park and conducts in-situ conservation programs for the Tasmanian devil including an on-site breeding program for insurance of the species.

 

P2261196  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The tour was really informative, I’ve managed to film some of the presentation, which is well worth a look. 

 

 

The main focus of the sanctuary are the Tasmanian Devils, which are found only in Tasmania. The species is believed to have been forced into extinction on mainland Australia following the introduction of the dingo. 

 

P2261246  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261242  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The Tasmanian devil is the largest of the world’s carnivorous marsupials, with males and females weighing around 10.0 kg and 7.0kg respectively, larger males commonly reach 11-12 kg. A solitary species who has evolved into a very effective scavenger, they have a strong build and powerful jaws capable of crunching and consuming bones efficiently (As I was able to hear during our stay at Mountain Valley). An opportunistic hunter, devils will eat almost anything from insects, amphibians and reptiles through to larger species such as possum, wallaby and wombat. They rely largely on their sense of smell and their endurance when searching for food.

 

P2261286  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261289  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261300  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The reproduction cycle for this species (and all dasyurids) is quite complex. Breeding occurs between Feb-March, the female will accept multiple males during her 7-10 day cycle and 18-21 days later she will give birth to up to 40 young. With only 4 teats in the pouch it is a case of the strongest survive, once attached to the teat the young will remain within the pouch for around 4 months, at this point they are fully furred and too large for the pouch. They remain within the den for another 4-5 months during this time their diet will change to become largely carnivorous and become fully independent and disperse at 9 months of age, around Nov-Dec. Their lifespan is 5-6 years.

 

The species is very adaptable and finds suitable habitat throughout Tasmania’s diverse landscape, from the alpine mountainous areas through to the coastal environments surrounding the island and everywhere in between.

 

At Devils@Cradle there are a number of different Tasmanian Devil enclosures, with different age groups and sexes. 

 

P2260022_01   Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The devils start off looking really cute when they are young, and then as they age they get more and more scarred from their sparring matches in which devils growl and bite each other. The biting behaviour is a way to socialise and assert dominance which, alongside the growl-like screams, helped earn the devils their nickname, alongside the ears which glow red in the sunlight. Unfortunately, it is also the method of transmission of a fatal cancer, known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).  As a result of this disease, the species has recently been classified as ‘endangered’ following a decline of up to 85%. In addition to DFTD another major threat to this species is roadkill, with a smorgasbord of carrion available along the road devil religiously use these ‘man made’ tracks, and we did unfortunately encounter a few dead devils along our road trip which was obviously upsetting to see. 

 

P2261448  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261449  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261469_01  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261472_01  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261494_01  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261495_01  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261499  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261509  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261515  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261535  Tasmanian Devil by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The sanctuary also holds a good population of Spotted-tailed Quoll, also known as Tiger Quoll. This is the largest of the quoll family native to Australia (Quolls are also found in New Guinea), with males and females weighing around 4.0 kg and 2.0 kg respectively. Largely territorial, they are considered an apex predator, their prey consists of insects, crayfish, reptiles, birds, domestic poultry, and most small mammals up to the size of pademelons and even wallabies, the latter of which are much larger than themselves. 

 

P2261569  Spotted-tailed Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The breeding season begins in early winter and the female can raise up to 6 young in her pouch with weaning occurring in the spring, young generally disperse in November. Their lifespan is 3-4 years. The species lives in a variety of habitats, but seem to prefer wet forests such as rainforests and closed eucalypt forest. They are arboreal, but only moderately, the one I saw seemed at home on the ground. This species is vulnerable to decline as it requires certain climates and habitats and it tends to live in low densities. 

 

P2261578 Spotted-tailed Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The main threats to the Spotted-tail quoll are habitat removal, roadkill and illegal poisoning, trapping and shooting, due to the fact that they will kill poultry. Two subspecies are recognised, a smaller northern QLD subspecies and the larger which is found in small numbers in southeastern Australia and Tasmania, Tasmania is considered their last stronghold. They come in a couple of different colour morphs, the orange form and the darker form that I was lucky enough to see at Mountain Valley.

 

P2261427  Spotted-tailed Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260263 Spotted-tailed Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The third species we were able to observe here was the Eastern Quoll. These little guys are super cute. Again they seem to have two different colours, a dark form and a blond form. The Eastern quoll, is a small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, with males and females weighing around 2.0 kg and 1.0 kg, respectively. They are much daintier than the Spotted-tail Quoll.  A fast and agile solitary predator, hunting at night for its prey of insects and small mammals, they have also been known to scavenge food from the much larger Tasmanian devil. 

 

P2261348 Eastern Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2261337 Eastern Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The breeding season begins in early winter, and the female can raise up to 6 young in her pouch. Weaning takes place at about 10 weeks of age, with the young staying in the den whilst the mother forages for food, young disperse around November. Their lifespan is 3-5 years. Their habitat is varied and consists of alpine areas including grasslands, heathland, and rainforest through to dry grassland and forest mosaics, bounded by agricultural land and even coastal environments. 

 

P2260168  Eastern Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The main threats to the Eastern quoll is roadkill, competition and predation from feral cats and illegal poisoning and trapping as people often confuse this species with the larger Spotted-tail. The lack of foxes and dingoes in Tasmania is believed to have contributed to the survival of the species on the island. Considered extinct on the mainland, they remain widespread in Tasmania as we would later discover! 

 

P2260198_01  Eastern Quoll by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I went out for a walk after dark, spotting three ring-tailed possums, several more Brushies and a new mammal for the trip, a Southern Brown Bandicoot.

 

P2260421_01 Common ringtail possum - Pseudocheirus peregrinus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2260440 Southern Brown Bandicoot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Hmm, seems like Flickr has fallen over... 

[ElaineAust]

@kittykat23ukhas asked if I have any Cradle Mountain photos so here are my feeble efforts.

[Atdahl]

Elaine, I am laughing about that sign since when we were there in 2020 it captured my attention as well.  However, I made a "slight" alteration to it in post to better reflect that plethora of poo that we saw.  Hope you don't mind me sharing it :

 

 

Loving the report!

 

Alan

[ElaineAust]

@Atdahl  Alan, can you make a possum sign please.  I spent hours scrubbing the PS out of the soles of my boots.

[Atravelynn]

You saw much more than poo!  These little marsupials are so adorable.  I'd like to scoop them up and do a group hug.  Probably not a good idea with a Tasmanian Devil.  I wish these threatened and endangered creatures well.

[Kitsafari]

totally agreed - those little and not so little creatures look so adorable and so other-worldly too. the wombat is something you really just want to cuddle. 

 

and oh, great shots and great info and details!

Edited May 7, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Caracal]

3 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

the wombat is something you really just want to cuddle.

 

No way did I want to cuddle the one that got under my house when I was living out of town!

I was woken up early on Boxing Day morning some years back with the bed shaking. Thought there was an earth tremor then heard noises and realised it was a wombat under the house that was having a fine old time rubbing its back on a joist. To make matters worse of course it wouldn't turn around and go out the way it must have got in under the front verandah - oh no it just crashed through the board under the bedroom window. I leapt out of bed and ran outside to chase it off - so there I was trying to chase it out into the paddock instead of which it sprinted along the verandah crashing all the potted plants!

 

PS Only the wombat saw my naked state - no nearby neighbours !

[Kitsafari]

1 hour ago, Caracal said:

 

No way did I want to cuddle the one that got under my house when I was living out of town!

I was woken up early on Boxing Day morning some years back with the bed shaking. Thought there was an earth tremor then heard noises and realised it was a wombat under the house that was having a fine old time rubbing its back on a joist. To make matters worse of course it wouldn't turn around and go out the way it must have got in under the front verandah - oh no it just crashed through the board under the bedroom window. I leapt out of bed and ran outside to chase it off - so there I was trying to chase it out into the paddock instead of which it sprinted along the verandah crashing all the potted plants!

 

PS Only the wombat saw my naked state - no nearby neighbours !

 

 

Hahaha what a sighting that would have been - your battle with the wombat, I mean, of course. 

 

[kittykat23uk]

😂😂 @Caracalthat's hilarious and reminds me of my friend, Paddy, who had a similar experience. In his case it was a human intruder who had to make a swift exit from my mate's 2 story flat, the fast way down, with this big, hairy Irishman chasing him down the street in his birthday suit whilst brandishing the first weapon that came to hand, a rather hefty claw hammer! 😂😂🔨 Lucky for the would-be burglar he was lighter on his feet than my friend... 

[kittykat23uk]

Monday 27 Feb

 

We headed off after breakfast to our next stay at Mount Field. But on the way we stopped off in Sheffield, town of murals to admire the artwork. . One of Northern Tasmania’s most popular little towns, Sheffield, Town of Murals, sits in the shadow of the mighty Mt. Roland. Dozens of fabulous murals adorn the walls in and around the town - and in particular at the Mural Park. You may even see a Tasmanian Tiger! We also explored some little craft shops and stopped off for some tasty cakes at one of the cafes. Sheffield was  once a thriving industrial centre and is now a bohemian settlement. In 1986 a public meeting was held to discuss the economic decline that was happening in the town. The result of this meeting was a decision to follow in the footsteps of Chemainus, Canada and paint murals on the town walls depicting the history of the area. Now there are over 140 murals in the community depicting life in this beautiful region of Tasmania.

 

The ones that particularly caught my eye depicted the range of Tassie and Australian Wildlife. Here is just a selection of the beautiful art that we enjoyed. 

 

IMG_20230227_091905 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_092753 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_092814 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_092847 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_093430 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_093613 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_093800 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After picking up some provisions we carried on to Russell Falls and our base at Russell FallS Holiday Cottage. Our check in was delayed when we were unable to raise the owners for a while, who, it transpired, were out shopping in a local town. Thankfully we managed to get hold of them by phone and they were able to give us the combination to the keybox for our chalet so we soon got settled in.

 

Russell Falls Holiday Cottages are described as simple, but we found them to be a perfectly nice place to stay. The only issue was that our view was somewhat obstructed by some rather ugly fencing and it looked like they might be adding further cottages in that spot in the future. 

 

Set on the banks of the Tyenna River on the edge of Mount Field National Park, Russell Falls Cottages are ideally situated to explore the national park, spot wildlife and enjoy the magnificent surroundings. Just next door is a trout farm which is favoured by a pair of White-bellied Sea Eagles and the ubiquitous Tasmanian Pademelons can be found grazing on the wide grass field out the back of the cottages. 

[kittykat23uk]

In the afternoon we headed into Mount Field park and took a walk to Russell Falls. On the way in we spotted Scarlet Robins. In the wet forest we connected with the beautiful Pink Robin, a Tasmanian endemic along with a female Australian Golden Whistler, and I also got better views of Green Rosella, alongside the usual thornbills and fantails. There wasn’t an awful lot of water going over the falls, but it was quite pretty. 

 

P2270048  Tasmanian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270131  Female Australian Golden Whistler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270153 Female Australian Golden Whistler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230227_162147 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270201_01 Pink Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270275 Green Rosella by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I also spent quite a bit of time sitting quietly behind our chalet on the banks of the river where a platypus could be found feeding. With patience I was able to obtain a brief clip of underwater footage of the platypus searching for invertebrates in the riverbed.

 

 

After dark the park came alive with nocturnal mammals and we were treated to many sightings of brush-tailed possums, hoards of pademelons and even a nice view of an Eastern Quoll (sadly too quick for a photo). Around the campsite it’s said that occasionally Devils can be found. I thought I saw something that might have been one on the edge of my torch beam but I can’t really be certain at that distance. There are meant to be glowworms around the falls but I didn’t see any when I took a walk down there after dark.

 

P2270323_01  Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270346_01  Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2270355_01 Tasmanian Pademelon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2280395_01  Brush-tailed Possum by Jo Dale, on Flickr