Arrival to Cairns, transfer to a 4 star hotel near the esplanade. If you want to arrive a day or two early we can arrange your hotel which will be within walking distance of the Cairns waterfront, which is full of shorebirds such as Great Knot, Eastern Curlew etc.

Today we take a boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef.  Michaelmas Cay is full of breeding Noddy, Sooty and Bridled Terns as well as Brown Boobies which are among our targets here, you can spend some time snorkeling as well if you wish.  Accommodation: 4 star hotel in Cairns

This morning we do some bird photography on the Cairns waterfront checking for the amazing Beach Stone-Curlew and then stop at Centenary Lakes to photograph waterfowl such as Magpie Geese. Then we will head out to the tablelands spending the afternoon at a reliable spot for the amazing Duck-billed Playtpus.  Hotel: A nice hotel in Yungaburra

This morning we will visit Hasties Swamp which is filled with Plumed Whistling Ducks and other waterbirds.  It’s also an excellent location for honeyeaters including the gorgeous White-cheeked. In the afternoon we visit a local park on a lake which has trees which attract large numbers of honeyeaters including the gorgeous Scarlet Honeyeater.  On the lake there are waterbirds including Hardhead and Great Crested Grebe.  Evening mammal photography again at Chambers Lodge.

This morning we will visit Mareeba, where there is a large group of Grey Kangaroos which inhabit the local golf course and surrounding area, we also stop and visit the wetlands which is a good spot for Rufous Whistler.  We will have lunch and then head to our next accommodation on the edge of the outback in drier habitat.  Accommodation: Ironbark House and Black Swan Lodge.  These two excellent lodges each have a small number of rooms but they are only 5 minutes from each other.  Afternoon bird photography there.

We spend 3 full days here on the edge of the outback in drier habitat which attracts a large variety of birds.  There is a small pool beside the house which attracts various species such as Pale-headed Rosella, Great Bowerbird, Helmeted and Little Friarbirds, Pied Butcherbird and others.  Wallaroos visit the pool to drink as well.  We will visit a colony of the endangered Mareeba Rock Wallaby and there are many other great birds in the area including Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and waterbirds such as Australian Wood Duck and Darter.  There are large numbers of birds of prey in the area, the most common being Black and Whistling Kites.  We will spend one morning away from the property photographing Australian Bustards which are sometimes displaying at this time of year.  Accommodation: Ironbark and Black Swan

One more morning of photography at Ironbark.  In the garden there are Double-barred Finches and Blue-faced Honeyeaters.  Then in the afternoon we will check out and head back to Cairns where we will do some shorebird in the afternoon.  Great Knots and Black-tailed Godwits are two regular waders here. Accommodation: A nice hotel in Cairns

A bit of morning bird photography in Cairns then we check out and take a flight to Brisbane.  After landing we drive to our next lodge O’Reilly’s Rainforest Resort in Lamington National Park.

We have 3 full days of bird photography at O’Reilly’s.  The birds are fed here and are amazingly tame, some of the highlight species include Regent and Satin Bowerbirds, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas, Superb Fairy Wrens and Pied Currawongs.  O’Reilly’s Rainforest Resort.

We spend the morning photographing at O’Reilly’s.  Walks in the forest produce birds like Logrunner, Scrub-wrens and Eastern Whipbird.  Then we check out and on the way back to Brisbane we visit a Koala rehabilitation center where it’s possible to get natural looking koala shots of captive koalas.  In the late afternoon we have a walk along the waterfront, photograph some waterbirds like Australian Pelican and photograph a colony of Flying Foxes (very large fruit eating bats).  Hotel: A nice hotel near the Brisbane waterfront.

Transfer back to the Brisbane airport for your return flight home.