Four Mile Dam
Opalton
Old Cattle Yard
The Airstrip
Dry Creek Bed
Opalton Bush Park
Caprock Ridge
Combo Waterhole Conservation Park
Coorabulka Station
Homestead
Coorabulka Road at Whitewood Creek Crossing
Coorabulka Road at No.5 Bore
Griffiths Tank-Coorabulka Road
Coorabulka Station Road Dam
Boulia
Burke River Crossing
Burke River Behind the Racecourse
Boulia Golf Course
Bedourie
Water Retention Ponds
Cookawinchika Waterhole
Lake Machattie
Cuttaburra Crossing
Birdsville
Birdsville Billabong
Thutirla Pula Cultural Walk
Simpson Desert National Park
Further reading
Bird index
Site Index
List of Wader Sites
Introduction
Queensland is the second largest Australian State, after Western Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, the State covers over 1.7 mln square kilometres (22.5% of surface area of Australia). Population of Queensland is about 4.8 mln people, with half of the residents (2.3 mln) living in Brisbane as per 2016 census.
This book addresses birdwatching locations in the southern part of this vast State, from the border with NSW to the line running between the point just north of Rockhampton (St Lawrence) on the east coast and Winton in the west i.e. the line running approximately along the Tropic of Capricorn, the 23 parallel that cuts through the middle of Rockhampton. The tropical region of Queensland is described in our next book, Australian Good Birding Guide: Northern Queensland.
Regions described in this book include South-East QLD, Wide Bay, Darling Downs and Southwest as well as Central QLD. As most of the population is concentrated in the South East QLD, this region receives most attention from the birdwatchers. However, many sought-after birds can only be found in the arid landscape of the Outback.
The vast country this book is about is blessed with balmy weather along the coast and crisp and wet climate along the Great Dividing Range. Arid, harsh climatic conditions prevail in the interior where in summer temperatures soar to 40oC and above during the day, dropping to perhaps 30oC at night, while in winter day temperatures are still high but at night the gauge may easily drop to single digits and even frost. Winter is the dry season in Southern and Central Queensland.
For the National Park alerts, park and road closures as well as the fire hazards, check the webpage http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/park-alerts/index.php and the individual Parks’ websites. If you enter a closed road, get bogged up and require towing, you’ll pay a hefty fine for that on top of your towing fees. If you lit a fire (even in a portable butane gas stove) when a total fire ban is imposed, you’ll risk causing a bushfire and face significant fines. The fire ban warnings are NOT displayed in the National Parks, you do need to check the website.
Day-visitor entry to the National Parks in Queensland is free but if you wish to stay overnight, advanced bookings online or by phone are absolutely essential. Camping fees are nominal but have to be paid in advance. This can be a bother if you don’t have a strict itinerary and are unsure about the exact dates of your visit. However, some camping sites would fill very fast and you may be disappointed if trying to book late. When travelling in remote areas, expect no internet and no mobile reception to even make the bookings, so do it early. Certain Parks also require a vehicle permit. The booking website address is as follows: https://qpws.usedirect.com/qpws/.
Nomenclature used in this book follows Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds by Les Christidis and Walter E. Boles, CSIRO Publishing, 2008, unless newer changes to taxonomy have been introduced (such as Birdlife’s Working List of Australian Birds v.2.1, October 2016). Nomenclature of seabirds follows the Field Guide to New Zealand Seabirds by Brian Parkinson, New Holland Publishers, 2000.
The Southern and Central Queensland Guide has been divided in our book into separate chapters. The approximate geographical locations of these areas are indicated on the State map below, with hyperlinks to the detailed birding information available in the ebook edition.
Southern and Central Queensland chapters
4 Gold Coast
5 Sunshine Coast
6 Inland South East QLD
7 Fraser Coast & Bundaberg
8 Capricorn Coast
9 Central Queensland
10 Outback Queensland
North Brisbane
3 Sheep
