Birds of the Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
Banded Lapwings in Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Every now and then I come across a great bird sighting. It makes my hobby constantly interesting.
On our last day of our holiday last year we were driving through the Murray-Sunset National Park in north west Victoria. This is remote country and quite beautiful. It also has a prolific bird population, the main attraction for me for taking this alternative and slow route home.
I added several species to my trip list while driving through the park, including these Banded Lapwings. This species is found throughout southern Australia in suitable habitat. While they are widespread they are not plentiful anywhere. I have only seen this species on a handful of occasions, so it was a real buzz to see them. I think they posed beautifully for me.
Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
After leaving the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura, we headed west towards South Australia and home. We didn’t go the direct route, however. We often take a roundabout way of getting places, especially when we are on holiday.
We took an interesting detour through the Murray-Sunset National Park. This huge park in the extreme north west part of Victoria is mainly low mallee scrub interspersed with some open grassy plains. The bird life is prolific which was a major attraction for taking this alternative – and very slow – route home. All of the tracks through the park are single lane dirt tracks. The photo above perfectly illustrates what I am talking about. Some are best tackled by four wheel drive vehicles – or at least vehicles with plenty of clearance.
The map I had was a little inaccurate which could have been dangerous. This is remote country and one could easily become lost. There are no rescue services out there and certainly no phone coverage. This is like so many places in outback Australia. One needs to be prepared, take reserves of food and water and make sure the vehicle is mechanically sound.
Because my map was inaccurate it took about an extra half hour for us to find the entrance gate to the park. We saw some interesting farming country along the way. Sadly, many of the farms in that area seemed to be abandoned due the the long standing drought. It is marginal farming land anyway and the prolonged drought has meant some farmers have had to just walk off their properties. In tough times like the drought we’ve been having, there are no buyers. Sad indeed because this land can be very productive in good years.
Links:
- Murray-Sunset National Park – website with more information.
Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Overnight stay in Mildura
Our cabin, Mildura, Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
We stayed only one night in Mildura during our trip through New South Wales and Victoria. Mildura is a bustling provincial city in north west Victoria well worth staying for more than an over night stay. It would be an excellent destination for a week or more. If you are keen on water sports or have a boat, places like the caravan park where we stayed would be ideal. Unfortunately we had to move on after one night. We must rectify that one day.
River Murray at Mildura, Victoria
Several of the many caravan parks are located right on the banks of the river. These are particularly popular with the boating fraternity. I usually head for such places too, but for different reasons. I know that there is a greater chance of seeing more birds where there is water.
This family of Black Swans came to greet me when I wandered down to the water’s edge after unpacking the car.
Black Swans with juveniles, Mildura, Victoria
Lake Ranfurly, Mildura, Victoria
Lake Ranfurly, Mildura, Victoria
Our Holiday in Victoria
September 2007
On our way home from our holiday in New South Wales and Victoria last year we stayed for one night in Mildura. This provincial city in north west Victoria is a prominent fruit growing area.
We arrived late in the afternoon, so I only had a short time to do some birding before settling into our cabin at one of the many caravan parks. I decided to spend about a half hour birding at Lake Ranfurly on the northern outskirts of the town. This is just off the road to Wentworth.
The birding on that afternoon was rather disappointing with very little bird life to be seen. That is quite obvious from the photo above. This shows a few Black Swans, a small flock of Silver Gulls and several Red-necked Avocets. In the distance I could see many Grey Teal; at least, I think that is what they were – they were too far across the lake to be certain.
It was quite a disappointing visit.
Royal Spoonbill, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Royal Spoonbill, Lake Hattah, Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
During our holiday in Victoria last year we visited the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in the north west part of the state.
Over recent years this system of lakes has not had much – if any – water due to the drought. This has resulted in poor flows in the nearby River Murray, the only source of water for the lakes. This is disappointing, because when filled with water – or even partially full, the lakes are a haven for water birds in their thousands.
Last year a special partial filling of the lakes was authorised and so it was with a high level of anticipation we spent several hours in the park on our way to Mildura.
One species I have only occasionally recorded in these lakes is the Royal Spoonbill, shown in the above photo. This is always a pleasing species to encounter. In my experience the Yellow-billed Spoonbill is far more common. This one was feeding in the shallows near where we had morning tea.