Around Australia 2026 Part 10 – Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Naretha Bluebonnet

After leaving Cape Arid on the WA South Coast we overnighted again in Esperance before tackling the long drive across the Nullarbor. We camped overnight at Ten Mile Rocks, 80 km east of Norseman, then behind the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse before crossing the South Australia border. We spent our first night in that state camped at Border Village. Fuel there was 3.32/litre – by the far the highest diesel cost of the trip to date. The mallee around the village (below) was green and vibrant following local rain with wildflowers everywhere.

Along with loads of White-fronted Honeyeaters.

White-fronted Honeyeater

Causing them grief were a pair of Australian Hobbies.

Australian Hobby

Then it was time to tackle the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area. We turned off the Eyre Highway on Koonalba Road, negotiating 15 km of rough (for the caravan at least) road before reaching the historic and quaint Koonalba Homestead for a pleasant 2-night stay.

Nullarbor Plain meets Great Australian Bight

Bumpy road to Koonalba

Koonalba Homestead

Koonalba sunrise

We drove a further 6 km north to check out the Koonalba Cave (below) on our first morning.

Chief target at Koonalba was a Nullarbor endemic, Naretha Bluebonnet. It wasn't until leaving on our last morning that I finally connected with 4 birds, 5.5 km south of the homestead. They were a sight for sore eyes.

Naretha Bluebonnet (above & below)

I saw the other Nullarbor endemic, Nullarbor Quail-thrush – single birds 2 km and 3.5 km north of the homestead. Ground Cuckoo-shrike was regular about our camp; it was interesting to note 5 or 6 birds roosting together in the same tree and position each night.

Ground Cuckoo-shrike roosting

Ground Cuckoo-shrike

Shingleback (below) was commonplace.

So were the burrows of Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats ( below)  although no wombats were seen.

Rabbits were abundant, explaining the high density of Wedge-tailed Eagles.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Red-backed Kingfisher and Mulga Parrot put in appearances around the old homestead buildings.

Mulga Parrot

Red-backed Kingfisher

We moved further east to Nullarbor Roadhouse for an overnight stay. Here I focused on 6.5 km of track heading north from the old Eyre Highway, just east of the roadhouse, which I had visited previously. I found 2 more Nullarbor Quail-thrush in the afternoon, and another 6 the next morning. A couple finally allowed themselves to be photographed, albeit poor images. Plenty of Crimson Chats were around.

Nullarbor Quail-thrush female & (below) male

Dingo was nice to encounter on the track. Another dingo hung about the roadhouse looking for food scraps.

Dingo

Slender-billed Thornbill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill and Brown Songlark were common around both the roadhouse and Koonalba. We continued eastwards from the roadhouse to overnight in the Penong Caravan Park.

Brown Songlark

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Around Australia 2026 Part 9 – Esperance & Cape Arid

Southern Right Whale - female & calf (foreground)

Following our visit to Cheynes Beach, we continued eastward for a three-day stay in the delightful South Coast town of Esperance. Near our van in the Bushlands Caravan Park on the town's outskirts was a pond with loads of calling frogs, chief among them Spotted-thighed Frog and Western Banjo Frog. The first Western Wattlebirds for the trip put in an appearance. 

Western Wattlebird

We had a look at Pink Lake and Lake Warden, with a flock of 30 Cape Barren Geese seen among large numbers of Australian Shelduck in a flooded paddock between the two lakes.

Cape Barren Goose

Here also was the trip's first Western Spinebill. 

Western Spinebill

We continued eastwards to Cape Arid National Park for a two-day camp (a planned third day was cut short due to weather). This was one of our favourite spots from the 2014 lap around Oz and it didn't disappoint this time. The coastal scenery is mind-blowing (images below) and the campsite, Yokinup Mia Mia, is beautifully positioned among sweeping heath plains ablaze with wildflowers. 

This has to be one of the best sites in Australia for Southern Right Whale. Yes they can be seen in numbers elsewhere (eg Great Australian Bight) but as with our last visit, you get extremely close to the whales along the park's rocky coastline, not far from where the Thomas River meets the sea. 

Southern Right Whale breeching

We had six whales – three adult females with calves in toe, in view in relatively close proximity whenever we went down to the rocks. One adult with calf seemed to change direction and head towards us when we arrived and settled on the rocks on a couple of occasions. The animals could be seen rubbing up against the rocks underwater, evidently trying to remove barnacles. We saw them often playing – with one animal breaching occasionally - and although not as lively as Humpbacks, they were something to behold.

Emu was a frequent visitor to the beach and camp tracks, with an adult male and six chicks among those present. 

Emu male with chick

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo was common, feeding on the seeds of old banksia cones but also tearing up some of the many cones in flower. 

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo

A beachwalk in Yokinup Bay failed to turn up Hooded Plover but a pair of Sanderlings were nice.

Sanderling

Pacific Gull (below) was common on the beach. Cape Arid has the last surviving population of Western Ground Parrot, now relumped with Eastern Ground Parrot. The areas where they occur were not accessible on this trip, with main access roads closed due to wet weather.

Around Australia 2026 Part 8: Albany and Cheynes Beach in WA

 

Western Whipbird

After leaving the WA south coast town of Denmark, we continued eastward to Albany for 3 nights in an Emu Park van park, a few kms from the town centre in a lovely setting that we've enjoyed previously. Seppings Lake nearby was as productive as usual with good numbers of waterfowl including Musk Duck, Blue-billed Duck and Australasian Shoveler.

Australasian Shoveler

Blue-billed Duck

Showing on the lakeside track were a few White-breasted Robins, the first for the trip.

White-breasted Robin

Also on the track, some more Red-eared Firetails.

Red-eared Firetail

Around the van park were good numbers of the beautiful Red-capped Parrot and Western Rosella.

Red-capped Parrot

Western Rosella

I wasn't counting on Western Ringtail for this trip but numerous signs depicting the animal around Albany persuaded me to take a look. I found one outside the caravan park (Big4) with the thermal imager without much trouble.

Western Ringtail

We enjoyed having a look around Torgadirrup National Park (below).

Glenn's birthday coincided with our visit here so we had a great meal in the quirky, historic Earl of Spencer tavern (below).

Then it was time to move further east to the iconic Cheynes Beach biodiversity hotspot, one of my favourite destinations. The pictures below speak for themselves. Glorious countryside ablaze with wildflowers.

Exploring the Arpentur Nature Reserve and adjoining Waychnicup National Park was again highly productive. Top drawer target was getting better images of Western (Black-throated) Whipbird and one finally showed nicely on one of the tracks.

Western Whipbird

Another aim, to finally photograph Noisy Scrubbird, fell flat yet again, although I enjoyed good if brief views of 2 birds, and heard at least 3 others. Better luck with the third local skulker, Western Bristlebird, which was calling commonly and seen well. Red-eared Firetail was quite common – the third site in succession where this species was scored.

Western Bristlebird

Brush Bronzewing was looking good, while Common Bronzewing was indeed common here, feeding around our caravan.

Brush Bronzewing

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo was agreeably common.

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo

I went out on two nights with the thermal imager, seeing a Western Pygmy Possum briefly and finding 2 Honey Possums, one of which permitted a photograph. An echidna was spotted.

Honey Possum

Western Brown Bandicoot was common at night and during the late afternoon.

Western Short-nosed Bandicoot

A Southern Right Whale and its calf were in the bay offshore.

Southern Right Whales

As I reported in a separate post, I found a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles feeding on a Western Grey Kangaroo in a paddock not far from the caravan park. This animal, a young male, and an adult female with a pouch joey had been shot the night before by farmers. The female was still alive, her back broken. Its joey was taken into care as the National Parks and Wildlife Service launched an investigation into whether laws had been broken after I reported the matter to them.

Wedge-tailed Eagle feeding on Western Grey Kangaroo

The kangaroos were delightfully common in the caravan park grounds (below). After Cheynes we moved on to Ravensbourne for an overnight stop.