Around Australia 2026 Part 12 – NSW and Homeward Bound

 

Diamond Firetail

After visiting Eyre Peninsula we continued eastward to spend our last night in South Australia in the quaint historic town of Olary, not far from the NSW border. Once stately solid brick homes up to 140 years old are today uninhabited and in a state of chronic disrepair, with ancient furnishings still in place. The sole pub is the town's centrepiece.

Olary Hotel

We crossed the border and had a pleasant couple of days at Cape Penrose Park outside Silverton, near Broken Hill. The pub is not to be missed. 

View from Silverton pub

The desert scenery was inspiring. Plenty of Euros in the hills around town.

Hills outside Silverton

Euro

Then it was onwards to Emmdale Roadhouse, where we've stayed before. The roadhouse is opposite Paroo Darling National Park. Eastern Bluebonnet is unusually common in the arid woodlands here.

Eastern Bluebonnet

So too is Emu. I noted during our last visit in 2014 that I had never seen Emus so common. The same this time, with many groups seen.

Emu

Rufous Songlark was singing all over the place. 

Rufous Songlark

A group of Black-tailed Native-hen was spotted. White-winged Choughs were common.

Black-tailed Nativehen

White-winged Chough

So too were flies – here and for the next few days – and enormous numbers of feral goats. The damage being done by the goats is palpable; their grazing is so intense there is little evidence of mulga and other trees regenerating. We overnighted in Florida Rest Area, 50km east of Cobar, and Mendooran Free Camp on the Castlereagh River. Everywhere were flies and goats!

Feral goat

We enjoyed a couple of days in the pretty town of Denman. A large flying-fox colony here appeared to be comprised wholly of Black Flying-Fox. This primarily tropical species is spreading its range southwards, most likely as a result of climate change. It was sad to see no fewer than six dead Common Wombats over a 50km stretch of road in this region.

Black Flying Fox

We moved on to Lake Macquarie for a couple of nights in a van park at Swansea. A vagrant Cocos Booby had been in residence at nearby Marks Point for several months. Unfortunately I missed it by just two days. The bird was often seen perched on a yacht, Aly-Cat (below); I got to know its old perches very well! It's swings and roundabouts with birding. In Geraldton I was lucky to see a vagrant Black-headed Gull which had similarly been there for several months before my arrival, and was last seen two days after I saw it.

We moved on to stay in Murrurundi (another lovely town) and Armidale, before having a couple of days at Kookaburra Camp near Deepwater, a favourite site of ours. 

Camping at Kookaburra

Birds were in fine form here, especially the good numbers of Diamond Firetails about.

Diamond Firetail

Scarlet Robin and Speckled Warbler showed nicely. Musk Lorikeet was in abundance.

Scarlet Robin

Speckled Warbler

So did Eastern Spinebill. Musk Lorikeet was in abundance.

Eastern Spinebill

Musk Lorikeet

Four species of macropods – Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Euro, Red-necked Wallaby and Swamp Wallaby – were plentiful.

Swamp Wallaby

We followed that up with three nights in the Cypress Pine Camp at Boonoo Boonoo National Park.

Boonoo Boonoo (above & below)

 Nice to see a Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby at Boonoo Boonoo Falls.

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby

Platypus showed well in the pool near the camp.

Platypus

A Short-nosed Bandicoot put in an appearance at dinner time.

Short-nosed Bandicoot

The last night of our four-month round-Australia “lap” was in the free camp next to the Sandy Creek Hotel outside Warwick – another highly recommended spot. We travelled a total of 17,399 kilometres during our 2026 road trip – less than the 19,999 km we chalked up during our last round-Australia sojourn in 2014. The Middle East war that kicked off last February meant that diesel prices were sky-high but we decided early on to just do it. Who knows what's around the corner. Very nice to be home, however.

Boonoo Boonoo

Around Australia 2026 Part 11 – Eyre Peninsula (South Australia)

White-bellied (Western) Whipbird

After farewelling the Nullarbor we continued east to Eyre Peninsula for a 3-day stay in Streaky Bay, one of our favourite places with its wonderful coastal scenery and great seafood. Black-faced Cormorant and Pied Cormorant were in good numbers together on the town jetty.

Black-faced (L) & Pied Cormorant

Onwards southwards to Lincoln National Park for 2 nights at Taylors Landing campground, with loads more great scenery and plenty of wildflowers. We had the place to ourselves.

Taylors Landing

On the way in were several roadside families of Emu - adult males accompanied by between 4 and 8 juveniles each.

Emu family

A pair of Southern Scrub-Robins were in residence at the start of a walking track that heads off from the campground entrance.

Southern Scrub-Robin (above & below)

We were here in 2024 when White-bellied (Western) Whipbird was vocal around the camp. This time the birds were further afield – 800 metres to the north – but way more co-operative, finally offering decent photographic opportunites.

White-bellied (Western) Whipbird

This taxon is now lumped with the Black-throated (Western) Whipbird in WA. However,distinct calls, plumage and habitat suggest another split is on the cards. The SA bird would be more appropriately called Mallee Whipbird.

White-bellied (Western) Whipbird

Not far from the whipbirds were a pair of Hooded Plover, these beaches being a stronghold for this threatened species.

Hooded Plover

We enjoyed a 3-night stay in a foreshore caravan park in Port Lincoln, another town we like visiting. Purple-crowned Lorikeet was active in flowering shrubs around the park. Again, wildflowers were in bloom everywhere. 

Purple-crowned Lorikeet

We moved on to Whyalla for an overnight stay at our favourite waterfront caravan park. It didnt't take long to track down a co-operative pair of Western Grasswrens on the town's outskirts along Jubilee Park Road.

Western Grasswren (above & below)

Whyalla woodlands - grasswren habitat

 

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