Around Australia 2026 Part 5: Shark Bay to Geraldton & Black-headed Gull in WA

 

Black-headed Gull

Following our visit to the Pilbara we continued southward, overnighting at the Minilya Bridge Roadhouse and then 2 nights in a Canarvon caravan park. The loss of gas to the fridge means we have to stay at powered van park sites until it's fixed. We enjoyed visits to the town's Historic Precinct and the Gascoyne River estuary.

Canarvon Gascoyne River

Not too many birds about. Little Crows were feeding young at the precinct.

Little Crows

We continued south to Shark Bay, where the first solid show of wildflowers greeted us (below). Absolute joy!

Shark Bay

We overnighted at the old Telegraph Station caravan park at Hamelin Pool: quaint, a little basic but with a great outlook. A few hundred metres from the park is the bay shore, where ancient stromatolites can be seen in the shallow water.

Hamelin Pool (above & below)

The scrub was alive with flowering bushes and loads of birds. Chief among them were considerable numbers of Chiming Wedgebill and Rufous Songlark calling vigorously.

Chiming Wedgebill

Rufous Songlark

Joining the chorus was a decent number of Pied Honeyeaters (below).

A couple of White-fronted Honeyeaters were among them. Two Western Grasswrens were seen briefly but not good enough for pics.

White-fronted Honeyeater

A stately male Australian Bustard was roadside on the way out.

Australian Bustard

We headed south for two nights in Kalbarri. I'd forgotten what a delightful place this is. The Kalbarri National Park seacliffs are delightful.

Kalbarri sea cliffs 

Wildflowers were abundant (below).

In the heath were a number of Western Fieldwrens, though many consider birds here to be intermediate with Rufous Fieldwrens.

Western Fieldwren

Offshore were good numbers of migrating Humpback Whales heading north distantly, and a pod of Bottle-nosed (Inshore) Dolphins.

Inshore Bottle-nosed Dolphins

Humpback Whales

Further on at Port Gregory, the lovely Pink Lake (below) was joyous to behold. We overnighted in the pleasant town of Northampton before continuing on to Geraldton.

A Black-headed Gull turned up at Geraldton's Town Beach in early June and I was not hopeful it would stay around for our trip, but it did. After garnering tips from local observers, we pulled up opposite Batavia Park on Foreshore Drive, between the Kai Lani Cafe and The Dome. The Black-headed Gull on the lawn was the first bird I saw!

Given that the gull has been absent at times, that was a relief. I watched it for an hour as it wandered and flew about, largely obvlivious to the large number of people milling about. The area adjoins a busy shopping precinct.

The gull would often be in the company of Silver Gulls. At one point it flew to rain pools in a nearby carpark to bathe at a spot where it is often seen.

Around Australia 2026 Part 4: The Pilbara of Western Australia

 

Black-tailed Treecreeper (wellsi)

Following our departure from the Kimberley, we headed south for an overnight stop in the Goldfire Rest Camp, a free camp that was a pleasant break from the busy caravan parks we've been staying in. Contrary to expectations following concerns about fuel costs and availability amid the Middle East conflict, remote travel in northern Australia is alive and well this winter. We then overnighted at the Sandfire Roudhouse, famous for once turning up Australia's first Brown-streaked Flycatcher.

Spinifex plains south of De Gray River

Not far from the roadhouse I stumbled upon the remains a bush tucker feast. Two small red kangaroos and I estimate 5-6 Australian Bustards had been consumed . Among piles of feathers and picked bones were dozens of empty beer and spirits cans . I get that indigenous people have a strong attraction to bush tucker but I’ve long been concerned that firearms tilt the balance the wrong way. Indigenous people light fires to attract bustards (they fly in hoping to catch insects etc fleeing the flames) and shoot them.

A feast of bustard

On this road trip, bustards have been surprisingly scarce. I found a male bird (below) not far from the feast – the only one seen on this excursion other than a few in the Katherine area on Manbulloo Station, where they're protected.

Then it was on to De Gray River rest area, another free camp. This spot is very different from what we saw here during our 2014 road trip, with a huge area now catering for dozens of campers. 

De Gray River

The distinctive wellsi race of the Black-tailed Treecreeper showed nicely in the riverside eucalypts.

Black-tailed Treecreeper wellsi

We continued south through a desert landscape that was green and lush following heavy rains earlier this year. We stayed in a beachfront caravan site in the delightful town of Point Samson for 2 nights. The Pilbara mountain ranges combined with coastal estuaries and sand-dunes for some truly inspirational scenery.

Pt Samson - south of town

Pt Samson - town area

The nearby ghost town of Cossack up the road from Pt Samson was an eye-opener. Blue stone buildings 150 years old are in remarkably good condition. The town was established as a bustling pearling centre but fell by the wayside when Broome took on that role.

Cossack bluestone building

The distinctive red-bellied race ferruginia of the Spinifex Pigeon was plentiful. I looked without success for Rothschild's Rock-Wallaby, the type specimen of which was procured in Cossack.

Spinifex Pigeon (ferruginia)

Dusky Gerygone was present in mangroves near Pt Samson.

Dusky Gerygone

So was a pair of Mangrove Golden Whistlers of the subspecies robusta. A distant pair of Beach Stone-Curlews were on the mudflats.

Mangrove Whistler robusta female (above) male (below)

Flowering Sturt's Desert Pea brightened things up.

Sturt's Desert Pea

We moved on to Onslow for our final couple of nights in the Pilbara at another seaside caravan park. Worth a visit.

Desert outside Onslow is a carpet of green

Around Australia 2026 Part 3 – Western Australia; The Kimberley

 

Gouldian Finch

After crossing the Northern Territory, we had 3 nights at the Lily Lagoon Resort caravan park in Kununurra. While nicely positioned on the shore of Lily Lagoon, this indigenous-owned park was expensive, dirty and unsafe – our car was broken into but fortunately they found nothing of interest.

Mirimi National Park

A visit to Mirimi National Park just outside town was in order – its rocky formations are a delightful scenic attraction, turning up the expected White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Sandstone Shrike-thrush and Silver-crowned Friarbird.

Silver-crowned Friarbird

In a lakeside park were good numbers of Red-collared Lorikeet.

Red-collared Lorikeet

A visit to the Hoochery-Distillery 16km outside town was well worthwhile. This has become a known hotspot for the generally scarce Yellow-rumped Mannikin. Quite a few were present along the irrigation channels here.

Yellow-rumped Mannikin (above and below)

Also plentiful were Star Finch and Crimson Finch.

Star Finch

We moved on for a 2-night stay in Wyndham's caravan park, which we enjoyed during our last visit in 2014. A Barking Owl pair was in residence here, as was the case in most of the far northern parks we stayed in.

Barking Owl

The park can be good for finches but widespread rains earlier this year meant plenty of water about, so concentrations of birds at diminishing pools were scarce. However, King River Road not far from town provided the goods, with pools attracting good finch numbers between 6.5km and 8km from the main road. Top bird as usual was Gouldian Finch - about 15 included a couple of red-faced individuals among the more common black-faced and plenty of juveniles. This preponderance of juveniles was the case with finches generally on this trip, indicating a bountiful nesting season in months prior.

Gouldian Finch (red-faced)

Star Finch was again numerous; these striking birds don't disappoint.

Gouldian Finch & Star Finch

Star Finch

Masked Finch and Long-tailed Finch were reasonably common.

Long-tailed Finch

Masked Finch

A flock of 30 Pictorella Mannikins perched up in a dead tree but some distance away.

Pictorella Mannikin flock

Paperbark Flycatchers put on a show.

Restless Flycatcher

Mangroves around Wyndham Jetty turned up Yellow White-eye.

Yellow White-eye

The view over the Cambridge Gulf from the Five Rivers Lookout was as stunning as always.

Views from Wyndham's Lookout (above & below)

We headed south to Halls Creek. The town's caravan park has closed due to problems with break-ins so we drove 16km south to Old Halls Creek Lodge, where a basic and quirky caravan park nestles among what is effectively a ghost town; this is the site of the state's first gold rush, in the 1880s. Black Falcon and Northern Rosella were about the park.

Halls Creek Old Town Lodge (above & below)

Some delightful scenic attractions nearby included Caroline's Pool and the China Wall.

Carolines Pool

China Wall

Heading back to Halls Creek, a nice collection of Pictorella Mannikins showed roadside, these much closer than the earlier birds.

Pictorella Mannikin (above & below)

En route to Fitzroy Crossing, the third Black-breasted Buzzard of the trip was photographed distantly.

Black- breasted Buzzard

We overnighted at the Fitzroy Lodge caravan park. Meals and drinks were very expensive, which seems to be rule these days for everything in many places we're visiting. Diesel continues to be reliably supplied but is also expensive, which we anticipated.

Fitzroy River

We moved on for 2 nights in Derby's Entrance Caravan Park. A visit to the town jetty is a must. The tidal drop of 11 metres here is the biggest in Australia.

Derby mudflats

Just as interesting was a pair of Kimberley Flyrobins in mangroves by the jetty. Regarded as a subspecies of Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, this surely is a good candidate for splitting. I saw it this morning in the same spot where I first found the bird in 1979.

Kimberley Flyrobin (above & below)

Broad-billed Flycatcher was vocal and co-operative.

Broad-billed Flycatcher

A female White-breasted Whistler showed nicely.

White-breasted Whistler

A Black-eared Cuckoo juvenile in the mangroves was being fed by Mangrove Gerygones.

Black-eared Cuckoo juvenile