Around Australia 2026 Part 1 – Queensland

 

Squatter Pigeon

On June 10, 2026, Glenn and I departed from home on the Sunshine Coast for a planned 4-month road trip around Australia with the caravan. We did a similar trip in 2014, that time with the camper trailer. In 2024 we did a trip through the Northern Territory and South Australia. This time we had to contend with the recent Middle East conflict with its consequent spike in diesel costs, and uncertainties about fuel availability in remote localities. Still, we decided to bite the bullet.

At Gin Gin

We opted to head up the Queensland coast this time, instead of taking the usual route inland to the NT. Our first night saw us camped in the Gin Gin showgrounds. Night 2 was behind a service station in Marlborough. A pair of Pacific Bazas were active in the morning in trees behind the caravan.

Pacific Baza

Laughing Kookaburra and Blue-winged Kookaburra were out and about in roughly equal numbers.

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Next stop was 2 nights in a Mackay caravan park. Yellow Honeyeater and Helmeted Friarbird were common in the nearby botanic gardens.

Helmeted Friarbird

Yellow Honeyeater

The introduced Red-whiskered Bulbul is resident in the suburbs of West Mackay. I needed to photograph this bird for my Australian list and it took a while to track one down.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

We moved further north to the Home Hill showgrounds for an overnight stay. Burning sugar cane in surrounding farms saw our van and vehicle covered in bits of ash the next morning. We continued north to Townsville, then west to the quaint hamlet of Prairie, where we camped behind the oddball hotel. We were the only guests for dinner at the pub; the absence of fellow travellers made us wonder if we might have plenty of space at least on this trip.

Prairie Hotel

Next morning I checked out roadside scrub outside Prairie and was happy to come across a couple of stately Squatter Pigeons. 

Squatter Pigeon

I saw about a dozen Rufous-throated Honeyeaters - all immatures without coloured throats.

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

A party of the leucoptera subspecies of Varied Sittellas was busy in the treetops.

Varied Sittella

Red-winged Parrot was common.

Red-winged Parrot

The next night we were in a caravan park at Julia Creek after being denied permission to camp at the delightful RV camp outside of town, as we're not self-contained. I checked out the Mitchell grass plains near town the next morning but birds were few. Close to town, a Red-backed Kingfisher posed nicely with a couple of Black-faced Woodswallows.

Red-backed Kingfisher & Black-faced Woodswallow

We had 2 nights in a caravan park at Cloncurry. Purple-necked Rock Wallaby showed nicely at the Chinaman Creek Dam but there was no sign of the Pictorella Mannikins photographed there in 2024.

Purple-necked Rock Wallaby