Australia 2025 : Gold Coast

May 26, 2025 Don Reid 2 Comments

Australia 3.1

Our third trip to Australia in January and February this year was all about seeing son Stephan and his family for the first time since 2022, while using the opportunity to see more of Australia – a huge country we are getting to know in small instalments.

The ‘instalment’ this time around was based on a suggestion by Stephan that we meet the family in Sydney and do a slow road trip up the east coast to Brisbane, where we would catch a flight to Mackay in Queensland, their new home town. That appealed to us, as it meant spending quality time with the family while our grandkids had school holidays and Stephan was on leave, at the same time seeing a part of Australia that we had not visited before.

We had left Sydney behind and enjoyed two days each at Caves Beach and Nambucca Heads – next stop Gold Coast

Sunday – Nambucca Heads to Gold Coast

Time to head further north today, but not before enjoying a breakfast at Wharf Café which overlooks the estuary. The rain had almost subsided and allowed us to load the cars and leave by checkout time.

Breakfast done, we started on the route to Gold Coast and were soon back on the Pacific highway, this time in sunny conditions which made the drive a lot more comfortable. As in other parts of Australia that we have driven, we passed through long stretches lined with tall trees on both sides, which is always pleasing to the eye.

We stuck to the highway all the way to Byron Bay where we diverted to drive through the town and stop for refreshments and a look at the beach. Byron Bay is known for its beautiful coastal scenery, its famous surf breaks and for being a spot favoured by celebrities – it struck us as being similar in character to our Garden Route towns such as Plettenberg Bay and Knysna.

Back on the highway, a notable feature are the ‘bridges to nowhere’ that the road passes under at fairly regular intervals – bridges that seem to end either side of the highway with no visible approach road crossing over.

We saw similar bridges in Canada so I guessed that their purpose was the same ie to provide a safe crossing point for wildlife of all kinds, without having to set foot on the road at all.

The principle behind these structures is the provision of ecological connectivity between the areas occupied by various wildlife on either side of the highway. They are used by everything from marsupials and reptiles to frogs and birds, saving countless wildlife from becoming roadkill.

Passing under one of several “Wildlife crossings” on the Pacific Highway

Approaching our destination of Gold Coast, the proliferation of tall modern buildings made it clear that we were entering a large city with spread-out residential areas.

Our home for the three nights was set on a hill in Burleigh Heads, overlooking Burleigh Beach and set among tall trees and bush – the house appeared quite modest at first glance but was furnished and equipped in modern fashion with a large kitchen and living area as well as a spacious deck. Downstairs were more bedrooms and a living room which the kids immediately took a liking to.

Being in in a new time zone in Queensland (which does not observe daylight saving in summer), we had lost an hour so had about an hour of daylight left to relax on the deck. Naturally I spent most of that hour scanning the surrounding trees for birdlife and gazing into the sky where a number of what looked like swallows were making the most of the time before sunset.

View from the deck at Burleigh Heads Queensland

Triplist –

Birds added:

Good old House Sparrow at one of the stops

Swamp Harrier flying over the road in an area with wetlands bordering the highway

Swamp Harrier (image from Birds of the World)

Pied Currawong in the large trees around the house

**Pied Currawong**
*Strepera graculina*, Burleigh Heads Queensland

White-breasted Woodswallow high up above the house

White-breasted Woodswallow (image from Birds of the World)

Monday – Gold Coast : Sea World

Stephan had booked tickets for a visit to Sea World and we set off along a busy route lined with tall apartment buildings and hotels which told a story of a popular place for holidays and plenty of wealth. Our hearts sank when we saw the exceptionally large, full parking area – expected I suppose but still… I dropped Gerda off near the entrance, parked far away and walked back to join the queue at the entrance.

Inside, the foyer was buzzing with activity and people – after a tea and a snack we walked along paths filled with more people and flanking expansive outdoor pools which we bypassed for the time being – the dolphin show was scheduled to start soon and we didn’t want to miss it.

We made it in good time after a longish walk with throngs of people and found a good spot to sit and enjoy the show – which was very well done and a highlight of the day.

Heading back, we found a table at the main area for a burger lunch, after which we slowly made our way back to the exit, leaving the family to do the rides, while we took in the Shark tank and Manta ray pools on the way back.

At the house we flopped onto the bed for a recovery snooze followed by some outside time on the deck before the rest of the family returned, exhilarated after doing several of the spectacular rides on offer.

Tuesday – Gold Coast : Surprise Low and a Spectacular High

The Low

Well it had to happen sometime – no proper road trip ever runs smoothly all of the way….

We were having a relaxed morning after yesterday’s activities when a knock on the door changed things – it was a plumber informing us that the sewer from the property was overflowing and running into the neighbour’s yard below, apparently into their swimming pool! He suggested we would not be able to flush toilets or open taps until the problem was sorted out, which could only happen with the owner’s cooperation. That was not forthcoming so we would have to vacate the house a day early!

We set about finding alternative accommodation while we packed, which we eventually found in an apartment complex not too far away. Meriton Apartments turned out to be quite smart, upmarket in fact and apart from the cost it was a good move, albeit just for one night. Gerda and I checked in while the rest were having a beach swim, and I popped down to the pool for a refreshing swim.

The High

Soon it was time to set off for the Outback Spectacular evening show at a venue on the way to Brisbane, which was true to its name and made up for the drama and disappointment of the day so far.

Australian Outback Spectacular show, Gold Coast Queensland

The show had it all …… and more as the images hopefully show –

The show started and while the story was being told, a meal was served at our seats, which had a continuous table in front. We watched in awe as a team of young waiters served up about 2000 meals in a short space of time and we tucked into the delicious food accompanied by a glass of wine – this is the way to do it!

We all enjoyed the show thoroughly, with horses, cattle, a dog and various vehicles adding to the spectacle, all synced with an outstanding projection of images on the back wall and on the floor of the arena and woven around a story of the outback

There didn’t seem to be any way of topping what had been done so far – until a helicopter entered the arena! I mumbled something about ‘Good grief it’s a flipping helicopter!’ or words to that effect, as the helicopter, a real one tethered to a steel beam running below the roof, did a circuit of the arena and helped ‘rustle’ the cattle back to their pens – truly spectacular!

And as if that wasn’t enough, a cloudburst with real water fell across the arena (not the seating area) and was followed by a digitally created waterfall and river flowing through the sandy floor of the arena. We left with embedded memories …… and a complimentary straw hat!

Triplist –

Birds added (before we vacated the house)

Pacific Swift amongst swallows and swifts soaring above the house

Pacific Swift (Image from Birds of the World)

A curious Grey Butcherbird appearing on the deck and popping out into the open to give us the once over

**Grey Butcherbird**
*Cracticus torquatus*, Burleigh Heads Queensland

The Gold Coast had proved to be memorable for many reasons – all that remained of our road trip was the short stretch to Brisbane.

Birding Australia, Holiday Trips

Australia 2025 : Nambucca Heads

May 13, 2025 Don Reid 2 Comments

Australia 3.1

We had left Sydney behind and enjoyed two days at Caves Beach – the exotic sounding Nambucca Heads lay enticingly in wait for our next stop

Friday – Caves Beach to Nambucca Heads (In the rain)

Rain accompanied us almost the entire distance of just under 400kms and along with slow roads for the first two hours turned a 4 hour trip into 6, with the added challenge of poor visibility for most of the way. Lunch was burgers at Taree Service stop which was very busy but quick.

We were glad to reach the Cubana Resort at Nambucca Heads safe and sound and were soon settled into our two rooms with ours overlooking lush gardens and a lake.

Cubana Resort, Nambucca Heads New South Wales

When the rain subsided enough to venture outside, I stood scanning the garden in front of our room for signs of any bird or other life and noticed a bird darting out into the open, picking up something then darting back.

I rushed to get my camera suspecting something special, and when it ventured into the open again, I was able to get a few shots as it scurried between tufts of grass, which were good enough to ID the bird – it was my first Rail photographed! Buff-banded Rail to be exact.

**Buff-banded Rail**
*Gallirallus philippensis*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

Later we drove to the nearby supermarket for provisions which included a selection of prepared meals for the evening – the fridge and microwave in the room proved to be invaluable and we enjoyed our supper in the room.

Triplist –

Birds added:

The weather conditions with regular showers and poor light meant opportunities for bird photography were severely limited – something we were to experience throughout our trip.

Where I did not manage to get a fresh photo, I have ‘borrowed’ some of my images from our previous trips to Australia to illustrate the birds added to the triplist

Our quick lunch stop at Taree Service Stop produced a Magpie-Lark

The Buff-banded Rail was a Lifer for me, the first of the trip and made a few appearances on the grass in front of our room, but I had to grab my camera rapidly and be as stealthy as I could as it dashed into the cover of the bushes at the slightest movement

Strangely we had not seen the well-known “Bin Chicken” or Australian White Ibis until we reached Nambucca, where they were plentiful

**Australian White Ibis**
*Theskiornis molucca*

Rainbow Lorikeets are for me one of the most iconic birds of Australia so I was happy to see a few high up in the tall Eucalyptus trees that line one boundary of the resort

On the way to the river mouth we spotted a flock of Little Corellas

Other stuff –

On my walk around the lake I came across several Eastern Water Dragons near the water’s edge, sitting dead still on a handy rock, then scurrying off when I got too close for its comfort

**Eastern Water Dragon**
*Intellagama leseurii*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales – semi-aquatic agamid species

Saturday – Nambucca Heads (Mostly in the rain!)

The weather forecast showed another day of rain, light at times, heavy at other times and that is how it panned out. That meant staying indoors then venturing outside when rain held up for a while, for short spells of walking about and birding.

After the continental style breakfast, we chilled for most of the morning with Stephan and the kids enjoying ‘boat races’ with leaves and sticks in the fast-flowing water channels next to the road in between rain squalls. Some simple pleasures never age – as kids growing up in Cape Town it was a particular delight to go out in the rain and ‘race’ our matchsticks in the kerb channel to the nearest stormwater gulley.

I managed a couple of short walks around the lush gardens before the rainy conditions chased me back to the shelter of the verandah of our room.

The flowers in the garden of the resort were tropical in nature

Lichen cover tree – looks similar to what we would call ‘Old man’s beard’

**Scarlet Percher Dragonfly** (I think),
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

After lunch we drove to the river mouth and parked where we could view the beach and stormy seas, whipped up by high winds.

The rain let up long enough for me to get some images of the beach and the unusual painted “Art rocks” lining the pathway.

Art rocks, Nambucca Heads New South Wales

I also tried a few in flight photos of passing terns with some success, before another squall chased me back to the shelter of the car.

Later we returned to the estuary for a pizza dinner at a busy Mathildas Restaurant – we could only get seating outside so were glad that the rain held off

Triplist –

Birds added

Another iconic Aussie bird, the Laughing Kookaburra, attracted my attention with its calling in the tall eucalyptus trees

**Laughing Kookaburra**
*Dacelo novaeguineae*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

On the way to the main beach I spotted a Pied Oystercatcher on a grassy sandbank in the estuary – another Lifer!

**Pied Oystercatcher**
*Haematopus longirostris*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

Greater Crested/ Swift Tern and Common Tern hunting and diving at the estuary – distant birds in flight + poor light = somewhat fuzzy images – what birders like to call a “Record Shot”.

Both of these Terns are seen regularly in Mossel Bay, but the Common Tern was a new addition to my Australia list

**Common Tern**
*Sterna hirundo*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

**Swift (Greater Crested) Tern**
*Thalasseus bergii*,
Nambucca Heads New South Wales

I spotted the second species of Oystercatcher for the day – Sooty Oystercatcher – at the estuary

**Sooty Oystercatcher**
*Haematopus fuliginosus*

A few Australian Pelicans were hanging out on a distant sandbar – identifiable but too distant for a photo of any description

**Australian Pelican**
*Pelecanus conspicillatus*

Expanding my walk beyond the boundary of the resort, I spotted a Sacred kingfisher among the trees bordering the walking track – my second lifer of the trip – just a pity it it flew off as I lifted my camera, not to be seen again. I have no previous photos of this handsome bird so include this illustration from The Complete Guide to Australian Birds by George Adams

Tomorrow we head to the Gold Coast in Queensland

Birding Australia, Holiday Trips

Australia 2025 : Caves Beach

May 6, 2025 Don Reid 7 Comments

Australia 3.1

With Sydney ‘done and dusted’ the road trip could begin…

Wednesday – Sydney to Caves Beach

The first leg of the road trip was a short one – about 140km – so we stretched our stay at the Sydney Park Royal right up to checkout time of 11am. That gave us time for another substantial breakfast of fruit with yoghurt, egg and bacon with trimmings and an apple danish with coffee – back home it’s corn flakes or porridge so hotel breakfasts are a treat, and we like to make the most of them to see us through the day.

After packing up we checked out, retrieved our rental car from the valet parking service and with the destination address loaded onto google maps we set off through Sydney following the map’s “blue line” until we reached the Pacific Highway which wound through suburbia (looking uncannily like parts of Joburg) onto the Pacific Motorway. From there it was an easy drive to the turnoff to Swansea and Caves Beach.

We were too early for checkin at 3pm so looked for a coffee shop – the first one we found was closing at 2.30pm and as it was 45 minutes to go, we thought that would give us plenty of time for a coffee and slice of something nice. But that’s not how the young lady at the door saw it and insisted that we would have to do take aways if we wanted coffee and cake as they were closing! We have experienced this before, but it is still a mystery why businesses in Aussieland are often so inflexible and bound by strange rules.

Somewhat aggravated, we googled and found a bakery a few minutes away – it turned out to be a place that did not invite a sit down, but the takeaway quiches and other goodies proved to be excellent.

Next stop was the house Stephan had rented at Clipper Close, Caves Beach – we had the lower floor of a large double storey home and settled in quickly.

After chilling for a good while we set off for a walk, heading through the garden gate and down to the beach, which stretched for kms to the north and south.

In the distance we could see a rocky headland and what appeared to be the caves after which the town is named, so set out southwards in that direction.

There were interesting things for the kids and us to explore along the beach – rock pools with small fish, tiny crabs, bluebottles and gulls aplenty.

Minute crab – no more than 1cm long, Caves Beach New South Wales

Approaching the main swimming beach we could now see the caves formed in the rocky headland and spent some time exploring them.

The wind was blowing strongly as we walked back, peppering our lower legs with beach sand and by the time we got back to the house our faces and arms felt sticky from the fine sea spray in the air.

Triplist –

My triplist was gaining momentum with numbers of birds seen on the way to the beach – on a small pond and in the bushy fringes. Mostly birds that I have seen on previous trips but good to make their acquaintance once again.

**Australasian Swamphen**
*Porphyrio melanotus*, Caves Beach New South Wales

**Dusky Moorhen**
*Gallinula tenebrosa*, Caves Beach New South Wales

**Maned Duck**
*Chenonetta jubata*, Caves Beach New South Wales (taken with Iphone)

**Pacific Black Duck**
*Anas superciliosa*, Caves Beach New South Wales

Common everywhere, the Magpie is nevertheless a fascinating bird that makes you wonder ‘who is looking at whom?’

**Australian Magpie**
*Gymnorhina tibicen*, Caves Beach New South Wales

And you can’t help loving the Willie Wagtail with its side-to-side waggle of the tail announcing its identity from afar

**Willie Wagtail**
*Rhipidura leucophrys*, Caves Beach New South Wales

Birds I did not manage to photograph but new to the triplist :

Great Cormorant over the beach
A pair of Australian Ravens on the beach
Common Myna (urgh)

Thursday – Caves Beach – a Rainy day

Awake at 7am to overcast weather (getting later each morning as our body clock adjusts), we spent the first hour or two sipping coffee/tea and enjoying the freshness of the morning after a few hot muggy days.

Later the rain came down and the wind increased – no one wanted to do anything energetic, so the day passed with plenty of chilling through teatime and lunchtime with an extended snooze in the afternoon. By late afternoon, the rain had subsided, and I ventured out to explore the area between the house and the beach, in the process discovering a small lake concealed by a ring of trees.

A small pathway between the trees led to the water’s edge where several Black Ducks, Moorhens and Coots were paddling about serenely. In the trees a pair of Willie Wagtails were hopping about while Cormorants, Herons and Egrets flew overhead.

**Little Black Cormorant**
*Phalacrocorax sulcirostris*, Caves Beach New South Wales

I had left my camera at the house, so headed back to fetch itand persuade Stephan to join me to investigate further. We did a full circuit of the lake and added a few more species to the list.

Triplist –

Around the house – no photos taken due to the rain