This exciting new tour has been specifically designed to concentrate on the many specialties of the southern coastal region of Australia and the South Australian outback.

The tour will begin in the elegant city of Adelaide from where it is less than a day’s drive to the outback, where sandy and stony deserts are traversed by mostly dry watercourses. Along the Strzelecki Track we search for Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Thick-billed Grasswren and the very rare Chestnut-breasted Whiteface. From here we pass through the Flinders Ranges, where rugged escarpments rise dramatically out of the wide open plains, and deep gorges and watercourses lined with tall river red gums provide rich birdlife. Here we search the spinifex-grass covered slopes for the recently split Short-tailed Grasswren.

Heading further south we venture into the semi-arid ‘Mallee’ eucalypt scrubland, within which Birds Australia’s splendid Gluepot reserve is located. Here we aim to find Malleefowl, Striated Grasswren, the endangered Black-eared Miner, Chestnut Quail-thrush, Southern Scrub-robin, Striped Honeyeater and the very rare Red-lored Whistler. Further afield but in similar habitat we look for the elusive Mallee Emu-wren.

Australia’s largest river, the Murray, will provide us with plenty of excitement with Freckled Duck, Yellow Rosella and Regent Parrot. We then leave South Australia behind us and in the wide -open grasslands of northern Victoria look for the endemic and very rare Plains-wanderer during an evening spotlighting session. The dry eucalypt woodland nearby is home to Grey-crowned Babbler and Speckled Warbler.

We take the spectacular coastal route to Melbourne, along the way picking up, with a bit of luck, Rufous Bristlebird, Gang-gang Cockatoo and Koala. Near Melbourne we visit the tall, wet sclerophyll hill forests of the Dandenong Ranges, home to Superb Lyrebird, Powerful Owl and many other forest birds.

A two or three day (depending on the season) extension to Tasmania is optional. Here we bird ancient mountain forests on Bruny Island for endemics ranging from Green Rosella, Strong-billed Honeyeater, Forty-spotted Pardalote and Black Currawong while in the evening we spotlight for Little Penguins coming ashore. In the breeding season we top it off with a flight over seemingly endless wilderness to view one of the worlds rarest birds, the Orange-bellied Parrot.

This itinerary provides a perfect balance between maximising the species count (expect around 280 including Tasmania) and the number of days we will be on the road.

Summary
• Australia’s greatest river: the Murray river
• Birds Australia’s Gluepot Reserve
• Outback mountains in the Flinders Ranges, and nearby deserts
• Spectacular coastal scenery along the Great Ocean Road
• Pristine wilderness of Tasmania

Featured Birds
• Malleefowl, Musk Duck, Freckled Duck
• Plains Wanderer
• Gilberts, Rufous, Olive and Red-lored Whistler
• Rufous Bristlebird, Black-eared Miner
• Chestnut-breasted Whiteface
• Striated and Thick-billed Grasswren
• Chestnut and Cinnamon Quail-Thrush
• Tasmanian endemics including Forty-spotted pardalote, Scrubtit, Tasmanian Scrubwren 8 species of Parrot including Elegant, Blue-winged, Orange-bellied and Regent Parrot
• 15 species of Honeyeater incuding Tawny-crowned, Strong-billed and Black-headed
• 7 species of Robin including Hooded, Red-capped, Scarlet, Pink and Dusky Robin
• Expect around 280 species, 68 families, for the entire tour

Inclusions
• All meals
• Accommodation (double or twin-share room)
• Transport using comfortable minibus or 4WD depending on the season
• Expert Guiding
• Entry fees

Exclusions
• Pre- & post trip accommodation
• Breakfast on first day, dinner on last day
• Drinks
• Personal expenses eg. phone calls, souvenirs, tips

Optional extension:
• Tasmania including Bruny Island for 12 endemics & Melaleuca for Orange-bellied Parrot (in season)

Departure from Adelaide, South Australia. Scheduled tour dates: