Pioneer Dairy Swamp

The Tuggerah Lakes Reserve is more commonly known as the Pioneer Dairy Swamp. It is predominantly cleared land that for a long time has been used for dairying. The Reserve has been the subject of much debate and negotiations amongst the past owners and their attempts to sell the site for development, community groups who have fought to save the site from development, and numerous Government departments who have been involved throughout the process, which lasted over several years.
The Electricity Commission acquired the property in 1986 as part of its plans to build a power station at Mardi. In 1989, the old manager’s house was leased to people who ran cattle on the site. The Mardi power station never eventuated, and the EC attempted to auction the site in1996, but the property was withdrawn 30 minutes before it was due to go to auction purportedly due to expressed environmental concerns regarding the sale. The property was again placed on the market in June 1999, however public protest resulted in a new committee being formed that lobbied the State Government for its preservation. The property’s sale was once again temporarily withdrawn pending a Supreme Court decision on an Aboriginal claim. Although this claim was rejected, pressure from the community and conservation groups stalled the sale for almost 12 months as they continued to lobby the State Government.
In 2000, the Reserve was finally gazetted as Crown land for environmental protection and public recreation, and is presently under the care of the Tuggerah Lakes Reserve Trust. It will be open to the public from the middle of 2012.

Walka Water Works

On a very grey day, Great Crested Grebe and Australasian Grebe were out with their young.

Murrays Beach

Even Laughing Kookaburras get involved in family arguments during the holiday season.

Munmorah Conservation Area

It wasn’t a pleasant day for a walk along the Munmorah, very hot, with strong dry winds. But I managed to get my first photo of a Needletail – flying high, into the sun, so a very poor photo, but a photo nonetheless.

Hunter Wetlands Centre

Cattle Egret

Intermediate Egret

Nankeen Night Heron

Great Egret

It’s egret breeding time at the Hunter Wetlands, Cattle Egret numbers are down on previous years but good to see large numbers of the Night Heron. They feed at night so can be hard to spot, but a pile driver on nearby road works put them up from their day-time roost.

Bruny Island, Tasmania

7/12/2011

Given that it poured with rain the whole day we were on Bruny, we headed back for another look around. Getting off the ferry we turned left into Missionary Road towards Barnes Bay. In a stand of white gum, we heard Forty Spotted Pardalotes high in the trees. Dusky Woodswallows were perched on a dead tree, and there were good numbers of Black Headed Honeyeaters. At Dennes Point Crested Terns lined up on the rocks, a European Goldfinch was feeding young in a tree in the picnic area and an Australian Hobby watched over the beach.

On the Killora Road we stopped at a clump of trees where a number of honeyeaters were noisily foraging, and snapped a pic of a small olive bird that paused momentarily on a low branch – a Forty Spotted Pardalote. A little further on Black Currawongs were feasting on grubs in the roadside trees.

We went back to Mavista Reserve looking for the Pink Robin, without success, but came across a family of Striated Pardalote.

At Alonnah, we walked along the beach were we found the Hooded Plover at the tideline, a Yellow Wattlebird in the dune shrubs, and a Pallid Cuckoo on the powerlines.

We stayed overnight at the Captain Cook Memorial Caravan Park, where there were Swift Parrots in the park trees, Superb Fairywrens hopping around outside our cabin, and Tasmanian Thornbills in the creek-side shrubs. Brush Bronzewing wandered the walking track in front of us, Pacific and Kelp Gulls, Pied Oystercatchers and Masked Lapwings were on the beach, and Green Rosellas in the picnic area trees. At one point we were planning to watch the Fairy Penguin come ashore, but when we heard that that would not happen until well after ten when it was fully dark we went to Plan B, a quiet night recovering from the miles of hiking.

We checked out the rookery on The Neck early in the morning, great to see the paths they had taken to and from the sea. Two babies were visible huddling in their sand burrow.

On to Cape Bruny lighthouse, which was the finish point for the marathon last visit, so we avoided it. We had the place to ourselves this time, except for Welcome Swallows, New-Holland Honeyeaters, Superb Fairywren, White-faced Heron, Scarlet Robin, Dusky Robin, Common Bronzewing, Greenfinch and White-fronted Chat, bathing, hawking, and hanging about on the lawn.

At Jetty Beach we saw more of the honeyeaters, plus a Tasmanian Scrubwren and a Beautiful Firetail and an Echidna that was much less reluctant to be photographed that the birds seemed to be.

Maria Island, Tasmania

Maria Island (inexplicably pronounced Mariah Island) was a ‘probation’ convict station where convicts learned agriculture prior to their release, the site of camps of whalers and sealers in the early 1800s, the base for the varied enterprises of Italian entrepreneur Diego Bernacchi, and the site of the National Portland Cement Company.

Since the late 1960s Maria has become a kind of Noah's Ark, as a number of threatened species have been introduced here in a bid to protect their kind. The very things that made the island a convict settlement, now make it an ideal refuge for plant and animal species that are elsewhere under threat. So alongside native pademelons which occurred on the island naturally, are Forester kangaroos and Bennetts wallabies which have been introduced to the island. Cape Barren geese and Tasmanian native hens have also been introduced. The endangered forty spotted pardalote is found here in good numbers, along with the white gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) that is essential to its survival.

A ferry ride from Triabunna, the various natural and historic attractions on Maria could occupy you for a full day or more, but there are no supplies on the island so all food and drink had to be carried in. Provisioned only with a bottle of water and a couple of muesli bars we occupied three hours walking down to the Painted Cliffs.

Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Black-headed Honeyeaters, Yellow-Wattlebirds, Black Currawong, Tasmanian Native Hens, Australasian Pipits, Cape Barren Geese with babies … were among the birds seen.