Lamington National Park: a spectacular mountain rainforest reserve!
This report covers the spectacular Lamington (Woonoongoora) National Park. Without question, it is one of Australia’s premier birdwatching locations. The park was established in 1915 and is one of the oldest national parks in Queensland. When British naturalist Sir David Attenborough sought to film ancient Antarctic Beech forests and Regent and Satin Bowerbirds for his series Life on Earth, guess where he went. O’Reilly’s in Lamington National Park, of course! Steve and Terri Irwin stayed there to look for Funnel-web Spiders.
Woonoongoora has been inhabited by the first national people of the Yugambeh group for thousands of years. The mountains of Lamington National Park are sacred and spiritual places to be nurtured and respected. In line with this, at Woonoongoora birdwatchers and nature lovers connect to the land and experience the mountains wonderful wildlife.
Lamington is situated within a vast forested region containing a portion of Australia’s largest area of remaining subtropical rainforest and the most northerly cool temperate Antarctic Beech forests, a remnant of Australia’s Gondwana past. Much of it is at an altitude of 800 m or more above sea level. Networked by over 160 km of marked walking tracks, Lamington is about 20,000 hectares in size. It is located in southern Queensland, 120 km west of Brisbane and 85 km west of the Gold Coast.
Lamington’s vast region contains Australia’s largest preserves of pristine sub-tropical rainforest. It is one of the major upland subtropical rainforest remnants in the world and contains the most northern cool temperate rainforest in Australia. It ranges from palm-filled valleys with waterfalls and crystal-clear rivers to mist-covered cliff tops (some over 1000 meters), all clothed in a rainforest. With a myriad of ridges and cliff-lined valleys, Lamington sits on tops of a plateau that consists of the remains of a vast ancient volcano, the remnant core of Mount Warning.
There are two sides to Lamington: the east side (Binna Burra) and the west side (Green Mountain /O’Reilly’s). Generally, when I’m visiting Lamington, I head up the windy road to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, via Canungra (usually as part of a birding tour). On the east side of the park there is the Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, reached via Binna Burra Rd. from Beechmont Rd. Both lodges have excellent, albeit somewhat expensive, accommodations. There are camping areas at O’Reilly’s and at Binna Burra. If you are planning to camp, make sure you book in advance.
Lamington National Park’s Flora
Before getting to the birds, let’s talk a bit about Lamington National Park’s flora. The vegetation is primeval, a ‘lost world’ habitat on top of a vast volcanic rim. Floristically, Lamington falls within a cross-over region between warm temperate regions and humid sub-tropical and warm temperate regions. This is known as the McPherson-Macleay botanical overlap, and allow both tropical and temperate species to be represented. Due to its evolutionary significance, it has been declared a World Heritage Area.
The habitat of Lamington is largely sub-tropical, although in the higher areas there are nice sections of temperate rainforest where Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei) is the dominant tree. Lamington also has areas that have less fertile soil. These areas support eucalyptus woodlands, intermixed with heathland and, a big surprise, mallee woodlands! In essence, within a kilometre of each other, there is luscious rainforest indicative of Australia’s tropics, then there are sclerophyll and beech forests suggestive of cooler temperate areas, and then mallee woodlands indicative of Australia’s dry interior—not to mention the heathlands and swamps! All this leads to a pretty complex ecosystem.
White Booyong (Argyrodendron trifoliolatum) and Black Booyong (Argyrodendron actinophyllum) both occur below 900 metres. A feature of their trunks is their large, characteristic buttresses. Higher up the mountain, the predominant tree species are Yellow Carabeen (Sloanea woollsii), Red Carabeen (Karrabina benthamiana), Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera), Rose Marara (Pseudoweinmannia lachnocarpa), Soft Corkwood (Ackama paniculosa), the nicely named Pigeonberry Ash (Cryptocarya erythroxylon), White Beech (Gmelina leichhardtii), and Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei). Significantly, the root system of one of the oldest Antarctic Beech has been measured at over 5000 years old. You also get Red Cedar (Toona ciliata), White Cedar (Melia azederach), Crow’s Ash (Flindersia australis), White Beech (Gmelina leichhardtii), and Antartic Beech (Nothofagus moorei). These are the trees that were massively harvested for their wood. Red Cedar, for instance, was locally known as the Red Gold. In Spring, one of the most spectacular Australian native trees, the Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius), can be seen in its full glory. The seeds of Flame Tree are edible, along with other Brachychiton), First nations people ate them raw or roasted, but remember, if you do want to try one, remove the irritating hairs that surround the pod first! They can be very itchy!
Before you hit the higher altitudes of the rainforest, Lamington has eucalyptus forests and woodland. These consist of species such as Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera), Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora), Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis), Small-fruited Grey Gum (Eucalyptus propinqua), Scribbly Gumm (Eucalyptus racemosa subsp. racemosa), Narrow-leaved Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra), Tenterfield Woollybutt (Eucalyptus banksii), as well as a few Redwood species, such as Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera) and Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia).
The Mallee of Lamington National Park is dominated by Bell-fruited Mallee Ash (Eucalyptus codonocarpa), and is located in an area of ~400 acres near Dave’s Creek on the east side of the Park. As mentioned above, it is an interesting habitat because of its close proximity to rainforests in a high-rainfall environment.
Lamington supports plants found nowhere else on the planet, such as the wonderfully named Mt. Merino Eyebright (Euphrasia bella), with its beautiful, delicate purple flower, and the endangered Border Ranges (Binna Burra) Daisy (Brachyscome ascendens). Both are subalpine relics from the last ice age. The park’s trees are simply spectacular. The rainforest floor can be a blanket of red, covered in the bright red bell-shaped flowers of the spectacular Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius).
A staggering number of ferns occur at Lamington. Some of the more prominent you might see include Necklace Fern (Asplenium flabellifolium), Austral Lady Fern (Diplazium australe), Swamp Bracken (Hypolepis muelleri), Common bracken (Pteridium esculentum), Spreading Fan Fern (Sticherus lobatus), fingerlike Strap Fern (Dictymia brownii), the ever-beautiful Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum hispidulum), large patches of King Fern (Todea barbara), the tree ferns are Soft Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica) and Bristly Tree Fern (Dicksonia youngiae), while, up in the tree you will see some magnificent examples Staghorn Fern (Platycerium superbum), Elkhorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum), and Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium australasicum).
Lamington also supports a number of threatened and endangered plant species, including Southern Ochrosia (Ochrosia moorei), a small tree growing up to 11 m tall; Green Waxberry (Gaultheria viridicarpa), a shrub that is restricted to the narrow strip between Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei) closed forest and the escarpment edge (c. 1160 m altitude); Scrub Stringbark (Rhodamnia rubescens), threatened by the pathogen myrtle rust; Native Guava (Rhodomyrtus psidioides), a native guava that produces fruit that is edible with a pleasant aromatic flavor (a good candidate for future cultivation); and Smooth Davidson’s Plum (Davidsonia johnsonii), which, though rare in the wild, can be propagated from cuttings or root division, and the fruit, a deep burgundy colour, is popular in jams. There is also the Lenwebbia sp. ‘Main Range’, yet to be fully scientifically named, but considered critically endangered.
Mammals of Lamington National Park
Lamington National Park has some interesting mammals; a few are easier to see here than in other places where they occur. Indeed, it probably has the longest list of mammals among any park in Australia! And one of the best spots to see them is around O’Reilly’s. I’m not sure of the current situation, but Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service used to run a mammal week, which, if still running and mammals are your thing, is well worth participating in. Here is a very brief summation of my encounters, which, at this stage, is minimal.
To begin with, the first species I’d like to mention is the Pretty-faced Wallaby. It’s officially known as the Whiptail Wallaby, but I think Pretty-faced Wallaby is a much nicer name, so I am sticky with that. You will usually see them, sometimes in good numbers, on the way up to O’Reilly’s. The spot to look at is on the very first section of road that starts to rise up the hill. It’s in the area at the end of the farmland, around 10 km out of Canungra. They are primarily diurnal, most often active in the morning and afternoon. By my reckoning, if you don’t see them on the way up to O’Reilly’s, you should see them on the way down. They are such an attractive kangaroo, so they are well worth looking out for! Look out for Eastern Gray Kangaroo and Red-necked Wallaby along this section of road also.
At O’Reilly’s, there are two species of Pademelon (one of the smaller member of the Macropod [kangaroo] family): Red-neck Pademelon and Red-legged Pademelon. They look very similar. Red-necked have a red-tinted neck and shoulders, while Red-legged have, yes, red legs, are more slender, and have a distinct white cheek stripe.
Another main difference is where they hang out. The grassy areas around O’Reilly’s campground and the back of O’Reilly’s are good places to see Red-necked Pademelon, where they forage in the mornings and evenings. They are very cute; they are only around 60cm tall, with males considerably bigger than females. Red-legged Pademelon are encountered less often because they prefer to feed in the dense cover of the rainforest. So, if you see a Pademelon on one of the rainforest tracks, it will be a Red-legged Pademelon.
At night, the restaurant at O’Reilly’s has a mammal viewing area. They put out food for the possums, so there is a good chance to see Common Brushtail Possum, occasionally Short-eared Brushtail Possum, and Sugar Glider. You can also spotlight for these and other nocturnal mammals along the boundaries of O’Reilly’s, where, along with those mentioned, you might see Common Ringtail Possum, Northern Brown Bandicoot, Long-nosed Bandicoot, Greater Glider, Long-nosed Potoroo, and Fawn-footed Melomys.
Down in the dryer areas (mentioned below), such as the track at the Gravel Pit, you might see Koala, Yellow-footed Antechinus (a diurnal species, so look for them scurrying around during the day), and, at night, Squirrel Glider. Both of the monotremes occur at O’Reilly’s: Echidna and Platypus. With Echidna, it’s just a matter of stumbling across one—not so much in the rainforest areas, but more in the bordering grassland. Platypus is regularly seen in the pools of Morans Creek.
Smaller creature you might see Brown Antechinus (sometimes seen scurrying around in the breeding season, with the males desperate to mate), Common Planigale, and Eastern Chestnut Mouse, Australasian Water Rat, Australian Bush Rat, Australian Swamp Rat and Pale Field Rat and bats, yes, plenty of bats. Some to mention are Eastern Horseshoe Bat, Chocolate Wattled Bat, Eastern False Pipistrelle, Golden-tipped Bat, Little Bent-winged Bat, Common Bent-winged Bat, Gould’s Long-eared Bat, Large Forest Bat, and Eastern Forest Bat! Most of these I’ve not seen, or tried to see.
Side note: at some point, it is worth stopping at the Canungra Flying-fox roost. It is located in the town centre of Canungra in the Lions Park on Beaudesert-Nerang Rd. It consist of predominantly of Black Flying-fox, with low numbers of Grey-headed Flying-fox and occasionally Little Red Flying-fox. It can be quite a good birding spot, with birds such as White-headed Pigeon, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Blue-faced and White-throated Honeyeater, Noisy and Little Friarbird, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Grey Shrike-thrush, and Barred Cuckoo-shrike (the sort of birds you don’t get up the mountain), so it’s worth a look.
Some Other Creatures of Lamington National Park
There is an abundance of other creatures to see in the Lost World. Reptiles to look for include Carpet Python, Spotted Python, Bandy Bandy, Australian Water Dragon (Morans Creek), Land Mullet (I’ve seen them in the wood piles on the track on the other side of Morans Creek), Rainbow Skink, Eastern Water Skink and Pink-tongued Skink (like the Blue-tongued Skink, only the tongue is pink!).
There is also a high diversity of frogs at Lamington, with notable species including the Giant Barred Frog, Black-soled Frog, Green Tree Frog, Graceful Tree Frog, Masked Mountain Frog, streamside pond breeding frogs such as the Striped March Frog, Striped Rocket Frog, Whistling Tree Frog, stream frogs such as the Great Barred Frog, and the endangered Fleay’s Barred Frog, Cascade Tree Frog, while the Loveridge’s Mountain Frog is entirely terrestrial. Unfortunately, of course, you also get Cane Toad. Fortunately, Cane Toad prefer disturbed habitats associated with human activity, so they are rarely encountered in the more pristine areas of Lamington.
There is certainly a good selection of other creatures of note that occur at Lamington. The rare Blue Mountain Crayfish occur in the stream and are sensational-looking animals. This is only found on the Lamington plateau in creeks and pools above 450 metres; look for it in the pool at Goorawa Falls, reached via the Coomera Circuit. There is also a snail called the Giant Panda Snail, Australia’s largest snail, the size of a tennis ball. For butterflies, you can’t go past the Richmond Birdwing! It looks very similar to the Cairns Birdwing; however, it is small—indeed, the second-smallest birdwing species. It also normally feeds on two endemic species: in the lowlands, it feeds on the aptly named Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Vine (Aristolochia praevenosa), while in the highlands, it feeds on the also aptly named Mountain Birdwing Vine (Pararistolochia laheyana), which only occurs on mountains (>600 m) of the QLD/NSW Border Ranges.
I have a couple of personal highlights with other creatures in the ‘lost world’, one a reptile and the other a beetle. The gecko is the Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko, a gorgeous thing. Well, it’s not exactly gorgeous; in fact, it looks more like the creature from the black lagoon. Against a tree, this gecko would be very difficult to spot; however, my roommate, Wings bird guide Gavin Beiber, fortunately found it on our front door mat, so it stood out distinctly! That’s convenient! What a creature! I am very glad to see that one!
The other highlight was a beetle. There are many species of beetles—around 400,000 species, give or take a few! So what was special about my beetle? Well, for one, it was bright blue. Not just any blue, but the sort of blue Japanese toy manufacturer, trying a blue you to get when creating a plastic Marvel character. I had never seen this blue in the wild. The other thing about this beetle—after doing some research into what it was—was that there were only a couple of previous records, both on the Lamington Plateau. So it is unique to the very spot I was standing, being found nowhere else on earth. It was also tiny, so I was lucky to notice this beautiful little jewel in the leaf litter out of the corner of my eye. Its name. Eulina haemosticta. Nice to be acquainted!
The Birds of Lamington National Park
It is an excellent place to see some of Australia’s most sought-after species, including Albert’s Lyrebird, Paradise Riflebird, Australian Logrunner, Noisy Pitta, Regent Bowerbird, Russet-tailed Thrush, Marbled Frogmouth, and Sooty Owl. That is an impressive list! It is also a good place to see Bassian Thrush, Green Catbird, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, and Red-browed Treecreeper. So, it gets even better! Two rare and skulking species are also present at Lamington: the Rufous Scrub-bird and the Eastern Bristlebird. Seeing them requires a bit of determination and luck.
Directly out The front of O’Reilly’s
Yet, let’s begin in the area directly outside the front of O’Reilly’s accommodation. This is the spot where the Regent Bowerbirds and Satin Bowerbirds hang out, can be seen up close, and, if you have a sultana or some such food, they will eats out of your hand! You’ll also see plenty of tame Crimson Rosella and King Parrot here, with the odd Australian Brushturkey wondering around your feet as well.
At first, for any birdwatcher, it feels extraordinary to have one of Australia’s most iconic and beautiful, usually shy, birds behave so tame. It actually sums up O’Reilly’s really. In this lost world, shy birds become tame. I was once walking along one of the trails, when I saw a Yellow-throated Scrubwren feeding on the path. For some reason, I pretended I’d a grub in my hand. Immediately the Scrubwren noticed, and it was soon on my hand try to find the grub.
The very first time I visited O’Reilly’s, I was trying to get a photograph of a Regent Bowerbird. I was eating an apple and, at the same time, focusing on a Regent Bowerbird. Within seconds, the bower had smashed into my apple, knocking it out of my hand! I had learned my lesson: don’t eat an apple and attempt to photograph a Regent Bowerbird at the same time! Note that, for the most part, Regent Bowerbird are an altitudinal migrant, so numbers will drop in the colder months.
‘Rainforest return’ walk
Birdwatching-wise, the first thing I usually do at O’Reilly’s is a loop of what’s unofficially known as the ‘Rainforest return’ walk. The track starts at the trailhead in opposite O’Reilly’s main office, and follows the Border Track for 700m. Then follow the gravel track that connects the O’Reilly’s Botanic Gardens and Booyong boardwalk to return to the O’Reilly’s. If you like and have the time, you can diverge into the Botanical Gardens or the Tree Top Walk. Doing this walk provides an excellent introduction to Lamington’s rainforest and the rainforest birds. It is one of those walks I might find myself doing repeatedly until I have seen all the birds I want to see there. What I might find myself doing is doing bits of it repeatedly, i.e., the birding hotspots. For example, I might return to birdwatch around the front of the Tree Top Walk.
Albert’s Lyrebirds are regularly seen along this loop walk; their location is usually indicated by their wonderful, far-carrying, powerful call. It is important to follow up on any calls quickly. Despite being a large bird—they are the size of a female Indian peafowl—even when calling, they can be elusive and hard to find in the dense rainforest.
Along the loop, there is a good chance of seeing the Australian Logrunner, a small-sized ground-dwelling rainforest bird, foraging and scraping leaf litter with its feet. When you do first see them, you will notice that when foraging, they have a unique sideways sweeping action of the legs—it is quite comical to watch. They are usually in pairs or small groups and will defend their territory aggressively. Fortunately for birdwatchers, Australian Logrunners are quite noisy birds in terms of their songs and calls, especially in the mornings. So, like Albert’s Lyrebird, listen out for their call.
The rainforest along the loop walk is also good for Paradise Riflebird. I have found it particularly good for them to be around the entrance and exit of the Tree Top Walk. They can be tricky to see and are often up high in the canopy. Again (I am sounding like a broken record), listen for their calls: one is a powerful up-ward whistle (I would describe it as the opposite of a ‘wolf whistle’), and the other is a rasping ‘yaaas yaas’. Once you have heard the call, follow it through the forest. They called around every 10 min or so; they are quite sedentary, but do switch trees every so often, but eventually you will track it down. So, once you hear them call, you know they are around.
Like the rasping of the Paradise Riflebird, listen for the call of the Green Catbird; when you hear it, you can help but laugh. It sounds just like the sound of a yowling cat (or like a cat being strangled). They also have another petit, inconspicuous call, a high-pitched tic (like a Cryptic Honeyeater, if you know that call). Interestingly, this inconspicuous call is the way I usually locate them. Another bird, the Rose Robin, occurs along this track. I regularly see them around the Botanic Garden, while other good places to look for them are in any area where there is a canopy clearing. Listening out for their sweet call, they normally occur way up high in the canopy, so look for them in the gaps in the canopy.
Yellow-throated Scrubwren are common along the loop walk, particularly at the beginning, where you see them feeding for insects on the track. White-browed Scrubwren are here also and look quite similar. I usually also see Bassian Thrush (like Australian Logrunners, they forage in the leaflitter), Eastern Whipbird, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Satin Bowerbird (there is usually a bower close to the end of the loop near the bush meeting area), White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Golden Whistler, Rufous Fantail, and Eastern Yellow Robin along the loop track.
Tree Top Walk and the Botanic Gardens.
When you get a chance, explore the rainforest canopy from the 180-metre-long Tree Top Walk. There is also a climb of an additional 15 metres from the elevated walkway to an observatory platform, where the views are even more sublime. From here, you might get a glimpse of Paradise Riflebird, while Australian Logrunner will often feed in the area below the Tree Top Walk.
I have found the Botanic Gardens to be a particularly good spot to see Rose Robin. Normally high in the canopy, in the gardens they can come down to eye level. Again, there is a good chance to see Paradise Riflebird in here.
O’Reilly’s Day visitor car park and campground
As with all rainforest sites, car parks and campgrounds can be among the best places to go birdwatching. This is because car parks, picnic areas, or roadside habitats are clearings that border the walls of rainforest. This is the preferred place for many of the birds that inhabit rainforests. The borders are also convenient places for easy access into the rainforest, providing a window in which to peer into the darks of the rainforest rather than be surrounded by it. In recent years, a pair of Albert’s Lyrebirds have set up a territory in the area between the day visitor carpark and the campground, foraging the leaf litter there early in the morning.
One of my techniques for birding in the car park area is to just stand in the middle of it and look towards the tallest trees. From there, you might see Paradise Riflebird darting from one tree to another; a Cicadabird might call from the largest pine; or a Rose Robin starts calling its delightful song among its foliage. (It is worth noting that Rose Robins are altitudinal migrants, so they usually show up at O’Reilly’s in the warmer months.) The best technique here is to find the tallest trees and see what is happening in them. In fact, there are several large trees around O’Reilly’s, some up near the staff carparks, which are perfect to just stand around and look, waiting for a Green Catbird, Regent and Satin Bowerbird, Paradise Riflebird, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Topknot Pigeon, or Brown Cuckoo-Dove to appear from the rainforest.
Both can be quite common around O’Reilly’s. I have had a few interesting experiences with Pademelon. The most interesting was, once, when standing in a grassy area at O’Reilly’s, a Red-necked Pademelon bound right up to me at full speed and then hopped through my legs, ‘nutmegging’ me in the process! That’s a bit strange; I wonder what that was all about!? Then moments later, a Dingo came running up, looked at me, then looked past me in the direction of the Pademelon, and then continued running, following the unfortunate Pademelon. I am not sure what the final outcome was; it was certainly a moment of hectic activity.
Spotlighting at O’Reilly’s
When spotlighting for nightbirds, it’s good to have a plan. It doesn’t really matter what the plan is, as long as you’ve got a plan. My ‘plan’ for spotlighting usually involves stopping along Lamington NP Road every km or so. I might start at the main carpark, then the entrance to the villas (which I have found good for Marbled Frogmouth), then move down to the carpark at the Moran Falls Walk, then down to the entrance to Duck Creek Rd, finally ending up at the Kamarun Lookout, around 10 km from O’Reilly’s. With luck and patience, you should see the two main nighttime targets, Marbled Frogmouth and Sooty Owl.
With the Sooty Owl, you are listening to the falling bomb call piercing through the night’s air. They make another call, an electronic trill, which can be just as effective for finding these hard-to-find owls.
With the Marbled Frogmouth, you are listening for the remarkable turkey chop call. It makes a remarkable call that starts with the sound of a gobbling turkey: gobble gobble gobble. There is a swift load CHOP!! This chop sounds like the turkey has just had its head chopped off! Listen to the call, and you will see what I mean! Once you draw the connection, it’s actually quite funny.
Aside from that, birdwise, there is also a chance of seeing Southern Boobook, Tawny Frogmouth, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, and, less commonly, Barn Owl (down in the paddocks), Powerful Owl, Barking Owl, and White-throated Nightjar. When spotlighting, always make sure the beam of light is always in line with your eyes; this way, you can see the whites of a bird’s (or beast’s) eyes. And it may be worth using a red LED torch, which seems to get much more natural behavior using a red light. Good luck.
ON THE ROAD UP TO O’REILLY’S
Python Rock Lookout and Moron Falls Walks
Most times I visit O’Reilly’s I’ll do the walk out to the Python Rock Lookout and Morons Falls. The rainforest half way along the Lookout walk is good for Noisy Pitta. Listen out for their distinctive walk-to-walk call; they usually respond to a bit of pishing, so it is a good place to see them. Green Catbird is often along here, indeed my very first ‘good look’ at a Green Catbird was in the trees over the carpark of the Python Rock Lookout. Along both tracks you can usually hear Albert’s Lyrebird call, but the terrain if step, so hard to follow up on any calls. Smaller birds to look for include the three local Scrubwrens, Yellow-throated, White-browed and Large-billed, Brown Gerygone, Golden Whistler, Eastern Whipbird, while Australian Logrunner is often in the rainforest scrub that runs next to the road. Indeed, a good way to see Australian Logrunner is to walk the roadside path that leads from O’Reilly’s to the Python Rock Look/Morons Falls carpark. At night, along this past is also a good spot to look for Masked Frogmouth. Both walks are also good for Treecreeper, White-throated are common, and it’s also a good spot to look for Red-browed Treecreeper, particularly the drier areas of eucalypts.
If you’re looking for that waterfall photo opportunity,the Moran Falls Track is spectacular. There’s a chance of Australian Logrunner and Noisy Pitta along the track, which leads to the stunning Morans Falls that tumble 80 m into the Morans Creek gorge.
Duck Creek Road
Duck Creek Road turns west of Lamington National Park Road around 2.5 km before you get to O’Reilly’s. At night, stopping at the entrance to Duck Creek Road is a good spot to look and listen for Sooty Owl and Marbled Frogmouth. During the day, drive west down Duck Creek Road for around 3 km (it’s a bit hilly in places, but ok), you will start to notice a change of habitat, with areas of drier eucalypt forest (rather than rainforest) intermixed scattered Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea latifolia). These drier areas can be good for forests birds such as Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Red-browed Treecreeper, White-naped and Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Eastern Shriketit, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Red-backed and Variegated Fairywren, Spotted Pardalote, Common Cicadabird, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Pale-headed Rosella, Spotted Quail-thrush, Painted Button-quail, and, in the drier scrubby areas of rainforest (often in association with Lantana), you have a chance of seeing Black-breasted Button-quail.
Gravel Pit. Rainforest, a small dam, and a fire trail track.
One of the best spots on the way up the mountain is a spot called the Gravel Pit. Perhaps inappropriately named (because the gravel pit is actually a very cute dam) it is a roadside pull-in and small dam (with plenty of frogs of various species) in the very first section of the rainforest as you head up the mountain from Canungra.
The first is the area to birdwatch at the Gravel Pit is the rainforest before you reach the pull-in, i.e., the very first 100 m of rainforest, and the rainforest around the pull-in. This can be a really productive area. It is a great spot for Noisy Pitta, who regularly crosses the road in this section. The other highlight here I have found is Russet-tailed Thrush, particularly in the warmer months when they seem to like rainforest on the east side of the road. They are extremely hard to distinguish from Bassian Thrush. Russet-tailed Thrush (in the SEQ population) has more white in the outer/corner tail feathers than Bassian Thrush, but this is very difficult to discern. A sure-fire way to distinguish them is by their very different calls. Bassian Thrush calls like a classic Thrush, like a Blackbird or Song Thrush; Russet-tailed Thrush has a distinct two note drawn-out, mournful whistle! So, both species occur together in the same habitat. The Russet-tail is considered a more of a lowland bird, while the Bassian like the higher forests i.e. Bassian above 500 metres, and Russet-tail below 750 metres. From experience, it seems to me, most of the birds along the lower section of the road up O’Reilly’s are Russet-tailed Thrush. So, as you drive up the mountain, look at any thrush that flies off the road as you approach. Look for white corner to their tail. Bingo. Russet-tailed Thrush. Other birds in the rainforest around the Gravel Pit include White-eared, Spectacled and Black-faced Monarch, Leaden Flycatcher, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird, and Brown Cuckoo-Dove and Pacific Emerald Dove.
Heading over the back of the dam (in the south-east corner), you come to a small fire trail track. Here there is a National Park gate. It’s locked, so you will have to walk. Walking along this track, usually for the first 500 metres, you travel through eucalyptus woodlands. The 2019 fires burned the area, but it seems to have bounced back well. Being in a eucalyptus woodland, once again you get a whole new swath of birds. Over the years, down the track, I have seen Glossy Black Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Pheasant Coucal, Variegated, Superb and Red-backed Fairy-wren, Fantail Cuckoo, Yellow-faced, White-naped, White-throated, Scarlet and Lewin’s Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Bell Miner (there used to be a colony, but seem to have moved on), Yellow and Striated Thornbill, White-throated Gerygone, Common Cicadabird, Grey Shrike-thrush, Eastern Shriketit, and Spangled Drongo. So that’s a bit of a different list than that around O’Reilly’s. I have seen Koala several times down this track, a species that can be really tricky to track down! The small dam at the Gravel Pit is also a surprisingly good spot for frogs. Once, while with Gavin Beiber (who, amongst other things, likes frogs), he said he’d just heard six different species. Not bad, considering the dam is only the size of a living room.
Kamarun Lookout
The lookout provides a spectacular view across this part of Queensland. It is worth scanning the sky, as there is the chance of a raptor or two, such as Wedge-tailed Eagle, Pacific Baza, Grey Goshawk, and Peregrine Falcon.
Once you’ve done that, walk around the periphery of the lookout. You can see Regent Bowerbird and Satin Bowerbird (in the wild!), Green Catbird, Common Cicadabird, Pied Butcherbird, and Paradise Riflebird, and it is good for monarchs, particularly in the warmer months; I’ve seen Black-faced, Spectacled, and White-eared Monarchs. Spotlighting at night can be excellent, with a chance of Marbled Frogmouth and Sooty Owl.
Canungra River
Before heading up to Lamington, it is worth searching for Pale-vented Bush-hen in the riparian vegetation along the Canungra Creek. A particularly good area to look is immediately west of the Coburg Rd concrete causeway, just south of Moriarty Park, ~800 m from the Canungra town centre. I always seem to stop at the Lamington National Park Road over the Cunungra Creek, around 9 km from Cunungra. It’s a very attractive spot to just spend some time birdwatching. Again, Pale-vented Bush-hen is a chance here, as are Variegated and Red-backed Fairy-wren, Pacific Baza. Spangled Drongo and Pale-headed Rosella.
Birding from Binna Burra
I haven’t covered Binna Burra that much in this report; sorry about that. I have birded there a few times, and the birding is very much like the birding around O’Reilly’s, minus the ridiculously tame bowerbirds, etc! So it disserves more coverage.
I can recommend the Coomera Circuit (17.4 km, 7-hour return to Binna Burra) or just do the walk to the Coomera Falls Lookout and back, which is approx. 10 km. The Lower Bellbird Circuit (12 km return, 4 hours) is also worthwhile, or for a really nice short walk, head down the Border Track, cut back across to the Coomera Track at Tallawallal (just over 1 km from the start), and then walk back again. Here the track passes through dense rainforest with occasional small creeks crossing the track, and you can see most of the rainforest specialists birds along this trail.
Rufous Scrub-bird
For birders, one of the most sought-after species at Lamington is the rare and elusive Rufous Scrub-bird. When walking in Lamington in July 2007, I had good views of this species along the Coomera Circuit (which starts near the Binna Burra Kiosk). This was 4 km down Coomera Circuit, in a patch of grassy heath immediately behind the first rocky lookout. The best way to find them is to listen to their penetrating call, used to advertise their territory (typically about 1 ha in size), particularly during the breeding season. The call will ring in your ears if you stand too close.
Aside from the birds, near Binna Burra, the main trail for looking for Rufous Scrub-bird is along Lamington’s famous Border Track. It follows the border between NSW and Queensland along the top of the McPherson Range, linking Binna Burra to O’Reilly’s guest house at Green Mountains. The total walking distance is about 21 km, so it’s not short. From a birder’s perspective, it generally takes 7 to 8 hours to complete, which gives you time to stop and look at your target species along the way. From either end, they can usually organize transportation back to the side that you’ve come from. Check with the lodges for details. Most of the Border Track is subtropical rainforest, although there are occasional sections where Antarctic Beech is very prominent. Some of the trees are estimated to be 4,000 years old. Concentrate your search for the skulking Rufous Scrub-bird in areas of Antarctic Beech, particularly where there is a grassy, heavily-grown understory.
Specifically, probably the best area to look is between Mt. Bithongabel and Mt. Merino, and then along the Mt. Merino Loop. From Binna Burra, Mt. Merino is reached by following the Main Border Track past Joahlah Lookout to the foot of Mt. Hobwee and then west to the base of Mt. Merino itself. Once you’ve reached the Mt. Merino Track, which leads off to the left, about 400 m up, you come to the excellent Beerebano Lookout. From here, the track continues to the summit and the spectacular Merino Lookout, where there is Antarctic Beech at the very top. Rufous Scrub-bird occur around the summit.
There are also records of ‘Coxen’s Fig-parrot’ at Lamington, the southernmost subspecies (ssp. coxeni) of the Double-eyed Fig-parrot. One of the rarest and least-known parrots in the world, since being described by John Gould in 1866, it has been seen on fewer than 200 occasions. 
Some Concluding Comments
It’s a sad reflection that the park continues to be named after Lord Lamington, the first Governor of Queensland. Lamington presided over the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897, one of the harshest legislations introduced in Australia to control the movement of Aboriginal peoples. Lord Lamington only visited the area once and shot dead a koala in 1918. The Yugambeh people have their own creation story about Lamington National Park called Birian Balunah, a story that is passed down through generations of Woonoongoora. It’s a reminder that we are always on Indigenous lands. So, my hand is up for changing the park’s name to Woonoongoora National Park!
(Two birds that often create identification problems due to their similarities are Russet-tailed and Bassian Thrush. The Russet-tailed Thrush is actually more common and widespread than the Bassian at Lamington. The main difference is the white in the tail, looking specifically for the white outer tail feathers in the Russet-tailed Thrush. Only the corners of the Bassian Thrush’s tail are white, while the Russet-tailed Thrush has white sides for its greater length. I’ve also found the Russet-tailed Thrush to be slightly more slender than the Bassian Thrush, which can appear plumpish. As a rule, Bassian Thrush inhabited the higher altitudes down to about 850 m, while Russet-tailed inhabit lower areas up to 500 m, but sometimes as high as 1000 m. The call is also diagnostic—calling early in the morning and just before dusk. The Russet-tailed Thrush’s call is a pheee-phooo sound, while, to me, the Bassian Thrush sounds very similar to a Blackbird. Once you’ve worked at these differences, both species start to be distinctive and not overly difficult to differentiate.)
