Summary: Enjoyable location with better bird habitats than you might expect in Gold Coast suburbia Dates of visits: 20 Aug 2022, 13 Aug 2023, 25 Dec 2023 Varsity Lakes is a locality on the Gold Coast which, like many suburbs on the Goldy, is dominated by waterways (canals and lakes). In this case the largestContinue reading “Varsity Lakes, 2022-2023”
Tag Archives: Gold Coast
West Lake Robina, 2021-2023
Summary: Fairly typical Gold Coast suburban lake with some interesting bird life Dates of visit: Various from April 2021 to April 2023 I’m covering West Lake Robina on the Gold Coast in Queensland here not because it’s a stand-out birding location, but more as a case study in observing a “local patch” over an extendedContinue reading “West Lake Robina, 2021-2023”
Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, 2020-2022
Summary: Lovely compact gardens good for getting up close to water birds Dates of visits: Aug 5 2020, Feb 19 2022, Nov 20 2022 The Gold Coast Botanic Gardens sits roughly in the middle of the city of the Gold Coast, and like many botanic gardens, is worth your time if you like high-quality, oftenContinue reading “Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, 2020-2022”
Southport Pelagic, 2021-2022
Summary: A full day of seabird spotting on the big bad ocean Dates of visits: Dec 18 2021 and Apr 16 2022 Pelagic boat trips are generally volunteer-organised events held once a month (depending on location) where a small group of enthusiastic birders head out to the open sea on a chartered vessel in searchContinue reading “Southport Pelagic, 2021-2022”
Springbrook Twin Falls Circuit, Mar 2021
Summary: Superlative short bushwalk with good rainforest birds Date of visit: March 2, 2021 Springbrook lies in the Gold Coast hinterland in South-East Queensland, about half an hour from the main highway. It’s a little slice of heaven at high altitude, featuring several stunning lookouts and superlative waterfall-strewn bushwalks, and is much quicker to accessContinue reading “Springbrook Twin Falls Circuit, Mar 2021”
Federation Walk, Jan/Jun 2021
Summary: Sandy coastal trail with some good bird encounters possible Dates of visit: Jan 23 2021 and Jun 13 2021 Federation Walk is a 3.5km track (plus side-trails) on The Spit at the Gold Coast. It comprises 93 hectares of rolling sand dune and coastal vegetation lying between the Southport Broadwater area and the PacificContinue reading “Federation Walk, Jan/Jun 2021”
Belliss Rd, Nerang, Dec 2020-Aug 2021
Summary: A delightful patch of creekside rainforest with good birds Dates of visits: Dec 28 2020 and Aug 17 2021 Most birders associate rainforest near the Gold Coast with the hinterland, being Lamington National Park, Springbrook and the like, which require long and winding roads to travel to. But there is also a worthwhile littleContinue reading “Belliss Rd, Nerang, Dec 2020-Aug 2021”
Aqua Promenade, Nov 2020
Summary: Compact creek/lake location with some interesting birds Date of visit: Nov 15, 2020 Aqua Promenade is the name of a road that loosely follows the upper reaches of the Currumbin Creek on the Gold Coast. In this post I’m also including Robert Neumann Park which is at the northern end of the road, thoughContinue reading “Aqua Promenade, Nov 2020”
Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s end, Nov 2020
Summary: Incredible hotspot for almost-tame rainforest birds along with awesome bushwalking Dates of visit: Nov 4 to 9, 2020 Lamington National Park. Of all the excellent places to see birds in South-East Queensland, this is the only one listed in Australian Geographic’s book Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots. That’s a lot to live up to! As thereContinue reading “Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s end, Nov 2020”
Eddie Kornhauser Reserve, Sep 2020
Summary: Large park with water areas and some good birds Date of visit: 28 Sep, 2020 After having a pretty good time at Schuster Park on the Gold Coast, one wonders whether the big green area to its south, called Eddie Kornhauser Recreational Reserve, could afford an equally good birding experience. Well, it’s kind ofContinue reading “Eddie Kornhauser Reserve, Sep 2020”
Bird Spots 