Trout, Trails and Birding.

The Fish River.

With the weekend weather perfect it was time to hitch the trailer, load the motorbike, pack the esky, bbq and head for Tarana. Set high in the mountains the Fish River is teaming with trout and bird life. We are privileged enough to have a friend who has a nice working farm with one kilometre of river front.

The campsite with motor bike,fly fishing rods and Binoculars at the ready!

With recent rains and warm sunshine the crops and grasses were as high as the landcruiser bonnet making for interesting, (read exciting), riding. Trout constantly leapt out of the water and a platypus swam to and fro. It was a classic spring day with everything in abundance.


Dollar Bird

David and I spent the day riding, fly fishing and bird watching. There were some interesting species- particularly the Dollar Bird which I have not seen for a number of years. Sitting under huge pines on the banks of a fast flowing river, trying our luck with fly fishing and lures is a top way to spend a weekend!


Small Rainbow Trout

We were invited back and look forward to spending more time there.

Birds seen:- Dollar Bird, Noisy Friar Bird, Brown Tree Creeper, Grey Fantail, Currawong, Red Rumped Parrot, Turquoise Parrot, Galah, Superb Fairy Wren, Willy Wagtail, Wedge Tailed Eagle, Pacific Black Duck, King Parrot,Bell Miner, Pee Wee, Australian Magpie, Laughing Kookaburra, Chrimson Rosella, Welcome Swallow, Restless Flycatcher.

Mountain Heath Dragons

To the west of where I live is an area called the Devils Wilderness. There are numerous fire trails in this area for obvious reasons- being in the national park also means being in an extreme fire risk area. The last time a Bulldozer cleared the trails was about 2003. Here is a short clip of the trail which is now very overgrown. Lucky my Landcruiser has brush guards to protect the body work. There is one section where you can see the camera bounce a round a bit as a rock gives way under the tyres and rolled over the edge.

In the area at the end of the trail an interesting lizard can be found. These are called Mountain Heath Dragons, and are found usually where the heath meets the sandstone outcrops. Harmless and full of energy,(when its sunny),They add a bit of colour and action to the bush! They also change colour to blend in with the rocks and darker hues of burnt timber.




This is one David caught and is a larger example than most.

Satin Bower Birds

Our 7 year old male Satin Bower bird.

We have a young Satin Bower bird which has made a bower to attract a mate right in our garden. Male Bower birds are green until they hit full maturity at about 7 years of age. At 5 years of age they begin to change from green to a dark blue. A 5 year old male will make a bower and collect blue items to attract a mate, and the 7 year old male will come through and destroy the bower. I have witness the building and rebuilding of this fellows bower time and time again. This is not my video, but it is a video of a Bower bird about the same age as ours and doing his dance. Enjoy

The Outback

The shearing shed.
One of my favorite places to spend Christmas is Kinchega National Park. A former glorious sheep station (the largest in the world) it ran from the 1860's through to the 1960s. Situated along the might Darling river and the Menindee lake system. It has a fabulous history. The Wool shed is amazing, as too are the shearers quarters and kitchen.

The shearing stands- You can sense ghosts here.

There is ample to see and do with lots of wildlife, fishing and swimming. Yes it get hot, (in fact it was 50c last time we were there),but you know what I like the most? No Computers, no T.V., no Radio and no phone signal. Its a reminder of how it was 100 years ago. Its peaceful and so iconic Australian


The shearers accommodation

With the wide spread rain it will be very exciting to see all the dry lakes full of water and the bird life that they support.

A Goanna enjoying a sun bake on a table

I am also looking forward to the trip as my son has promised to teach me how to paint....

Emu on dry lake bed

So that will make the 12 hour drive even more worth while!!