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Southern Eyre Peninsula Birdwatching - Small Group Tour

From: $1,790 AUD

Duration: 3 days/2 nights - Australian Geographic Travel Departure

Type: Groups, Shared.

Departs: Set Departure Dates Below

A birdwatcher’s delight! Join us over three days and two nights. With 100 national and conservation parks, over 270 species of birds living in mallee bushland and spectacular coastal scenery, Eyre Peninsula is emerging as a ‘must-see’ destination for eco and wildlife tours. 

  • Visit wetlands, Lincoln, Coffin Bay, and Mount Dutton Bay National Parks, Conservation Parks, mallee scrub, islands, coastal hamlets and protected wilderness areas.

  • Observe an abundance of seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds, parrots (including the beautiful Port Lincoln parrot) and raptors including Osprey and White-bellied Sea Eagles.

  • See Western-grey Kangaroos, Emus, Koalas and Rosenberg’s Goannas

  • Learn about the Coffin Bay oyster and the beauty of Coffin Bay with a private oyster tour & tasting.

Upcoming Group Departure Dates
Maximum 4 guests.

  • 26 October 2024
  • 20 November 2024

AGT LogoWe have developed this exclusive group itinerary with our Australian travel specialist, Australian Geographic Travel. To book this trip or for more information about additional departure options, please fill out the enquiry form. This will be forwarded to one of their expert consultants who will contact you as soon as possible. 

 

Itinerary

Tour day-by-day

  • Day 1: Welcome to beautiful Eyre Peninsula

    If you are flying into Port Lincoln, your guide will pick you up from the airport. Start your journey at the small coastal hamlet of Tulka where waders, swans and sea birds can be seen from the bird hide. This is another known location for Southern emu-wrens. Next we take you to the diversity of the Port Lincoln National Park. From the naturally rugged and wild Sleaford Bay and the Southern Ocean to the tranquility of the Spalding Cove area and other beautiful beaches. Rugged cliffs provide an opportunity to view osprey and white bellied sea-eagles and to keep a look out for kites and harriers.

    Head towards Taylors landing and encounter birds such as the mallee fowl, purple-gaped honeyeaters, striated pardalotes, spiney-cheeked honeyeaters, dusky woodswallows, Australian pipits, Western yellow robins, blue breasted wrens, and white-Browed scrubwren. Enjoy lunch and more opportunities to stop and watch the birdlife.

    In the afternoon, visit the privately owned Mikkira Station, one of Australia’s very best habitats where koalas can be found in the wild. Here we go exploring under the beautiful old eucalypt trees and come face to face with koalas as they laze in the Manna gums. Wild kangaroos casually hop around and emus roam around amongst mobs of sheep. This is also the home of astounding bush birds including Australian ringneck parrots, black-faced cuckoo-shrikes, pallid cuckoos, golden whistlers and an occasional scarlet robin.

    Accommodation: Port Lincoln Hotel

    Lunch provided.

  • Day 2: Eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula

    Today we travel to Port Neill where we look for sea birds on the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. Driving back through Port Neill we will be looking for ruddy turnstones and the endangered hooded plovers known to nest on the beaches in the area. Heading off the main road we will stop at Rogers Beach before visiting a crested tern colony at Lipson Cove. A picnic lunch on the beach will provide an opportunity to stop and watch the birdlife.

    Accommodation: Port Lincoln Hotel.

    Breakfast and lunch provided.

    Your Guide: Fran Solly

    Fran Solly who has been a keen birdwatcher for more than 30 years. She has recently completed training to contribute to the local scientific database through bird surveys, which are conducted across the Peninsula. Fran is also a professional photographer and she started her photography journey as a bird photographer to document the Birds of Southern Eyre Peninsula. 

    Guides - Fran Solly v2

  • Day 3: Coffin Bay National Park

    This morning we are off to Billy Lights Point for a short walk – a bird lovers delight! A small fringe of coastal mallee and sheltered bays is the perfect location for both water birds and bush birds. Pied, little pied and black cormorants, grey teal and chestnut teal ducks, osprey, white-bellied sea-eagle, sooty and pied oyster catchers, striated pardalotes, Western yellow robins, superb blue wrens, blue-breasted wrens, white-browed babblers, New Holland honeyeaters, brown-headed honey eaters and rock parrots can all be found on this walk.

    We head further up the highway to the beautiful Coffin Bay, the home of the renowned Coffin Bay Oysters. The area is of outstanding beauty, and home to a variety of important species of flora and fauna. There are no other comparable systems of bays and inlets in such compact form anywhere on the coast, which is why this area is classified as a maritime wilderness area.

    We have a 1.5-hour tour with Pure Oysters Coffin Bay owner Chris Hank, educating you all about the Pacific and the native Angasi oyster and the growing and harvesting process. You will cruise into the beautiful bays and inlets direct to the oyster farms and get to sample these magnificent oysters. This is a typical operation that contributes to the 60 tonnes of oysters that are trucked out of Coffin Bay every week.

    We meander out to the Coffin Bay National Park, ranging from ancient granite, limestone and sandstone cliffs to long beaches bordered by white sand dunes. A place of amazing contrasts, the unprotected side of the peninsula reveals rugged headlands, limestone cliffs and islands shaped by the relentless southern ocean and frequent southwesterly winds.

    In contrast, the leeward side is calm and serene where wildlife is plentiful throughout the 31,000 ha National Park with western grey kangaroos, emus, goannas, snakes and dolphins in the bays. There are plenty of stops for photographic opportunities and stretching your legs on one of Eyre Peninsula’s best and picture perfect, golden sandy beaches.

    Active osprey nests can be found and white-bellied sea eagles are seen fishing along the cliffs and sandy white beaches. The area is also home tocaspian terns, hooded plovers, red capped plovers, red necked stints, golden whistlers, masked lapwings, emu, and wedge tailed eagle.

    Our next stop is at Big Swamp where a bird hide is available for viewing black swans, grey teal ducks, chestnut teal ducks, pink eared ducks, musk ducks, black winged stilts, banded plovers, common greenshank, cape baron geese.

    We then transfer you to Port Lincoln airport for your return flight back to Adelaide (we recommend a late afternoon flight) or choose to stay another night. Contact our friendly team for suggestions. 

    Terms & Conditions
    *Price per person, quoted in AUD, based on double occupancy. $2,065 for Single. Price includes 12 nights accommodation as per itinerary, meals included: 10 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 7 Dinners, sightseeing as per itinerary by private air-conditioned charter, led by Australian Geographic Travel Guide throughout.

     

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    For nearly 40 years, our adventurers, photographers, writers and filmmakers have travelled Australia, bringing to life the stories of our country. Australian Geographic Travel grew from this legacy and invites you to enjoy the special places we've uncovered and meet the wonderful Australians who are inextricably part of them.

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    Australian Geographic Travel offers a range of unique itineraries carefully crafted by our travel specialists. Our small group tours specialise in hard-to-reach places. By travelling with us you'll have access to private land or reserves for wildlife and nature viewing that is usually inaccessible to the public.

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    Incorporated in our trips are highly engaging nature and wildlife experiences that support local conservation efforts, including ethical wildlife encounters, multi-day nature walks, hands-on conservation activities and more.

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    You'll join similarly inclined souls who share your taste for exploration and a burning desire to learn more about our phenomenal natural world. By travelling in small groups, you'll enjoy opportunities to make new friends – bond around a campfire, an incredible bird-spotting experience, an epic hike or a breathtaking vista. It's the shared stories that bring people together and create unforgettable memories.

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