C Box Vale Track A walking track that follows the route of a historic railway line built in 1888 through woodland above Nattai Gorge. Access The parking area is 3.7km west of Mittagong. Follow the Old Hume Highway and turn right into Box Vale Road 100m past the bridge SOUTHERN over the F5. Amenities Picnic area. HIGHLANDS Southern Highlands Walks A variety of walking tracks, including the 9km return Box Vale BIRDWATCHERS Track. The short detour near the start to a reservoir is worthwhile. Birdwatching Areas Birds Musk Duck, Australasian Grebe, Wonga Pigeon, Glossy Black- Cockatoo, Crimson Rosella, Rockwarbler, Red Wattlebird, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Fantail, Bassian Thrush. More than 250 species of birds can be seen in the Southern Highlands, a 90-minute drive south of Sydney. Some are seasonal visitors, others are D Wingecarribee River, Berrima permanent residents. Flowing through the historic town of Berrima, the Wingecarribee River is a good spot to observe Yellow-faced Honeyeaters as they This brochure highlights some of the best places head north in mid-April. Platypuses may be seen. Access Park in the centre of Berrima. to see them. The locations are easily accessible and Amenities Cafes, picnic areas, toilets. include a variety of habitats. The birds listed are Walks A good birdwatching walk can be accessed by turning right along the river from the picnic area at the end of Oxley Street and just a few of the species likely to be present. following the easy track towards the scout hut. Alternatively, the easy Stone Quarry walk follows the river to the east of the town. Birds Tawny Frogmouth, Eastern Rosella, Red-rumped Parrot, Sacred Kingfisher, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, Yellow-fa ced Honeyeater, Grey Butcherbird. A Thirlmere Lakes National Park Five reed-fringed freshwater lakes surrounded by forest. E Bong Bong Track Designated an Important Bird Area because it includes A shared concrete path for walkers and cyclists that follows Rockwarbler habitat. the Wingecarribee River as it meanders between large houses Access Approx 35km north of Mittagong (via Hill Top and Balmoral) off on one side and farmland on the other. West Parade. Access Amenities Picnic areas, toilets. The Moss Vale end is 2km north of Moss Vale on Moss Vale Road; Walk An easy 3km forest walking track circles Lakes Couridjah and the Burradoo end is reached via Burradoo Road and Railway Road. Walk Werri Berri. It can be accessed from the Lake Couridjah Picnic Area. An easy 5km (one-way) walk. Birds Birds Common Bronzewing, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Latham’s Snipe, Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Nankeen Night Heron, Black- Pallid Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Variegated Fairy-wren, Rockwarbler, shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestrel, Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred White-throated Gerygone, Little Friarbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. Kingfisher, Superb Fairy-wren, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Australian Reed Warbler, European Goldfinch. B Lake Alexandra Reserve F Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve A lake, created in the 1880s as a water-supply dam for coal Wetlands and a floodplain alongside the Wingecarribee trains, adjoins woodland and ferny gullies stretching towards River. It is on the Ramsar list of internationally important Box Vale Track. wetlands. Fluctuating water levels have reduced the number Access About 500m from Mittagong Tourist Information Office via of waterbirds but there are also plenty of woodland species. Helena, Edward and Queen streets. Access Amenities Picnic area, toilets. 2km north of Moss Vale on Moss Vale Road. Amenities P Walks Numerous tracks can be accessed from the northern side of the icnic area, toilet. Walks lake. The 2km section of the Red Track between the lake and the F5 A short, easy walk gives access to viewpoints over the wetlands. offers good birding. A 500m loop walk circles the floodplain beside the river. Birds A guide to birdwatching Birds Hardhead, Blue-billed Duck, Australasian Grebe, Little Pied Australasian Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Australian Pelican, Cormorant, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Satin Bowerbird, Spotted Intermediate Egret, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Swamp Harrier, Purple in the Southern Highlands Pardalote, Eastern Spinebill, Olive-backed Oriole, Willie Wagtail. Swamphen, Rufous Fantail, Red-browed Finch. G Bundanoon section, Morton National Park Common birds | Tick when seen Threatened species | Tick when seen Eucalypt woodland conceals waterfalls, ferny glades, rocky The following birds are among 124 NSW species threatened outcrops and lookouts. | Musk Duck | White-browed Scrubwren with extinction either locally or nationally. All are seen in Access 1km south of Bundanoon Post Office via Church Street and | Black Swan | Striated Thornbill the Southern Highlands. Gullies Road. | Australian Shelduck | Yellow-rumped Thornbill Amenities P icnic areas, toilets. Australian Wood Duck Walks Numerous trails ranging from short and easy to the steep track to | | Brown Thornbill | Blue-billed Duck | Powerful Owl Bundanoon Creek. Good birdwatching options are the 2km Erith Coal | Grey Teal | Spotted Pardalote | Australasian Bittern | Brown Treecreeper Mine track, Fairy Bower Falls and the area around the Gambells Rest | Chestnut Teal | Striated Pardalote | Spotted Harrier | Eastern Bristlebird picnic area. Pacific Black Duck Eastern Spinebill Birds Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Crimson | | | Little Eagle | Varied Sittella Rosella, Superb Lyrebird, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Varied Sittella, | Hardhead | Lewin’s Honeyeater | Glossy Black-Cockatoo | Scarlet Robin Grey Shrike-Thrush, Scarlet Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin. | Australasian Grebe | Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Gang-gang Cockatoo | Flame Robin | Spotted Dove | White-eared Honeyeater | Little Lorikeet | Hooded Robin | Crested Pigeon | Bell Miner | Ground Parrot H Fitzroy Falls | Wonga Pigeon | Noisy Miner The north-eastern section of Morton National Park where | Australasian Darter | Red Wattlebird For a full list of all 250-plus species found in the Southern Yarrunga Creek plunges from a sandstone escarpment into the | Little Pied Cormorant | New Holland Honeyeater Highlands, and to download additional copies of this rainforest valley below . | Little Black Cormorant | Spotted Quail-thrush brochure, go to www.wsc.nsw.gov.au/environment Access 15km south-east of Moss Vale on Moss Vale Road. | Australian Pelican | Eastern Whipbird Amenities Visitor centre, cafe, picnic areas, toilets. | Intermediate Egret Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Walks The 7km return East Rim and 5km return West Rim walks are on | | White-faced Heron | Golden Whistler good tracks with some short, steeper sections. The first section of the Southern Highlands Birdwatchers is a branch of Bird East Rim walk, where the track descends into a fern gully, is good for | Australian White Ibis | Rufous Whistler Observation & Conservation Australia. It offers two field birds, as are the boardwalks near the visitor centre and woodland near | White-bellied Sea-Eagle | Grey Shrike-thrush the old picnic shelters alongside Yarrunga Creek. trips a month and aims to enhance members’ knowledge | Wedge-tailed Eagle Olive-backed Oriole Birds Peregrine Falcon, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, | and enjoyment of the birdlife around them and to | Nankeen Kestrel Dusky Woodswallow Superb Lyrebird, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Lewin’s Honeyeater, | promote the interests of birds to the wider community. Crested Shrike-tit, Golden Whistler, Black-faced Monarch, Mistletoebird. | Purple Swamphen | Grey Butcherbird | Dusky Moorhen | Australian Magpie For further information contact PO Box 2531, Bowral, NSW | Eurasian Coot | Pied Currawong 2576 or [email protected] I Budderoo Plateau | Black-fronted Dotterel | Rufous Fantail This brochure was produced by Southern Highlands Birdwatchers Heathland plateau. Designated an Important Bird Area | Masked Lapwing | Grey Fantail with funding from Wingecarribee Shire Council’s Environment because it includes Eastern Bristlebird habitat. | Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo | Willie Wagtail Levy and sponsorship from Inscript Intermedia Pty Ltd. Access 14km east of Robertson on Budderoo Plateau Road, off | Galah | Little Raven Jamberoo Mountain Road. | Long-billed Corella | Leaden Flycatcher Walk The Budderoo Track is a fire trail that traverses heath and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Magpie-lark woodland for about 12km. | | Australian King-Parrot Birds | White-winged Chough ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¨ ¥ ¢ © Ground parrot, White-throated Treecreeper, Southern Emu-wren, | SOUTHERN Eastern Bristlebird, Tree Martin, Beautiful Firetail. | Crimson Rosella | Rose Robin HIGHLANDS BIRDWATCHERS | Eastern Rosella | Eastern Yellow Robin | Eastern Koel | Australian Reed-Warbler J Barren Grounds Nature Reserve | Fan-tailed Cuckoo | Silvereye Acknowledgements Hanging swamp plateau with heathland, swamp and woodland | Southern Boobook | Welcome Swallow Compiled by Peter Dewey and Jenny Stanton with assistance with dramatic views across the Illawarra escarpment to the | Laughing Kookaburra Fairy Martin | from Terry Dunlea, Col Kohlhagen and Tony Stanton coast. Designated an Important Bird Area because it includes | Sacred Kingfisher | Common Blackbird Cover photo: Superb Fairy-wren by Trevor Bullock Eastern Bristlebird habitat. Spectacular wildflowers in spring. | Dollarbird | Common Starling Access 17km east of Robertson on Jamberoo Mountain Road. Superb Lyrebird Common Myna Brochure design by Inscript Intermedia Pty Ltd Amenities | | Picnic area, toilets. White-throated