Wildlife encounters
Live life on the wild side and get up close and personal with Queensland’s wildlife.
Whale watching
There’s nothing quite like seeing a whale up close with your own eyes. Photo: DERM.
Witness the beauty of these majestic giants during their slow migration along Queensland’s coast from May to late November.
Whale watching tours are conducted in:
Turtle watching
Share the beach with these amazing marine reptiles. Photo: DERM.
Experience an ancient ritual. The largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland occurs at Mon Repos.
Join a ranger-led turtle tour at Mon Repos Conservation Park near Bundaberg to witness adult turtles laying their eggs on the beach and tiny hatchlings racing to the water’s edge. Tours run between November and March.
Birdwatching
How many birds can you spot? Photo: DERM.
Take the binoculars and experience the serenity of birdwatching in the bush. Many parks are great places to go birdwatching.
In the lush rainforests of Lamington National Park you’ll be captivated by the birds, from brightly coloured parrots and bowerbirds to the fascinating Albert’s lyrebird with its ability to mimic other sounds. Choose a walking track at Binna Burra or Green Mountains and finish your morning of ornithology with a bush breakfast or picnic before heading home.
Other places to go birdwatching in Southern Queensland include:
- Girraween National Park
- Bunya Mountains National Park
- Sundown National Park
- Lake Broadwater Conservation Park
- Currawinya National Park
- Moreton Bay Marine Park—visit during summer to see flocks of migrating shorebirds.
On the Keppel Bay islands you’ll find many fascinating birds. Look out for birds of prey in the air, terns and cormorants hunting for fish at sea and waders wandering the sands. You’ll also find land birds, such as rainbow bee-eaters and pheasant coucals, who are permanent residents of the islands’ woodlands and heaths.
Other places to go birdwatching in Central Queensland include:
- Carnarvon Gorge, Carnarvon National Park
- Lake Bindegolly National Park
- Baldwin Swamp Conservation Park
- Brampton Islands National Park
The ever-changing seasonal wetlands of Townsville Town Common Conservation Park are perfect for birdwatching. Choose from observation points, bird hides or a stroll along the billabong to view a wide range of woodland and waterbird species.
Other places to go birdwatching in North Queensland include:
- Hasties Swamp National Park
- Keatings Lagoon (Mulbabidgee) Conservation Park
- Lakefield National Park
- Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park
- Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park
- Iron Range National Park—home to the stunning Eclectus parrot.
- Jourama Falls, Paluma Range National Park
- Broadwater, Abergowrie State Forest
- Eubenangee Swamp National Park
- Cedar Bay National Park
Last updated 8 November 2011