In addition to John Leonard's list of spots near Cairns to visit
there is one more place that deserves to be much better known.
The copperlode dam road is only 10 or 15 minutes away from the
city centre, but is surprisingly good. Take the Reservoir Road
out of Cairns, go over the hill and down and then take the first
turn left on to the hill behind Cairns. On the lower parts you
can find many of the lowland species, such as red-winged fairy
wrens, but as you climb higher you start to find many of the
highland species such as Victoria's rifle birds and chowchillas.
I have also seen crested hawks and topknot pigeons, for example,
and lesser sooty owls have also been seen there at night. It is
best to go there either early in the morning when tourist traffic
is minimal. (The tourists take the trip for the view of Cairns
and the harbour, which is quite spectacular if that's your bag.)
There are many places where you can park a vehicle and just walk
around and look at the rainforest from the road. The best way to
do it is on a bicycle, but the trek up the hill is pretty hard
going and the ride down is rather hair-raising, particularly
around the bends. I'm surprised that Bransbury has missed it.
Bill Venables. (Recently returned from 5 months OS.)
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