John,
Presumably, you meant Helmeted Friarbird, not Helmeted Honeyeater?
I would endorse all the good comments about Gunlom, the swimming is
great (as it is in lots of waterfall pools around the Top End) and the
walk above the falls, although steep, is very worthwhile. We saw our
first Partridge Pigeon on the roadside on the way in to Gunlom, and our
only Hooded Parrot along the sealed bit nearer Pine Creek.
.
Paul Osborn
> ----------
> From: John Leonard[SMTP:
> Sent: Wednesday, 17 June 1998 8:25
> To:
> Subject: re: Kakadu
> Sensitivity: Confidential
>
> Talk of Kakadu reminds me to mention Gumlom camp-site as a magnificent
> place.
>
> We were there in August last year and despite the fact that we had two
> small
> children with chickenpox in a camper-van we had a great time there.
>
> In the camping area the gums were flowering and we saw Banded,
> Rufous-breasted, and Rufous-throated Honeyeaters and Northern Rosellas
> and
> Varied Lorikeets. In the monsoon-forest bit near the waterhole were
> Rainbow
> Pittas. Up on the escarpment, although I missed the White-throated
> Grasswrens, I saw White-lined Honeyeater, Chestnut-quilled Rock-dove
> and
> Sandstone Shrike-thrush, along with the Variegated FW ssp dulcis that
> Andrew
> mentioned for Nourlangie, and the sandstone spp of the Helmeted
> Honeyeater,
> plus Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.
>
> The pool is marvellous to swim in and has freshwater crocodiles.
>
> I suspect the fact that the campground is down 30km of dirt dissuades
> a lot
> of people from coming ad makes it so peaceful. We were supposed to go
> off the
> bitumen in our camper van, but we did, thank goodness.
>
> Also along the approach road to the site we saw Black-breasted Buzzard
> and
> Black-tailed Treecreeper.
>
> The only jarring note was that the creek that Thomas and Thomas
> recommends
> for Banded Fruit-Dove on the way in has Uranium salts encrusting the
> rock
> walls (as I think I mentioned once before on birding-aus). So I
> wouldn't
> recommend that.
>
> John Leonard
>
|
