Edwin and all,
I have just made some phone enquiries with the Sydney Catchment Authority
and have found out the following:
It is no longer possible to hire a water board guide or for individuals or
groups to organise access into the restricted area around Lake Burragorang,
in the way that Roger described. The NPWS run a guided tagalong trip
through the area from Oakdale to Yerranderie once a month, but this
involves travelling straight through and there is no stopping for
sightseeing or birding along the way. It is simply meant as a relatively
quick way to get to Yerranderie for a weekend and back. A long wheel base
4WD is necessary and the cost is about $50. Further details from NPWS
Oakdale office on (02) 4659 6133. Sounds like a good idea if you want to go
to Yerranderie (a very interesting place which I am sure is seldom visited
by birders) but there is no way of organising a birding trip specifically
in the restricted catchment area.
Years ago when this type of access was possible I went on one of Paul
Nagle's atlassing trips into the restricted area, and while I didn't see
any Emus, we did get an excellent list of birds including Great Crested
Grebe, Musk Duck, Little Eagle, Hooded Robin, Speckled Warbler, Glossy
Black-Cockatoo, Rockwarbler, the three treecreepers, etc, etc.
Even though I can see Yerranderie Peak from my house, I have only been to
Yerranderie once, driving in on the long bumpy road from the west. I
remember there was a fairly tame Emu wandering around the "main street". At
the time I assumed it had been brought there, but after reading Roger's
message I'm not sure.
The Burragorang Valley is outside the area covered by Smith & Smith's
"Fauna of the Blue Mountains" and I certainly don't have any experience of
Emus in the Blue Mountains area itself. Gina Hopkins' report of a dead Emu
in Blue Gum Forest is extraordinary. I have never heard of them in the
Grose Valley before and I have visited Blue Gum Forest very many times over
the years with never a sign of them. But the Blue Mountains occasionally
springs surprises on us simply because so much of it is not easily
accessible, and not many birders are also hard-core bushwalkers.
Cheers,
Carol
Carol Probets
Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW
(where it's snowing again)
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Edwin wrote:
> I would have loved to get access to that spot. Carol, do you know
>if anyone can still get acceess or how to? Thanks for the info. Roger.
>Very interesting. Edwin
>
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