The Five Best Birding Sites in Australia

[Dr Richard Nowotny <>]

Living in Melbourne, with easy access to the Western Treatment Plant
(Werribee Sewage Farm), I find myself taking visiting birders down that
way on occasions.  Several times I have suggested to these visitors
that the WTP is one of Australia's five best birding sites - without
anything much to be able to sustain such a grand statement.
John Barkla's recent report on Birding-Aus of a "typical" visit
he and Fred Smith made to the Farm recently (albeit with some pretty good
birds sighted, even for Werribee) reminded me what a wonderful site it is
for birdwatchers, particularly in such close proximity to Australia's
second largest city.  And it got me thinking a little more about our
"five best sites".
So what do Birding-Aus members think our best five are?  (Set your
own criteria for "best" - you may even like to make your
criteria explicit and let us know what they are.)
Just to start the discussion going I'll suggest a few possibilities -
from personal experience and other people's reports over the years -
including reports on this forum (in no particular order):

• Werribee/WTP (of course)
• The Cairns region
• The Hawkesbury region
• The Lockyer Valley
• The Capertee Valley
• The Murray Mallee

If we get enough responses/discussion perhaps it will enable me (and
others) to describe our local favourite as "one of the five best
sites in Australia" with just a little more substance to the claim
(?!).
Richard

                
RICHARD NOWOTNY
8 Pier St   Port Melbourne
VIC  AUSTRALIA  3207
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