Australia’s TOP Birding Sites
A suggestion by the author of The Complete Guide to Finding Birds of Australia (CSIRO Publishing) inspired us to wonder, what are the best birding destinations in Australia? We had a crack ourselves but soon realised no one of us can possibly claim to have the answer.
So we asked Australian birders to list their TOP10 favourite places to watch birds. The response has been great. As more TOP10s have arrived, we’ve had to update the list, as second place is now shared between Gluepot (SA), Lamington National Park (Qld) and Capertee Valley (NSW). The resounding top destination however, is
- Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
The TOP10 was actually shared by 13 locations (marked on the map with gold pins).
#1 Werribee Sewage Farm (T-section; Spit NR)
#2 Gluepot
#2 Lamington NP (O’Reilly’s)
#2 The Capertee Valley
#3 Hattah/Kulkyne National Park
#4 Broome (including Broome Bird Observatory & Roebuck Plains)
#4 Cheyne Beach
#4 Chiltern (Green Hill Road Dam)
#4 Bruny Island
#4 Bowra Station
#4 Cairns
#4 Iron Range (Portland Road)
#4 Kakadu
Where further information is available, there are links to give you information about access and what’s been seen. You can also find who’s available as a tour guide. Don’t forget, you can check our ‘where to watch’ pages for more information, accessed via the menu bar above. Also, why not grab a copy of The Complete Guide to Finding Birds of Australia to take with you? Happy birding !
Long list of sites
The left hand side is lists in alphabetical order. The right hand side is by state.
State | Place Name | State | Place Name |
WA | Abrolhos Island | NSW | Capertee Valley |
NT | Alice Springs Sewage Ponds | NSW | Round Hill |
Offshore | Ashmore Reef | NSW | Royal National Park |
QLD | Atherton Tablelands | NSW | Lake Cargelligo area |
VIC | Axedale | NSW | Barren Grounds |
QLD | Barkly Tablelands | NSW | Borah Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) |
NSW | Barren Grounds | NSW | Binya State Forest (& Cocoparra NP) |
NSW | Binya State Forest (& Cocoparra NP) | NSW | Deniliquin |
SA | Birdsville Track | NSW | Fivebough Swamp |
SA | Bool Lagoon | NSW | Goobang National Park |
NSW | Borah Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) | NSW | Gulpa Forest |
QLD | Bowra Station | NSW | Iluka & the Lower Clarence Valley |
QLD | Brisbane, Manly Area (Shorebird Roost) | NSW | Long Reef |
NSW | Broadwater NP | NSW | Maroubra |
WA | Broome | NSW | Pallaibo Trail, Kosciuszko NP |
TAS | Bruny Island | NSW | Southwest Rocks |
QLD | Cairns | NSW | Sturt National Park |
VIC | Cape Schanck | NSW | Warriewood Wetland |
NSW | Capertee Valley | NT | Kakadu |
WA | Carnarvon | NT | Darwin |
WA | Cheyne Beach | NT | Alice Springs Sewage Ponds |
VIC | Chiltern (Green Hill Road Dam) | NT | Darwin, Bird Billabong |
Offshore | Christmas Island | NT | Deep Well Road (Santa Theresa Road) |
Offshore | Cocos Keeling, North Keeling Island | NT | East McDonnell Ranges |
SA | Fleurieu Pen. (Comet Bore) | NT | Glen Helen Resort |
WA | Cue (see also, Nallan Stn) | NT | Kunoth / Hamilton Ds Yth Cmp Rd |
NT | Darwin | NT | Kuyunba Conservation Reserve |
NT | Bird Billabong | NT | Old Andado Stn |
NT | Deep Well Road (Santa Theresa Road) | NT | Owen Springs Conservation Reserve |
NSW | Deniliquin | NT | Tingkarli (Mary Ann Dam) |
WA | Dryandra State Forest | NT | Trephina Gorge |
QLD | Durakai State Forest | Offshore | Christmas Island |
QLD | Eagleby Wetlands | Offshore | Ashmore Reef |
TAS | Eaglehawk Neck pelagic | Offshore | Cocos Keeling, North Keeling Island |
NT | East McDonnell Ranges | Offshore | Macquarie Island |
WA | Eyre Bird Observatory | QLD | Lamington NP, Queensland |
NSW | Fivebough Swamp | QLD | Bowra Station |
SA | Flinders Ranges | QLD | Cairns |
NT | Glen Helen Resort | QLD | Iron Range |
SA | Gluepot | QLD | Kingfisher Park |
NSW | Goobang NP | QLD | Mt Lewis |
WA | Gracetown | QLD | Atherton Tablelands |
NSW | Gulpa Forest | QLD | Eagleby Wetlands |
NT | Kunoth / Hamilton Ds Yth Cmp Rd | QLD | Inskip Pt |
VIC | Hattah/Kulkyne National Park | QLD | Lawn Hill NP |
WA | Herdsman Lake | QLD | Sundown NP |
TAS | Hobart | QLD | Barkly Tablelands |
NSW | Iluka & the Lower Clarence Valley | QLD | Brisbane, Manly Area |
QLD | Inskip Pt | NSW | Broadwater NP |
QLD | Iron Range (Portland Road) | QLD | Durakai State Forest via Warwick |
NT | Kakadu | QLD | Karumba |
QLD | Karumba | QLD | Kilcowera Station |
WA | Katherine | QLD | Lockyer Valley |
QLD | Kilcowera Station | QLD | Mt Isa |
QLD | Kingfisher Park | QLD | Mt Tamborine |
WA | Kununurra | QLD | Paluma Range |
NT | Kuyunba Conservation Reserve | QLD | Plenty Highway |
WA | Lacapede Islands | QLD | Townsville Common |
NSW | Lake Cargelligo area | QLD | Tyto Wetlands |
WA | Lake Eda | SA | Gluepot |
WA | Lake Mclarty | SA | Strzlecki Track |
WA | Lake Monger | SA | Birdsville Track |
QLD | Lamington NP (O'Reilly's) | SA | Bool Lagoon |
QLD | Lawn Hill NP | SA | Comet Bore |
QLD | Lockyer Valley | SA | Flinders Ranges |
NSW | Long Reef | SA | North Flinders Ranges |
Offshore | Macquarie Island | SA | Port Augusta Botanical Park |
VIC | Mallacoota | SA | Port MacDonnell Pelagic |
NSW | Maroubra (Mistral Pt; Magic Pt) | TAS | Bruny Island |
TAS | Melaleuca | TAS | Hobart |
WA | Big Mitchell Falls | TAS | Melaleuca |
WA | Mornington Station | TAS | Eaglehawk Neck pelagic |
TAS | Mt Field | TAS | Mt Field |
QLD | Mt Isa | VIC | Werribee Sewage Farm |
QLD | Mt Lewis | VIC | Hattah/Kulkyne National Park |
QLD | Mt Tamborine (Witches Creek Falls) | VIC | Chiltern |
WA | Nallan Station | VIC | Mallacoota |
SA | North Flinders Ranges | VIC | Warby Ranges Vic |
NT | Old Andado Stn | VIC | Axedale |
VIC | Otway Ranges | VIC | Cape Schanck |
NT | Owen Springs Conservation Reserve | VIC | Otway Ranges |
NSW | Pallaibo Trail, Kosciuszko NP | VIC | Pink Lakes |
QLD | Paluma Range | WA | Broome |
WA | Parry Lagoons, Wyndham | WA | Cheyne Beach |
WA | Pemberton/Manjimup area | WA | Dryandra |
VIC | Murray Sunset NP (Pink Lakes) | WA | Kununurra |
QLD | Plenty Highway | WA | Two People's Bay |
SA | Port Augusta Botanical Park | WA | Abrolhos Island |
SA | Port MacDonnell Pelagic | WA | Carnarvon |
WA | Roebuck Bay (Broome Bird Obs) | WA | Cue |
WA | Rottnest Island (Herschel Lake) | WA | Eyre Bird Observatory |
NSW | Round Hill | WA | Gracetown |
NSW | Royal National Park | WA | Herdsman Lake |
WA | Shark Bay | WA | Katherine |
NSW | Southwest Rocks | WA | Lacapede Islands |
WA | Stirling Ranges (Stirling Range Retreat) | WA | Lake Eda |
SA | Strzlecki Track | WA | Lake Mclarty |
NSW | Sturt National Park | WA | Lake Monger |
QLD | Sundown NP | WA | Mitchell Falls |
NT | Tingkarli (Mary Ann Dam) | WA | Mornington Station |
QLD | Townsville Common | WA | Nallan Station |
NT | Trephina Gorge | WA | Parry Lagoons, Wyndham |
WA | Two People's Bay | WA | Pemberton/Manjimup area |
QLD | Tyto Wetlands | WA | Roebuck Bay |
VIC | Warby Ranges Vic | WA | Rottnest Island |
NSW | Warriewood Wetland | WA | Shark Bay |
VIC | Werribee Sewage Farm (T-section; Spit NR) | WA | Stirling Range Retreat |
NT | West McDonnell Ranges | WA | Rottnest Island |
NSW | Winmalee, in Blue Mountains NP | WA | Shark Bay |
VIC | Winton (Winton Wetlands) | WA | Stirling Range Retreat |
VIC | Wonga Wetlands | WA | Two People's Bay |