Final Days

Today was our final day at Nairana.  Over the past 6 weeks we have enjoyed many new experiences at the Park – some good, some not so good.

The last five days have given us brilliant sunshine during the day – the kind of weather that we had expected to experience at this time of year.  The rains that plagued many of our days in June and July were far from the ‘norm’ for this time of year.  They did, however, give us the opportunity to see a different ‘face’ of the Park.

Since our arrival we have sighted and recorded 118 different species of birds around the Park.  From the tiniest wren to the magnificent wedge-tail eagle the sighting of so many birds has been one of the highlights of this stay. (Oh, and the completion of the kitchen painting!!!).

Despite the rains, or maybe because of the rains, we have explored many areas of the Park that we had not seen on our previous visits.  This past week we explored the far northern boundary, new areas around Lake Eliza, and new sections of Kapunda.

At the northern end of the Park we found pockets of wattle and grevillea in bloom side by side; we took in a magnificent view from the highest point of the Park, and we sighted the red-backed Kingfisher for the first time. We also pushed the Kubota to its limit (and Mr R.’s driving skills) as we trekked along steep and boggy tracks and detoured around bog holes and creeks!

On our last trip to Lake Eliza we stopped to photograph the largest red kangaroo that we have ever seen (he would have been at least 7 feet in height) and then discovered Sandy Ridge.  This area was almost like a coastal foreshore and here we sighted and photographed the Mistletoe bird and videoed another red kangaroo.

Stopping for our regular cuppa at the Lake we took a short walk up the rocky ridge surrounding the Lake and spotted another lagoon that we had never seen before.  We also spotted a herd of feral pigs – 9 adults and 6 piglets in the area. We trekked into the lagoon and found more water birds and new vegetation.

Departing Lake Eliza we finally came across the site of an old mustering hut in an area called Police Camp.  Mr R. had been searching for this site for almost three years now, so that was a highlight for him!

 

Our final trip to the Kapunda area provided an opportunity to photograph red-tailed black cockatoos, red-winged parrots, the magnificent display of wattle in the area, and a family of grey kangaroos feeding along the track. 

All in all, this time at Nairana has given us another glimpse into the wonderful country that we live in with its diverse vegetation, flora, fauna, and weather!

We hope you have enjoyed trekking with us through Nairana. Please take the opportunity to continue to follow our little blog when we return to Toowoomba when we will have the time and technology to upload more photos of this wonderful area.