Last Chance Birding Near Hobart International Airport

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Tara

Sadly our exciting birding adventure in Tasmania had come to an end. We had seen all the parrots which are found on the island, some seen up close and easily photographed. Others like the Blue-winged Parrots only flew overhead without warning or chance to grab a photo. Our flight was around noon so that gave one last chance to go birding. We left Customs House right after breakfast and drove out to the airport where I knew several parrots species would be easily seen. I had been hoping the elusive Blue-winged Parrots would come closer but they didn’t. This map shows the general area to look for birds.

We started at the patch between the Travelodge and the caravan park where we had seen Galahs and Eastern Rosellas before. They did not disappoint!

I wanted to see birds but not badly enough to pay a $5000 fine!

Musk Lorikeets were everywhere! And that concludes my birding report on Tasmania, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and are inspired to plan your own trip! If you want to find all the posts in this series, simply click here.

Birding The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Tara

Trees and plants attract birds so it was a good choice to go birding at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart, Tasmania. It is a short drive from the hotel we spent the night at – the Customs House in Salamanca area of Hobart.

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens map

The gardens themselves were beautiful as one might expect.

There is a really cool hide overlooking the garden with stunning views over the river and city.

Our visit was in the late afternoon and found that birds were more easily seen up near the entrance of the gardens. Eastern Rosellas, Musk Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were easily seen.

Spotted Doves IMG_8102a - Copy

Hotel Review – Customs House Waterfront Hotel

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Tara

Location and history make the Customs House Waterfront Hotel a unique experience in Hobart. Built on Hobart’s waterfront for Charles Gaylor and licenced in 1846 it derived its name from the fact that the then Custom House (now Parliament House) is opposite. Mr. Gaylor was one of Hobart’s early settlers and his name is cut deep in the front coping stone of the building. When I was planning this trip, I chose this hotel for its proximity to birding areas such as the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and the history. I was very happy with it but if you prefer modern luxury this won’t suit your needs. Look for deals on Pointshound or Rocketmiles to earn miles for your stay. Aussies can also get Virgin Velocity points for staying here.

Old and new architecture side by side in Hobart.

Rooms are clean, simply furnished and come with a delicious pub breakfast. There is a pub downstairs so it could get noisy on the weekends. We stayed on a Thursday night and were not disturbed.

The hotel is just a short stroll from the popular shopping and nightlife district of Salamanca. Unfortunately we arrived after all the shops were closed.

Shopping to support Orange-bellied Parrots! I wish this store would have been open!

There was some kind of street festival going on (early March 2014) so we stopped in for dinner and to listen to the music.

Our Melaleuca Adventure With Par Avion

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Tara

A day trip to Melaleuca with Par Avion is bound to be the highlight of any birder’s trip to Tasmania! They depart from Cambridge Airport just near the main Hobart Airport HBA early in the morning so you should fly in the day before, preferably on miles. Unfortunately Par Avion does not have a frequent flyer program!

While you wait, check the trees outside the car park for Musk Lorikeets.

Par Avion has several small aircraft and you will be assigned a pilot (who doubles as a giude) and a plane. Expect several planes to make the trip depending on bookings.

On the way out, our pilot Sam pointed out the landmarks below. Fish farms

One by one all the planes landed at Melaleuca and we were gathered in a small hut for orientation.

Ina & I with our plane

Preparing for the flight back

I am going to do more detailed blogs about the visit to the Orange-bellied Parrots and other sights in Melalueca and just post photos pertaining to the planes and flights here.

Hotel Review: Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Tara

If you have a Melalueca day trip booked to see the Orange-bellied Parrots, the Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport is the closest hotel to the airfield. If you arrive before 6pm, you can use the free shuttle from Hobart Airport to the hotel, otherwise you would have to get a taxi or independent shuttle for the short drive. The hotel shuttle will also drop you at the Cambridge Airport in the morning for your Par Avion trip.

The rooms are fine, nothing anyone would get excited about but clean and comfortable. You only get 30 minutes free internet included with the room.

For people on a budget, there is a petrol station with a Subway inside with all the usual sandwich options just opposite the hotel.

In the large grassy area between the caravan park and the hotel you can enjoy the antics of Galahs, Eastern Rosellas, Cockatoos and several other birds!

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Tara

The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the Rosella genus. The male and female are generally similar in plumage, being predominantly black, green, and yellow in colour with a red band above the beak and blue cheeks; however, some females have red-orange colouration on the front of their necks. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

If you would like to see this beauty in the wild, first you need to fly to Hobart in Tasmania. You can use your airline miles to get to Australia. Once there, hire a car and drive to one of these national parks. More information about Freycinet, Mole Creek, Cradle Mountain and all of Tasmania’s national parks can be found on the Parks & Wildlife website. Freycinet has a very impressive bird list! Green Rosellas are also seen in parks in Hobart and Launceston.

Green Rosella habitat

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

VIDEO

Destination Hobart, Tasmania (Melaleuca)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Tara

GETTING TO HOBART

Yesterday, I gave some information about the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. Now let’s find out how to get to see them in the wild! The “A” shows where Melaleuca is in relation to Hobart.

Tasmania is the smallest state in Australia and I am going to assume that if you are coming from overseas, it won’t be your only destination in Australia. I have another post about how to get from overseas to Australia on miles.

There are two major airlines that fly from the mainland to the main airport, Hobart (HOB) – Virgin Australia and Qantas. Virgin is not yet in any major airline alliance and there are few opportunities to use other airline partners on domestic Virgin (DJ) flights. Aussies can readily get Velocity points from credit cards and other partners. Here’s an example of a round trip redemption from Sydney to Hobart. From Brisbane it is the same, from Melbourne a bit less and from Adelaide a bit more. From Perth, it goes up quite a bit.

QANTAS also has a distanced based award chart with a handy award calculator.

Sydney and Brisbane both are in Zone 2.

By contrast, have a look at the award cost from Perth.

Qantas is a member of One World so it often works out cheaper in both miles and money to use their partner American Airlines to book this flight. AA has a flat fee of 10,000 miles each way no matter where you are flying to and from in Australia so they are a good bargain for longer flights.

British Airways has a distance based chart but short distances can be a bargain when booked with Avios. They start as low as 4500 from Melbourne, 9000 from Brisbane up to 12,500 from Perth each way.

WHERE TO STAY

The flights to Melaleuca leave from Cambridge Airfield which is very close to Hobart Airport where your flight from the mainland arrives. The purple dot indicates the location of the Quality Airport Hotel. This runs around $125-ish in cash or since they are part of the Choice hotel chain you can use 25,000 points to book it for free!

HOW TO GET TO MELALEUCA FROM HOBART

Only small aircraft that seat 6-10 people fly this route. Par Avion is the main tour operator that does day trips to Melaleuca and take you to the bird hides to see the Orange-bellied Parrots.

They can also provide flights for people who want to spend a few days at Melaleuca and camp out. There are more details on their website.

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service website has more information. Be sure to check out the sound clip of the OBP, they are pretty quiet for parrots!

For bushwalkers and those who are able to fly into the Tasmanian south-west, there is a good chance of seeing Orange-bellied Parrots. At Melaleuca, in the Southwest National Park, a bird hide has been built especially for observing the birds. From mid-October until the end of March, the birds are regular visitors, coming and going throughout the day. However the best times to see them are in the early mornings or late afternoons. There are two bushwalkers’ huts with room for up to 20 people.

If you are VERY lucky, you may also see Ground Parrots like this blogger reports! Tasmania has a wealth of nature reserves that have great birding, so I would recommend spending at least a week here. I will be doing more posts later about other birding hotspots in Tasmania.

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