As one might expect, a country as large as Australia has a wide variety of eco-systems and species of birds. Many of these potential bird habitats are extremely difficult to access such as the Canning Stock Route. You need to be a very experienced 4WDer to make it out there safely.
Canning Stock Route
Fortunately the Outback town of Cue gives us a much easier way to access some stunning bird species such as Mulga Parrots, Major Mitchell Cockatoos, Bourke’s Parrots, Western Bowerbirds and some that are very familiar to pet bird keepers such as Cockatiels, Budgerigars and Zebra Finches. Seeing your pet bird’s wild cousins is an amazing experience and can give you a renewed interest in conservation and learning more about the bird’s behaviour. Check out the very impressive bird list!
Cue has no airport so most people would fly into Perth and drive. The roads are in good condition but you should avoid driving between sunset and sunrise as there is a strong risk of hitting kangaroos.
Location of Cue
You also need to beware of road trains and oversized mining equipment. They are preceeded by a warning vehicle which gives you plenty of time to pull over and let them pass.
Forget about your hotels points, there are only two places to stay in town:
Queen of the Murchison (I stayed there, review coming)
Up until around 2010, most birders stayed at Nallan Station, about 13 km north of town, but they are no longer operating the station stay. Hopefully, they may open it back up again!
Cue has a “wild west” feel about it and an Outback charm all its own. The locals are very friendly and the town attracts birders interested in the wonderful Nallan Station which I will be blogging about separately. Meanwhile, here’s a few pics from Cue and surrounds!
