Birds of Channel Country Outback Safari

Your guide will collect you from your hotel in Mt Isa at 06:30 this morning and we will begin our exploration of this fantastic portion of Australia by heading north into the rocky hillsides around Mt Isa where our first target will be the gorgeous and highly sought after Carpentarian Grasswren amongst other great birds such as Black-tailed Treecreeper, Diamond Dove, Little Woodswallow and Grey-crowned Babblers. In the afternoon we will explore the surrounds of Lake Moondarra, a popular tourist destination and a fantastic place to spot wildlife such as Purple-necked Rock-wallaby, Long-tailed Finch, Varied Lorikeet and various waterbirds. Accommodation: Abacus Motel, Mount Isa (ensuite room, meals: L, D)

Following a morning exploring some new areas around Mt Isa to find the Cloncurry subspecies of the Australian Ringneck we will drive to Cloncurry where we will stop for lunch at the stunning Chinaman Dam with it's White-bellied Sea-eagle, Australian Darter, Sacred Kingfisher and Double-barred Finches. We'll stop at McKinlay where the Walkabout Creek Hotel is, made famous by the Crocodile Dundee movies before continuing to Winton. This is where we truly start to see the vast grassy plains that this corner of Australia is known for, with distant flocks of Budgerigar and Australian Bustards in the plains along the road we will stop at a few non-descript locations looking for the birds that call this habitat home; Rufous and Brown Songlark as well as the recently renamed Singing Bush Lark (previously Horsfield's Bushlark). Accommodation: Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

Today we will head south to Lark Quarry where we will spend the morning searching for some tricky, range-isolated species such as Opalton Grasswren, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, Halls Babbler, and if the eremophila is flowering Pied and Black Honeyeaters. After a delicious lunch out in the field admiring the peace and quiet where we should be kept company by Red-capped Robins and the chorus of Crested Bellbirds we will do a guided tour through the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Stampede monument before slowly working our way back to Winton. An hour at the end of the day at the Winton sewerage ponds often yields some great species such as Plum-headed Finch, Baillon's Crake, Black Falcon, and Restless Flycatcher. Accommodation: Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

A morning out exploring the rugged beauty of Bladensburg National Park, we will criss-cross our way across the park past spinifex-covered hills, creek crossings, and dense mulga scrub while searching for Chestnut-breasted Babbler, Red-winged Parrot, Pallid Cuckoo, Hooded Robin, Spinifex Pigeon, and the diminutive but brightly coloured Red-capped Robin. After lunch back in Winton we will drive to Longreach, again stopping at a number of creek crossings to see what flora and fauna we can discover. There will be the option to visit the Qantas Museum. Accommodation: Saltbush Retreat, Longreach (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

Some early morning birding at the Longreach Sewerage Ponds always has us finding some great species including Cockatiel, White-winged and Purple-backed Fairywren, Rufous-throated Honeyeater and Little Grassbird. Following a late breakfast we will visit the Qantas Museum in Longreach, the home of Australia's most famous airline. After lunch we'll drive to Windorah via Lochern National Park with its Coolibah lined watercourse. Splendid Fairywren, Bourke's Parrot and Crimson Chat will be our targets here before driving the final stretch into Windorah. There will be the option to go spotlighting along the grassy plains tonight. Accommodation: Western Star Hotel, Windorah (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

This morning, we will spend a few hours exploring more in the immediate vicinity of Windorah before starting our fairly long drive to Birdsville. We'll stop at a lookout to search for White-backed Swallows and no doubt we will see several Wedge-tailed Eagles on the drive. Stopping for lunch where we will have time to sit in the silence and isolation from any form of civilization, with only the sounds of Zebra Finch and distant Australian Ravens to keep us company. We'll visit the Dreamtime Serpent artwork at Betoota before finishing our drive for the day in Birdsville. Accommodation: Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

We have all day to explore the areas around Birdsville today, with the banks of the Diamantina a short walk from our accommodation we'll search for Red-browed Pardalote and the isolated caeruleus subspecies of Red-rumped Parrot along with a large number of waterbirds on the Birdsville Billabong including Cormorants, Ibis, Spoonbills, Herons and Egrets. We'll visit a stand of Waddi Trees just outside of Birdsville, one of Australia's rarest trees, and with an incredibly dense hardwood, it is often one of the only tree species where it is found. Black-faced Woodswallows and Orange Chat can often be found in the same area. Accommodation: Birdsville Hotel (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

An early start today, we'll drive north along the Eyre Developmental Road. Stopping at the impressive Cuttaburra Crossing, an oasis in a usually parched landscape which always has water meaning a constant collection of birds including Australian Pratincole, Red-necked Avocet, White-winged Triller and Tree and Fairy Martins are usually building or tending to nest under the bridge. We'll stop for lunch in Bedourie where a short walk along Eyre Creek might yield Australian Owlet-nightjar and White-breasted Woodswallow as well as various raptors including Black Kite, Whistling Kite and Brown Falcon. The highlight of today will be the world's only nocturnal raptor and one of Australia's rarest; the Letter-winged Kite. Not often seen but occasionally forming breeding colonies of multiple 100's of birds. Accommodation: Desert Sands Motel, Boulia (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

A walk this morning after breakfast along the Boulia Billabong before we begin our final drive north to Mt Isa. Stopping near Dajarra we'll spend a bit of time searching a small rocky hillside for Kalkadoon Grasswren, the elusive Spinifex bird and with a bit of luck some gorgeous Painted Finch. The rest of our day will be determined by what we still have left to see, and we will have plenty of opportunities between Boulia and Mt Isa and in the surroundings of each. Finishing up after a fantastic 9 days exploring a great part of this vast country, you'll go over the final checklist for the tour. Accommodation: Abacus Motel, Mount Isa (ensuite room, meals: B, L, D)

Our tour concludes after breakfast where your guide can drop you at the airport for your departing flight to Brisbane. Accommodation: Nil (meals B)