National Parks and Reserves - full or half day tours

It is true that I may be biased, but I am not alone in considering The Mallee to be one of Victoria’s finest birding locations!

This unique and enthralling semi-arid region is home to a magnificent array of over 300 beautiful birds and extremely interesting flora that have adapted to the high temperatures and low rainfall. Some of these birds are incredibly cryptic - affording views only after lots of hard work, some threatened (unfortunately the Mallee has a handful of birds that are classified as threatened species) and some very specialised to this environment such as the tiny Mallee Emu-wren; however, even the ‘common’ species are far from it!

We are very fortunate in this area to have several excellent National Parks, as well as many smaller Flora and Fauna Reserves and small bushland reserves to explore and enjoy. It is a landscape that really leaves a lasting and profound impression on those who visit, and who are then compelled to revisit time and time again.

As a passionate advocate and local of the Mallee, I am very well placed during birdwatching tours to be able to provide a fantastic insight to this amazing environment and its inhabitants! I spend many hours exploring and birding throughout the district and so I am able to remain up to date with the comings and goings of the birds, and the best locations to find them.

Cheers, Michael

Feel free to get in touch or to give me a call on 0491 758 849 to discuss your Mallee birdwatching tour options.

• Tailored to your requirements; are you after a specific target bird? Do you just want to enjoy a day out and the many birds and wildlife that can be seen? We will go at the pace you want to.

• Comfortable, well-equipped 4WD vehicle

• Tea and coffee provided

• Use of binoculars and field guides provided

• 10% discount for guests staying at Explore the Mallee

Available tour locations

Wyperfeld National Park

Wyperfeld is the third largest national park in Australia and was declared as a national park in 1921 before being expanded significantly to protect 357,017 hectares (882,210 acres) of mallee, woodland, and heathland.

The reserve is part of the Wyperfeld, Big Desert and Ngarkat Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of Malleefowl and other species of mallee birds. The northern section of the park around the Pine Plains area is home to the largest breeding population of Major Mitchell’s (or Pink) Cockatoos (Lophochroa leadbeateri) in Victoria. I conduct a formal monitoring survey of this population monthly as part of a long-term conservation effort led by Dr Victor Hurley.

The central feature of the park is a chain of lake beds connected by Outlet Creek, the northern extension of the Wimmera River. The lakes only fill when the Wimmera River over-supplies Lake Hindmarsh to the south of Lake Albacutya. This very rarely happens!

See the Wyperfeld eBird list

Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

Hattah-Kulkyne is an absolute gem; protecting 48,000-hectares (120,000-acre) and situated adjacent to the mighty Murray River. It was declared a national park on 7 June 1960. Over 200 bird species have been recorded in the park. Like Murray-Sunset, it lies within the Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello Important Bird Area identified by BirdLife International because it contains mallee habitat supporting a suite of threatened mallee bird species, including the Malleefowl and Mallee Emu-wrens. Striated Grasswrens are found through the triodia heavy sections of the western section of the park. Hattah is also a great spot for Chestnut-crowned Babblers, Emus and Gilbert’s Whistler among many other great birds! There are several lakes in the park, some of which receive regular environmental water allocations following drying periods.

See the Hattah-Kulkyne eBird list

Murray-Sunset National Park

Murray-Sunset is the second largest national park in Australia - 633,000-hectare (1,560,000-acre) - and was declared as a national park on 26 April 1979 before being expanded to encompass Pink Lakes State Park in 1999. Over 600 species of plants have been recorded, and 300 species of birds. Most of the park lies within the Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello Important Bird Area identified by BirdLife International because it contains mallee habitat supporting a suite of threatened mallee bird species, including the Malleefowl, Black-eared Miner and Mallee Emu-wrens. Striated Grasswrens are found through the triodia heavy sections of the park.

See the Murray-Sunset eBird list

Wathe Flora and Fauna Reserve

Wathe is an absolute little beauty of a reserve! Only ten minutes from Explore the Mallee HQ, it has areas of mallee and triodia, with most tracks only accessible by 4WD vehicle. There is a healthy population of Malleefowl in the reserve and a wide variety of bush birds can be found. As it is considerably smaller then the national parks, this could be comfortably visited in half a day. Louise and I have a section of the reserve as our ‘territory’ when we take part in the annual mound monitoring run by the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group.

See the Wathe eBird list