Excursion Report – Boonoo Boonoo NP, Northern NSW, 24 to 28th January 2025

Click here to view the Boonoo Boonoo iNaturalist Project: https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/projects/qnc-2025-jan-boonoo-boonoo-basket-swamp-camp

Australia Day weekend was a typical QNC camp. We hiked along Boonoo Boonoo River to Morgans Gully on Day 1, and to the falls on Day 2. On the third day, we drove to Basket Swamp and explored the grasslands and the falls. Platypus Pool provided a perfect place for a swim, kayak, or just to cool off. The weather was kind: hot on the first day, with cooler conditions on Days 2 and 3 due to cloud cover.

Twenty-one species of birds were photographed for iNaturalist. 42 bird species were recorded on 14 eBird checklists over the 4 days  https://ebird.org/tripreport/325260.  Whitethroated Needletails, (Hirundapus caudacutus), were observed flying above Platypus Pool and red browed treecreepers (Climacteris erythrops) were identified at Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic ground. The sighting of colourful fairy wrens caused considerable debate as both the variegated (Malurus lamberti) and purple-backed (Malurus assimilis) varieties occur within the park and nobody was able to get a clear picture of the critical purple patches.

Mammal hunting was quite successful. We saw a spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatis), rufous bettongs (Aepyprymnus rufescens), red-necked wallabies (Nortamacropus rufogriseus), brushtail possums (Trichosurus sp), platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus, brush-tailed rock wallabies (Petrogale penicillate) (in two locations), a bandicoot, and a mouse-like creature.

Eastern water skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) were common along the river, and jacky dragons (Amphibolurus muricatus) and nobbi dragons (Diporiphora nobbi) were found sunning themselves in the usual places. An eastern snake-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) was spotted in Platypus Pool. But the reptile excitement was reserved for two families of Cunningham skinks (Egernia cunninghami) found at Basket Swamp Upper Falls. Smaller individuals were observed sunnying themselves close to larger ones that was presumed to be the mother.