Netra and I decided to head to Cairns just after Christmas to assess whether the region would be suitable for running future workshops. What we found was a place of remarkable ecological diversity—beaches, wetlands, forests, farmland and rainforests all within easy reach—and a destination bursting with wildlife encounters, even in the challenging conditions during the wet season.
Day 1: Heat, Humidity, and Metallic Starlings
We arrived on Boxing Day and, after checking into our hotel, wasted no time heading out. Our first stop was Holloways Beach, where we hoped to find the spectacular Metallic Starlings, known for nesting communally in public spaces. We quickly located an active nest tree and spent time photographing the birds, immediately reminded that Cairns in summer does not pull any punches. The heat and humidity were intense, and being there in the wet season certainly didn’t help.
From the beach we moved to Cattana Wetlands, where we were greeted by the distinctive calls of the Yellow Oriole. It took a few minutes to track one down in the foliage, but the effort was worth it, as they are a rather pretty bird, though they do blend in well into the crowns of trees where they spend most of their time foraging.
This was a short-lived outing, and we chose another location to investigate at the mouth of the Barron River. When we arrived, there were a lot of people hanging about the dirt car park with their 4WDs and frankly, both Netra and I thought that with the amount of intoxicated people, it was not the best place to walk around with close to $30k worth of camera gear, so we drove back up the trail a bit and checked out a pair of Peaceful Doves having a scuffle. This was a blessing in disguise, as we came across a male and female Sahul Sunbird, which were just so pretty up close.
With activity slowing and the heat becoming oppressive, we decided to call it early and head back to the hotel—stopping along the way to buy fresh roadside lychees. Unfortunately, the lack of functioning air conditioning at the hotel (thanks to a lightning-strike-damaged compressor) made for an uncomfortable evening.
Still, hopes were high for the following day.
Day 2: Cassowaries, Kingfishers, and Raptors at Dusk
We began early with a 90-minute drive south to Etty Bay Beach, a known stronghold of the endangered Southern Cassowary. These prehistoric-looking birds—third largest in the world after the ostrich and emu—are as impressive as they are potentially dangerous, thanks to their formidable five-inch (12cm) toenails.
Our patience paid off when Netra spotted an adult male cassowary with a chick on Mourilyan Harbour Road. With the Southern Cassowary, males incubate and raise the young and some commonsense behaviours are important to consider prior to stepping out of a vehicle to photograph the birds. We kept a respectful distance, remaining calm and non-threatening, and were rewarded with an unforgettable encounter. The cassowary moved around us freely with his fluffy youngster, showing neither fear nor aggression—a testament to respectful wildlife observation.
From there, we headed north to Mossman Gorge in search of Boyd’s Forest Dragons. Unfortunately, a busy Saturday and changes to site access since my last visit 20 years ago—including shuttle buses and visitor center parking—made the experience far less magical, and we came up empty-handed.
Later that afternoon saw us winding up the Mount Molloy Road toward Julatten, searching for Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers. While we heard and briefly saw several birds darting across the road, the terrain made photography impossible without proper hides.
Our final stop for the day was Mount Carbine, where things really came alive. As dusk settled, we encountered Red-backed Fairywrens, Australian Bustards, and an impressive assembly of raptors—at least a dozen Black Kites, a Whistling Kite, and a lone Brown Falcon—all hunting crickets in the fields. Though most were too distant for ideal images, the kites occasionally flew close enough to reward us with excellent photographic opportunities in very poor, fading light.
Storms rolled in as we left, and I even spotted a Frill-necked Lizard on the roadside, which quickly vanished into cover as I slowed the car. We had an exhausting but exhilarating day despite having driven over 500km in a single day to look at birds. Pretty mad, if you ask me. That’s why we are 2Mad Photographers, not 2Sensible Photographers.
Day 3: Butterflies, Beetles, and Night Walks
Sunday began lazily, with a drive up to Kuranda. Before visiting the Butterfly Sanctuary, we tried one of the known cassowary roads—and within 500 metres struck gold. A lone male cassowary emerged with two chicks, which surprisingly ran toward us, the adult following slowly behind. Their boldness suggested they may have been habituated to humans. At first we kept the car between ourselves and the adult bird for safety. After seeing that he was very chilled, we relaxed our guard a little but still stayed respectful of his personal space. He had no problems with us around him and the two young birds. They behaved naturally and calmly, which is what one should expect if they are not carrying on like complete morons around wildlife.
After breakfast crêpes near the sanctuary, we purchased our entry tickets to the butterfly aviary at the sanctuary, only to be told the Ulysses butterflies were not breeding this year. We were most disappointed, as that species of butterfly is very close to Netra’s heart, but the experience was still magical, surrounded by vibrant butterflies and even a Swift’s Ant-hunter jumping spider spotted by Netra. The oppressive heat and humidity eventually drove us out, but not before I found and photographed a spectacular Rhinoceros Beetle outside the main entrance, which even hissed when gently repositioned from the lawn where he could have easily been stepped on by someone not paying attention.
Plans to visit Lake Eacham and search for Boyd’s forest dragons were thwarted by crowds and heavy rain. Just up the road, literally, at Yungaburra, we tried to make another attempt at a walk, but more heavy rain had us bail and head back to Cairns. The road back to Cairns had more twists and turns than a crime show on TV, and I was getting a bit sick of the corners and slow speeds, but safety first! I suggested that we should locate one of the known Spectacled Flying Fox camps in town—thousands of noisy, essential pollinators hanging overhead raucously carrying on as flying foxes do in a camp. They have the cutest faces when you look at them close and we find it difficult to comprehend how so many people think of them as pests and the enemy. Our forests could simply not exist without flying foxes, they are that important!
After a swim in the pool, dinner in town, and a late-night walk through the botanic gardens, the day ended on a high note, with nocturnal wildlife making the gardens come alive. I go out by myself mostly, as Netra does not participate in photographing animals during the night. It’s just something she has not had an interest in. I enjoyed a lazy couple of hours walking around photographing some amazing spiders and beetles, and sadly counted 17 cane toads, which are an invasive and very destructive species of introduced amphibian.
Day 4: Rain, Raptors, and more Cassowaries
Monday started late due to rain and a rental car swap, but we pressed on regardless. A drive toward Mareeba took us to the Golden Drop Mango Winery at Biboohra, and along the way we unexpectedly spotted yet another cassowary with a chick near the Barron River bridge on the east side of Kuranda.
A misadventure with Google Maps sent us down a flooded dirt road towards the winery, but the detour delivered an unexpected highlight: a Black Kite attempting to feed on a road-killed Pheasant Coucal. Despite miserable conditions, we captured some excellent images as the kite circled close to our vehicle, in the rain, on the way to the flooded creek, and on the way back from the flooded creek. If you want to learn more about how to shoot with high ISO using your DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may want to check out this blog post.
The winery visit was thoroughly enjoyable and trying to get a sense of being surrounded by 17,000 mango trees all full of ripe mangos was absolutely mind-blowing. And to think how much we pay for one mango in Sydney, they were $3.00 per kilo at the winery. Fresh, ripe mangos, juicy and so full of sweet flavour that we could not wait to gorge ourselves on more. When I drove out the gate, I noted a small flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks, which are not common around Sydney, so I had to get some images, of course. The encounter was followed almost immediately by Magpie Geese feeding in soggy paddocks and many of the same geese coming in, landing, and flying close enough for nice flight shots, in – you guessed – awful light. Further exploration along Pickford Road west of the town revealed an impressive mix of species, including Pale-headed Rosellas, honeyeaters, fairywrens, macropods, a distant Black-necked Stork, and even a young Wedge-tailed Eagle. We thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, but were looking forward to being back at the hotel again.
To top it all off, we revisited the road in Kuranda and once again found the cassowary father with his two chicks, spending 36 minutes quietly observing this extraordinary little family before heading back to Cairns.
This concludes Part I of our Cairns adventure.
We will post Part II on Monday next week (12 Jan 2026)