Last week, I had the best time birding in Corner Country - that's around the town of Tibooburra (great spot!), Fort Grey Campground and Cameron Corner, the point where Qld meets SA meets NSW. Bourkes parrots, crimson chats and a million budgies were among the rewards - oh, and the magnificent flora-laden landscape. Magic!

Just recently I had the opportunity to see these stunning Bourke's Parrots engage in nuptial feeding. 

The fourth leg of my big roadtrip included the Western Australian goldfields, the Nullarbor after the big rains, and quite a tour around Eyre Peninsula. Best of all, I had a friend on board.

Having finished my course at the Broome Bird Observatory, it was time to start the long journey home to Melbourne. Many unexpected life changes happened during that time...including more intense heat, and a million flies!

For some time, I had been eyeing off the courses at Broome Bird Observatory from the cool climes of Melbourne. I decided to do one, and not just fly in and out, but drive there, as you do (and as I did - see recent blogs for details of that drive). It was to be a five-day live in adventure, focusing on the birds of the Broome region.

In spring 2023 I set out to drive from Melbourne to south-west WA, then up to Broome (check out this blog if you missed that leg of the adventure). By mid-September I was driving from Perth to Broome via the heart of the mighty Pilbara. It was harder than I anticipated....

I recently did a bird photography workshop with Shelley Pearson at Wooleen Station in the West Australian outback. I learnt so much - and not just about bird photography.

Spring had sprung, and this was the first leg of a big adventure: Melbourne to Broome return, via South-West Western Australia...and such an adventure it was even though everything didn't go to plan. Here is an account of the first leg from Melbourne up to Lake Cullerleraine in Victoria's far west corner, through South Australia and the Eyre Peninsula, savouring the Nullarbor and the Great Western Woodlands, and on to the South-West of WA via Esperance. 

We recently toured the Northern Territory with Luke Paterson (NT Bird Specialists). The marketing promised a finch frenzy - but Luke delivered plenty more! This was a great value experience. Read on to find out more.

We've been hearing about Lee Point, and the threat from land clearing, from afar, but while we were in Darwin, we thought we'd take a look for ourselves. It truly looks like a bird Mecca worth defending.

I recently blogged about my splendid days at Kilcowera Station. Seeing the Bourke's parrots there was the highlight...but here's why this was one of my best and worst bird photography experiences to date.

​I was so chuffed to find these pink cockatoos - also known as Major Mitchell cockatoos - late in the day recently at Bowra Sanctuary in Queensland. The light was poor, except the setting sun came out just briefly and highlighted their cones. It was such a delightful experience.

So we've explained our motivation, and all the moving parts to kit it out - but does our Troopy fit out all work? Here's our experience so far...

Yep, this rear bar is a step change - pun intended. We're mostly very pleased with our Cruiser Co rear bar...read on. 

As explained elsewhere, we decided to take the plunge - a giant leap of faith really - and have our internal fit out done interstate - in Gloucester, NSW, quite distant from Melbourne....here's how it went and what we think of the workmanship, the products and the customer experience.

In 2022, we decided to get a Troopy - see why. Just before Christmas 2022, our All-Cab roof conversion was completed, and a 270 degree awning was added to our Troopy, along with a GVM upgrade, and side steps and rails. Six months later, we added an Alu-Cab shower cube and load bars...here's what happened and how it went.

We're two senior gals, recently retired, who had no idea that, post-pandemic, we'd be launching into four wheel driving, camping, and "waking up with the birds". But we did - and here's our story: what we did and why, who we engaged to fit out the Troopy, and how that's gone. We'd love to hear your experiences, and hope our story helps others who are thinking of taking the plunge. ​This blog post gives you the general background - and others give more detailed reviews of the main providers.

On a recent Nullarbor crossing, we birded as and when we could, in both directions. We were more focussed on travelling than birding so this is not intended to be a comprehensive list of birds that others might see - this is just a record of our experience. Enjoy!

In my younger life I studiously avoided ever driving across the Nullarbor - but more recently, I've just really wanted to do it - to see what's out there and to be in those wide open silent spaces. Turns out it was fantastic!