Northern Melbourne

If you feel like an urban adventure - but in the bush, you might like to visit the Galada Tamboore area, it’s a little known quiet and beautiful area located mostly behind an industrial and housing estate in Campbellfield. Cryptic KangarooSituated on a 93 hectare floodplain the Merri Creek meanders through it past sedimentary and basalt escarpments and gullies containing remnant river red gums. At the top of the escarpments are indigenous shrublands and grasslands. The area is regionally significant for its reptiles (particularly snakes!!), geology and aboriginal archeological sites. You can access the area via the end of Somerset Drive or Hatty Court, Campbellfield.

There are two beautiful areas next to the Merri Creek that can be accessed by the pathways. If you enter through the Hatty Court Reserve and take the path heading south about 350 meters, look to the left and you will find a beautiful little gully called Yellow Box Gully, named this for the trees growing in the gully beside the creek. This is one of the best spots in the area to see little birds on one visit we found Brown-headed Honeyeaters in the flowering Yellow Box, Spotted Pardalote, White-browed Scrubwren, Grey Fantail, Superb Fairywren, Brown Thornbills and Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo have also been seen in this area.

After you are finished here you can cross the creek and head north on the other side. Take the pathway heading through the grasslands, look out for European Skylark and Australasian Pipits. Galada TambooreContinue on passing the turnoff to the left. You will then come to another turnoff take the path to the right which will lead down to the creek. Here you will find the creek running under a rocky escarpment with tall Eucalypts growing beside the creek. You can rock hop across the creek to the grasslands on the other side where you may find Brown Quail or a mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Look out for the Brown Falcon which likes to rest in the trees here or it may be hunting along the cliffs. You will probably see or hear Australian Reed Warblers and Golden Headed Cisticola.

When you are finished take one of the pathways back up the west bank both which lead to Hatty Court.

Casuarinas near the southern fence

Woodlands Historic Park is 22 kms north of Melbourne just near the Melbourne Airport. This is a large park so it's a good idea to start from an entrance near to the area you would like to explore, there are a number of ways to access the park but my preferred entry points are either by the entrance to the Back Paddock near the Koori Cemetery, off Providence Road or by the Somerton Road picnic area. The bush is thicker here and the birdlife more prolific. Some of the areas outside of the Back Paddock are sparsely vegetated and can be hot and dry during summer. The area called the Back Paddock has been enclosed in a fox proof fence to protect the Eastern Barred Bandicoot which is being reintroduced here.

Kangaroo in the Back Paddock

If you walk along the paths near to the northern fence of the Back Paddock during winter Scarlet, Red-capped and Flame Robins can be spotted hopping around low in the trees and on the many fallen logs. Other interesting birds that can be seen in this area are Spotted and Striated Pardalote, Varied Sitella, Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Crested Shrike-tit, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Striated and Brown Thornbills, Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush and Weebill. In Summer you can find Shining-bronze Cuckoo, Rufous Whistler and White-winger Triller. A pair of Whistling Kites can often be seen near to the South East fence of the Back Paddock. The area just east of the Greenvale Creek is fairly open and can be a good place to spot a raptor such as a Wedge-tailed Eagle or a Brown Goshawk. If you follow the northern fence of the Back paddock you will pass the old Greenvale Hospital, I find it quite eerie to see the abandoned hospital surrounded by the bush here.

Kangaroo coming to drink

At the Somerton Road Picnic ground you will find a pathway which follows the Moonee Ponds creek. Last time we visited there was still water in the creek here and many bush birds were seen nearby such as Grey Fantail, Superb Fairywren and Red-browed Finch. Over 119 species of birds have been seen in the park and you may be lucky enough to see such gems as Western Gerygone, Masked Woodswallow or a Purple crowed Lorikeet and there are always plenty of Eastern Grey Kangaroos present.

If you are coming from the airport it is possible to enter the park on foot via Marker Road, however there is no gate to the back paddock here. To enter the Back Paddock, once you have entered the park, follow the south fence of the Back Paddock for about 1 kilometer until you reach the gate. It may be possible to see many small birds on the way to the gate such as Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Striated and Spotted Pardalote or Red-browed Finch. A Wedge-tailed Eagle and Brown Goshawk have also been seen here.

If you are hungry after a long walk around the park you might feel like a delicious wood fired pizza and a glass of wine which you can get at the nearby rustic outdoor restaurant of Wildwood Vineyards, in winter its heated by the wood fired oven and outdoor heaters so its good all year round. More about Wildwood Winery can be found here www.wildwoodvineyards.com.au