Easy Access Birding Sites on the Tweed-Gold Coast
Activities:
Location:
Varies. View our adventure map for the specific locations.
Description:
I’ll begin this post by highlighting that despite enjoying landscape photography (at which I am OK but not great), I am a very poor wildlife photographer - so despite this story focusing on birding locations, there won’t be bird photos from me on here!
Southport Spit - Main Beach, QLD
If you find yourself looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of Surfers Paradise or the Gold Coast’s theme parks, the Federation Walk Coastal Reserve (aka Southport Spit) at the northern end of the coast is a birder’s refuge. A peninsula located between the Gold Coast Broadwater and the Pacific Ocean, the coastal dune habitat always presents something different.
eBird Hotspot page: LINK
Hinterland Regional Park - Mudgeeraba, QLD
Centrally located on the Gold Coast, this area has a mix of recreational parklands, dry sclerophyll forest, wetlands, pastural land and a small pocket of sub-tropical rainforest. It’s a mostly flat area, so the walking is generally easy, and the species diversity is excellent.
eBird Hotspot page: LINK
Burleigh Head National Park & Tallebudgera Creek Conservation Park - Burleigh Heads, QLD
One of the Gold Coast’s busiest holiday destinations, Burleigh Heads is also home to this amazing national park and nearby conservation area. The habitat is a mix of littoral rainforest and rocky coastal foreshore, which means there’s also a diverse mix of birds to fix your binoculars on. The two areas can be connected by a not-too-long walk on relatively quiet residential streets. Given its location, Burleigh Head NP gets very busy - if that’s the case, Tallebudgera Creek CP might be the better option that day!
eBird Hotspot pages: Burleigh Head NP / Tallebudgera Creek CP
Burleigh Head National Park on a typical Gold Coast day.
Eddie Kornhauser Reserve & Schuster Park - Elanora, QLD
Towards the southern end of the Gold Coast this isn’t one specific site, rather a collection of reserves that are essentially connected, and feature similar flora and fauna. These areas get busy on weekends due to playgrounds and picnic areas, so I prefer mid-week early mornings to make the most of the quiet.
eBird Hotspot pages: Eddie Kornhauser Reserve / Eddie Kornhauser Reserve (western section) / Schuster Park / Elanora Wetlands
NOTE at 27 Nov 2024: The Elanora Wetlands are currently inaccessible from adjacent to the Elanora Wastewater Treatment Plant due to ongoing M1 roadworks. You can explore the area by kayak on Tallebudgera Creek, or explore the peninsula accessed from Schuster Park.
Robert Dixon Park - Kingscliff, NSW
Located near the coastal village of Kingscliff in northern NSW, I return to this area in the hope of seeing Glossy Black Cockatoos which are known to visit (alas, still no luck). Regardless, there’s always something going on - from noisy friarbirds living up to their name, brown honeyeaters being busy or the usual characters common of coastal parklands (lapwings, pelicans, noisy miners, gulls). If you dip on the birds, you can double-down with a dip in the creek (sorry - I couldn’t help myself).
eBird Hotspot pages: LINK
