Bluewater Creek

We were familiar with the main part of Bluewater Park on the north side of Bluewater Creek, but didn’t realise before checking it out on a map, that there was a narrow strip of bush along the south side that was also part of the park. It stretched from the highway to the start of private property, between Bluewater Station Road and the creek.

Finding a vague track down to the creek itself, we walked upstream on a narrow uneven track along the creek bank through mostly long grass and saplings, including many Grevillea pteridifolia. The mature trees along both banks included Melaleucas, pandanus, bloodwoods and wattles, with various weeds surrounding them.

Waterhole, Bluewater Creek

The creek was just a series of often murky pools, but when the area had been checked out a few weeks before, it had been dry enough to walk across to the main park (provided you were willing to slog through some very unappealing vegetation) but recent rain had rejuvenated it a little.

Dollar birds. Photo P. Cocks

The number of birds spotted and heard along the short distance we walked made up for any lack of breath-taking scenery. We were helped by the presence of some experienced birder visitors. Peafowl were not included, despite hearing one, as we had come beyond someone’s house and when trying to walk up the bank to the road, realised we had reached their chook yard fence and needed to scrub bash a bit to get past their property. There were also calls of a jungle fowl relation, a bantam rooster, not counted.

The shady mown area outside the Scouts’ property on the other side of the road looked like an ideal area for morning tea and further bird watching and chatting in comfort, so we spent some time there before heading off.

Thank you to Russell McG for compiling the list and Heidi for sending it to us.