Campout 2009 Karara

The National Campout will be held at Karara, Queensland from 29 September - 4 October, organised by Birds Australia Southern Queensland. There will be no Congress this year as Congress alternates with the Australasian Ornithological Conference.

Karara is in the traprock country 50 km west of Warwick, on the Cunningham Highway. There will be visits to the Durakai State Forest, Coolmunda Dam, the Main Range National Park and Sundown National Park. The area has a wide range of habitats from subtropical rainforest to open plains, and a long bird list (279 spp) which includes Squatter Pigeon, Blue Bonnet, Albert's Lyrebird, White-winged Fairy-wren, Regent Honeyeater (among many other honeyeaters), Red-capped Robin and Spotted Bowerbird.

Activities will include location of calling male Albert's Lyrebirds; searches for Regent Honeyeater breeding sites and for Glossy Black-Cockatoos feeding;  bird surveys along stock routes; as well as lots of friendly social birding. An optional bus tour of pastoral properties is being  planned to examine approaches to Grazing Land Management, and its implications for birds and biodiversity. Cost to be advised  Evening bird call and talks/slide shows on local birds - supper provided. There will be a camp barbecue on Saturday night prepared by the Hall Committee.

We will organise the final program a week or so before the campout, after we find when you will be here and what you are interested in. Please indicate which activities you are interested in to assist our planning. The final program will be sent to you before the campout.

If there is a bird which is on the Atlas list for Karara that you need for your life list, let us know, and we will find one for you or pay a forfeit. See Birdata for the list (enter location: Karara, Qld) or the BASQ website.

The Karara Hall is a large hall with hot showers, toilets, and kitchen facilities and equipment available for campers to use. Room for swags inside, and vans and tents outside (15 power points available outside, and there are refrigerators and freezers in the hall). There is limited motel accommodation at the Karara Hotel, and plenty in Warwick. When you register, we will reserve you a campsite, but you should book your own motel. The same daily fee applies to all adult participants, and is for each day (24 hours) or part thereof. The Hall will open from mid-morning Tues 29 Sep to mid-morning Monday 5 Oct. Orientation and casual birding on Tuesday 29. The full camp fee  is for 6 days: $48 (offsite $18) + registration+ Barbecue.

Registration Form
You can open this form, fill it in and return by email, OR print out the completed form and post it.

For more information, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write to:
Secretary, BASQ
PO Box 224
Crows Nest QLD 4355

Congress & Campout

A Birds Australia Congress is held every 2 years alternate to the AOC. At each Congress, expert ornithologists and amateurs alike gather to hear fascinating lectures and discussions on a myriad of bird-related topics, attend workshops, catch up with the latest bird news, mingle at the Congress dinner, and go on field trips to places of local ornithological interest.  Since its inception in the early 1900s, the Congress has become an institution. All states and territories have hosted it, not just in the capital cities, but in many different regional centres as well, from Port Arthur in Tasmania to the Atherton Tableland in north Queensland, and from Geraldton in Western Australia to Rockhampton in Queensland. They have even been held as far afield as Norfolk Island, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, much to the delight of the participants.  Due to their popularity, participants need to book to attend the Congress, and advance notice about forthcoming events is published in Wingspan and on our website.

Many Congress' have a Campout as its climax. Each year the Campout is held at an interesting ornithological site within easy travelling distance from wherever the Congress was conducted. Some of the recent Campouts have been held in Kakadu National Park, on Cape York and in Gluepot Reserve.  Assisted by local birdwatchers, participants are able to see local specialties and may participate in local conservation projects, as well as enjoy a relaxing few days birdwatching in some of Australia’s best birding locations, and then catch up with friends (old and new) around a campfire each night. If camping is not your style, comfortable alternative accommodation is generally available nearby.