Congress & Campout 2008

This year's Congress & Campout will be held at our award-winning Gluepot Reserve in the Riverland of South Australia.  Celebrating Gluepot's 10th Anniversary, the Congress will hold one day of talks and presentations in Waikerie, with the second day to be spent visiting and learning about Gluepot.  This event celebrates . The Campout will carry on from here, and attendees are allowed to stay as long as they like.  More information and a registration brochure will be available on our website in August 2008.

Congress

Birds Australia’s Congress is best described as an annual two-day birdfest.  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 and gossip 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 ones is published in Wingspan and on our website.

Campouts

Every Congress has 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 always organised nearby.