Day 9: Tablelands & Mount Carbine

Another incredible walk in the rainforest and we were off to the south to find the tree “roos“ that our new friend, Brian, had recommended. Apparently, the kangaroos like to climb trees adjacent to a tea-making farm, so much so, that the farm staked wildlife signs around areas of highest density. We searched the trees high and low from the road, all to no avail. Elias and I were pulling away to leave and passed a Australian guide with one other photographer. He exclaimed through the window, “EH! Lookin’ fer tree roos are ya! Well we con werk togit’er if yer want!” I looked at Elias and shrugged. Why not. So we popped out and searched again. After another 30 minutes or so, the guide whistled and waved us over. A single tree kangaroo was nestled high in the canopy, looking down on us from a place of security.

The Tablelands deserved much more acknowledgement and dedication than we had time to give here. It is worthwhile spending your entire trip in the Tablelands, however long you have, even if you go nowhere else! It is one of the easiest places in Queensland (or Australia for that matter) to see platypus. We will definitely be back and dedicate more time to this area!

Onward north to the small community of Mount Molloy to rest up at another AirBnB. We took an evening drive northwest to Mount Carbine where bustards were known to forage in dry eucalyptus forest and open grasslands. Sure enough, we came across a half a dozen or so, visible from the road. We returned on the same track later and they were all gone except one.