Imka and I are originally from Trinidad and Tobago: a twin-island republic in the southern Caribbean. The larger island of Trinidad is approximately 5,000 sq km in area (roughly 100km by 50km), and the longest stretch of freeway is 45km long. So imagine how awestruck we were when we had just moved to Australia and made our first non-stop 60km drive to a place that was no further than the “b” in “Melbourne” on a map!
A few years later, with many 300km round trips under our belts, the idea of making a 5hr, 450km return trip to a small town in northern Victoria to see a special bird (that may or not have still been there), still seemed daunting. A week before the 2016 Easter break, dozens of Superb Parrots were reported in Wunghnu (pronounced “one-you”), and so, we were determined to push our limits to tick them and be home for dinner. Armed with excellent, up-to-date directions and reports from birders, we felt confident that we would find them as well as Grey-crowned Babblers, Australian Ravens, and Pied Butcherbirds.

Map to Wunghnu
Wunghnu is tiny (about 3 blocks by 6 blocks) but it’s a beautiful little town with every amenity that a weary traveller would need, including public toilets located on the picturesque banks of Nine Mile Creek, and a tavern. The town was established more than 130 years ago, but the existence of ‘canoe trees’ in the area (i.e. trees used by indigenous Australians to hew canoes from) suggests that Wunghnu has a long history of human habitation.
We left home at 7am, and made our first pitstop at the large service station near Wallan on the Hume Freeway for a healthy KFC breakfast. By 9am we pulled in to a shopping centre in Shepparton for our second pitstop, where I used the opportunity to check my lottery ticket and won a life-changing $14. “Ah well – that’s breakfast reimbursed”, I thought, “but the next ticket will buy me a Swarovski spotting scope”.
Three hours after we left home, we pulled off the A39 on to Warnecke Street, and immediately spotted a small flock of ‘superb parrots’ in and around the cricket oval! Of course, it turned out that they were Red-rumped Parrots, which though ‘superb parrots’, weren’t the Superb Parrots that we were after. We then turned on to Graham Street – an unsealed road bisecting the village ‘common’ – where our targets were reported the day before. We quickly realised that the Common was fenced, so I walked the length of the road while Imka followed in the car 100m behind. No sign of Superb Parrots, and with the sun out in its glory and the temperature increasing, it’s no surprise that we didn’t see a single bird of any species! Not the best of starts,we thought, but, the day was relatively young.
Our next stop was the confusingly named Graham Road – an unsealed road half a kilometre east of Graham Street – where the parrots were also reported earlier in the week. Just as we approached the turn off, we spotted a large sentinel-like bird near a farm dam: it was a majestic White-necked Heron, standing still, looking off into the distance.

White-necked Heron

Blue-faced Honeyeater (juvenile)

Ruby Saltbush

Tractor pump

Nine Mile Creek (is it nine miles from a landmark, or is it nine miles long?)

Rear view of a Restless Flycatcher

Shady lunch spot near where the Blue-faced Honeyeaters call home
With pleasantries exchanged, they alerted us to the distinctive call of a babbler. Slowly, against the bright glare of a backlit tree, we saw one, then two birds materialise: they were Grey-crowned Babblers – our second lifer for the day! We took dozens of photos, but in the harsh lighting, none of them were National Geographic quality. The gentleman explained that the babblers build numerous nests in surrounding trees to use intermittently, and that the two groups of babblers from either side of the intersection never trespassed on the other group’s territory. He also shared his passion for geocaching, which sounds like a hobby that we could incorporate into bird watching in the future. Sometimes, the most memorable birding experiences, are actually when we meet wonderful people along the way.

Grey-crowned Babbler

Grey-crowned Babbler

Grey-crowned Babbler

Grey-crowned Babbler

Smoke and raptors

Bird-rich dam

Pied Butcherbird
Great post, Reza! I know Wunghnu, as I passed through there a number of times when Paul was working in Numurkah a couple of years back. I thought of you a couple of weeks back when I was watching and listening to a bird with the most beautiful, melodious song, and wondering if you would know what it was…I did manage to identify it: the Pied Butcherbird!!
Thanks for your comment, Kim! Yes, it’s a lovely part of Victoria to visit. There must be hundreds of similar towns throughout Australia, each with its own story to tell.
I agree: the Pied Butcherbird has a beautiful song. Good on you for seeing and identifying one!! You are probably seeing some amazing birds and wildlife during your travels.
Great to hear Birders like our part of the world You are welcome at any time to give us a ring or email me to have a look on our Land for Wildlife property on Grahams Road Wunghnu It’s called “Bimbimbi” place of many birds Recently we had a pair of Brolgas just around the corner and a pair of Bush Stone Curlews. The Curlews laid two eggs but sadly the eggs were gone after two days. We are currently striving to prevent the establishment of a 48 bed Addiction Centre on the Nine Mile Creek in the Broken Boosey State Park smack in the middle of the Curlews home range and within half kilometre
Of the Brolgas.
Hi Sandy. Thanks for reading the post and leaving a comment. Wunghnu and environs is a spectacular part of Victoria, and we would very much like to visit your Land for Wildlife property some day, especially to see Bush Stone Curlews – a shame about their eggs though. Balancing the establishment of an addiction centre with wildlife conservation sounds challenging, and I hope that it works out well for all stakeholders.
Thank you for acknowledging my comments. It is a very special place – most people just drive through and never really get to see what we have to offer. We regularly kayak along the Nine Mile Creek which is a wonderful way to observe the bird life. Stay in touch
Sandy