Woodlands historic park is located right across the Melbourne airport. This park has few different access points and depending on where you access it from you would be able to see different things.
Somerton Rd entrance has parking, picnic spots and toilet facilities and is usually open from 9am to 4:30pm; but, you can just park your car outside and still access the park outside of those times. From here, you can access few walking tracks and even go to the Back Paddock, Homestead or Gellibrand Hill depending on how much you’d like to walk.
From tracks closer to parking areas you’d find Superb Fairy Wrens, Red Browed Finches, Rainbow Lorikeets, Crimson Rosellas, Red Rumped Parrots, Willie Wagtails, Australian Magpies, Ravens, Spotted and Striated Pardalotes and Weebill and depending on the season Flame Robins, Grey Fantail, Tree Martins, Welcome Swallows, White Plumed Honeyeaters, Silver Eyes and Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike. You’d also come across Lizards, Echidna and some cool insects depending on your luck.
Another access point is through Oakland Dr which leads to Homestead Complex. The homestead complex is converted in to a cafe and it is also home of the Living Legends Organisation which houses retired champion race horses. Around the homestead building the area is surrounded by well maintained garden where you’d see few garden birds. This is a gated entrance though; entry times are 9am to 4pm and after this it is not possible to access this area.
From Homestead complex you can access trails towards back paddock on one side and towards Moonee Ponds Creek trail on the other side. Birds present around here are Galahs, Eastern Rosellas, Crimson Rosellas, Red Rumped Parrots, Sulpher Crested Cockatoos, Yellow Thornbills, Superb Fairy Wrens, Flame Robins and Red Browed finches among others.
The Entrance through Providence Rd leads to Providence rd car park. Before you get to the car park you may find Corellas, Galahs or Kangaroos along the grass patches on the side of the road. The left side on the car park is Weeroona aboriginal cemetery which has restricted access but you’ll always find groups of Kangaroos and Wallabies in there.
In the woods on the right side you’ll find all the bush birds. In winter you may see Flame, Scarlet and Red Capped Robins. There are also more chances of seeing Laughing Kookaburras or at least hearing them if you reach here early enough or later around sunset.
This entrance from the Providence Rd car park is the shortest way to get into Back Paddock – A fenced Bandicoot sanctuary. The whole area is fenced to protect the Bandicoots. So the positive is you’d be able to take photographs freely without much disturbance and you may run into fellow birders or wildlife photographers as well.
In the back paddock is your best chance to see Flame Robins as I have had my most successful encounters with them right there; a few times I have even seen them in groups of six to ten birds. Wedge tailed eagles and other raptors can also be seen flying above. I had also seen my first Swamp Wallaby in the back paddock.
Smaller birds like Pardalotes are often heard before they can be seen, but if you stick around and follow their call you can spot them among the eucalyptus foliage. You may catch Striated Pardalotes going in and out of hollow trunks around breeding season as they prepare to build their nest.
While searching for birds I have started noticing different trees, mushrooms and insects that I came across as well. One of those trees – Drooping She-oak has become my favourite to photograph.
There are also a couple of Billabongs; one outside the paddock along the horse riding trail has quite a few birds around. You can come across Yellow Faced Honeyeater, White Plumed Honeyeater, Brown Headed Honeyeater, Varied Sitella, Grey Shrikethrush and the regular bush birds. At Sunset Kangaroos come in large groups to drink from these Billabongs. If you stay well hidden there could be some good opportunities for photographing birds around Billabongs during sunset as they are quite active and they would often come for a drink.
Gellibrand Hill can also be accessed from this area, upon reaching the summit you’ll see the Melbourne Skyline in far horizon. I have found the summit to be best place to photograph sunsets.
While leaving the park around sunset the surrounding farms give you plenty of photo opportunities. I love photographing horses and Kangaroos in the homestead complex during sunset as the sun is directly at the opposite side during summer. You can see flocks of Corellas and Cockatoos going crazy in the farm land.
As I frequent this park you will see more posts down the road from here. Apart from birding the park is also great for woodlands photography, bush walking, trail running, mountain biking and horse riding among other things.
Lastly please leave a comment or ask a question if you have any. As always happy birding!
