Kauri Creek Camping Area, Danbulla National Park and State Forest, QLD.

                            Our view in Kauri Creek Camping Area overlooking Lake Tinaroo.

There are plenty of open grassy areas to set up next to the edge of Lake Tinaroo at Kauri Creek Camping Area but due to the rainy conditions we chose a gravel site overlooking the lake. 

                                            We loved our private site overlooking Lake Tinaroo.

We went night walking and saw a couple of Northern Brown Bandicoots. When we returned we found a nice Brown Tree Snake next to our motorhome.

                                                                        Brown Tree Snake

Native Giant white-tailed Rats Uromys caudimaculatus live in the area. They have been known to chew through cables to make comfy nests in vehicle engine bays  and National Parks recommend leaving the bonnet up overnight. Some people also advocate leaving a light on under the engine bay to deter them. We didn't actually see any rats during our stay.

There were lots of birds in the campground. Several pairs of Bush-stone Curlews just stood around during the day and made their mournful call during the night. We were happy to see Victoria's Riflebirds as opposed to the Paradise Riflebirds that we usually see further south. One female Victoria's Riflebird spent quite a bit of time right outside the motorhome and we could lie in bed and watch it through the window. We also enjoyed seeing Macleay's Honeyeaters as they are an unfamiliar bird to us.

Bush-stone Curlews

Victoria's Riflebird, male.

Victoria's Riflebird, female.

Macleay's Honeyeater.

Jungaljungal Walk: 8.2 km circuit, Grade 3.

The Jungaljungal Walk leaves from Kauri Creek Camping Area. It is a fairly unformed track through moist rainforest that showcases the vegetation and extremely clear creek water that is found in the area. We startled a Rufous Bettong which quickly bounded away from us.

Jungaljungal Walk

Extremely clear creeks were a feature in Danbulla National Park.

Although we didn't manage to get good photos, we were very excited to see a family of Chowchilla alongside the track and to spot a Bower's Shrike-thrush.

Chowchilla

Bower's Shrike-thrush hiding behind a leaf.

We walked via the Kauri Creek Day Use Area on our return to camp. It is a  lovely picnic area on the bank of Kauri Creek which would be worth stopping at if doing a scenic drive along Danbulla Road.

Kauri Creek Day Use Area.

The Regeneration Walk also leaves from Kauri Creek Camping Area and I covered that walk in the Downfall Creek Camping Area blog.

Details for Kauri Creek Camping Area, Danbulla National Park and State Forest, QLD:

Where: 26 km north-east of Atherton, QLD. 9 km from the western entrance of the park.

Access: Suitable for conventional vehicles and has boat access. Danbulla Road is unsealed. Further east along Danbulla Road it becomes narrower and winding. The road is signposted as unsuitable for caravans. Care needs to be taken as the road is used by logging trucks.

Camping: National Parks QLD take bookings for all rig types, including caravans, at Kauri Creek Camping Area. Open grassy areas and some individual sites.

Bookings: Book online or phone 13 74 68. Some Telstra mobile phone reception at campground. Gets busy on weekends.
Fees: $6.75 per adult per night, $27 family rates (up to 2 adults and 6 children, under 18).
Facilities: Flush toilets. Shower room, bring own shower. Non-potable water taps. Fire rings. Walks. Scenic Drive.  There were industrial bins near the amenities block. Phone reception. Boating, fishing and swimming allowed.
Prohibitions: No pets. No generators. No smoking.

Caution: Danbulla Road is unsealed, narrow in parts and is used by logging trucks. It is advised to keep vehicle bonnets up in the campground as rats have been known to make nests in engine bays and chew cables. 

Wildlife seen at Dunbulla National Park in June 2020:

Ulysses Butterfly. Large Huntsmen Spiders. Brown Tree Snake, Northern Brown Bandicoot, Rufous Bettong.

Birds: White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Chowchilla, Little Black Cormorant, Bush Stone-curlew, Pied Currawong, Australasian Darter, Pacific Black Duck, Wood Duck, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Intermediate Egret, Grey Fantail, Rufous Fantail, Red-browed Finch, Brown Gerygone, Fairy Gerygone, Large-billed Gerygone, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Macleay’s Honeyeater, Laughing Kookaburra, Magpie-lark, Masked Lapwing, Spectacled Monarch, Victoria’s Riflebird, Pale Yellow Robin, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren,  Bower's Shrike-thrush, Little Shrike-thrush, Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Varied Triller, White-throated Treecreeper, Weebill, Eastern Whipbird, Golden Whistler, Willie Wagtail.