Southwest Tasmania

Southwest Tasmania is one of the last truly wild places in Australia. The Southwest National Park — 600,000 hectares of buttongrass moorland, quartzite ranges, ancient Huon pine forests, and glacial lakes — is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, one of the largest temperate wilderness reserves in the Southern Hemisphere.

For birders, Tasmania holds a status unique in Australia: several species exist here and only here, and others use Tasmania as their last critical refuge. Three Critically Endangered and Endangered parrots make the island their stronghold.

40-spotted Pardalote — Bruny Island

The most accessible target for visiting birders. The 40-spotted Pardalote is endemic to Tasmania and now largely restricted to Bruny Island and Maria Island. Bruny is a 20-minute ferry ride from Kettering (40 minutes south of Hobart). The white gum forest at Dennes Point and the Adventure Bay area hold the most reliable colonies. Morning visits in any season give good odds of finding these tiny, constantly moving birds in the canopy.

Swift Parrot — Derwent Valley and Hobart area

The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmanian blue gum and black gum forests and migrates to the Australian mainland in autumn. Population: around 300 birds remaining. Nesting is concentrated in the Derwent Valley, Central Highlands, and along the east coast. Sugar gliders predate nest hollows — one of the major threats to breeding success. When in Tasmania from August to January, Blue gum flowering sites around Hobart and the Coal River Valley can attract large feeding flocks.

Orange-bellied Parrot — Melaleuca

One of the most sought-after birds in Australia. The Orange-bellied Parrot breeds only at Melaleuca, a remote southwest wilderness accessible by light aircraft or boat, or on foot via multi-day walks. Fewer than 50 wild birds remain. The species' existence is precarious, and visits to the breeding area are managed carefully. For most birders, seeing an OBP means wintering birds on mainland coastal saltmarshes in Victoria and South Australia (Werribee, western Port Phillip, Mount Compass).

Pelagic birding from Hobart

Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean produce excellent pelagic diversity. Blue Petrels, prions, Shy Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, and occasionally rare species from the Southern Ocean push north into Tasmanian waters. Organised pelagic trips from Hobart, particularly in autumn and winter, can produce 15–20 seabird species in a day.

Key birds to look for