31. Port Douglas - Rainforest Habitat 1

Saturday 27 September

Today is "Breakfast With The Birds" at the Rainforest Habitat. If you don't have a car, there's the Sun Palm Freedom Shuttle Bus which operates between the township of Port Douglas and some accommodation places every 30 minutes.

Shuttle Bus

I caught the bus outside the Rattle and Hum bistro in Macrossan Street at 7.30am. Cost was $3.00 (each way). The bus goes around to various locations throughout Port Douglas including the Marina and Rainforest Habitat. It didn't matter what your destination was - it was the same price.


Rainforest Habitat Map

As you can see, the Habitat isn't far from town, but you do need wheels to get there.

Breakfast with the birds is really wonderful and doesn't cost that much more than your normal entry fee. You can eat as much or as little as you like, plus there's champagne, orange juice and tea and coffee. Altogether I had 2 glasses of orange juice, 2 glasses of champagne, (well, I needed a clear head!) a coffee, sausages, has browns, scrambled eggs, bacon, Danish pastries, muffins, and a glorious platter of tropical fruits.


Dining Room

It's a little blurry, but this is where breakfast is served. I was to the right behind the counter - there are tables and chairs all around and the birds wander freely.

Fresh Tropical Fruit

Mango, passion fruit, pineapple, strawberries, rockmelon were just some of the fruits available.


Rainbow Lorikeet

This little fellow was one of the birdies sitting on my table. The staff at the Habitat explained that we couldn't let the birds eat or drink any of the food as it was bad for them.

The Rainbow Lorikeet is widely distributed along the coastal strip from Cape York south to Victoria and into South Australia. They are considered a pest by the Australian govenment because of the damage they do to fruit trees - they can ruin 70 to 90 percent of fruit crops if they feed on them. Their feathers have a range of different colors - green, blue, purple, red, orange and yellow, hence their name.


Cattle Egret

The Cattle Egret is a species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is a stocky white bird and nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs.


If we left the tables we had to cover our drinks and food so the birds didn't get to them. Some birdies are very persistant!

Your "Breakfast with the Birds" ticket also allows you to return to the Habitat on another day.