Pelican Waters Lamerough Creek

The northern end of Pumicestone Passage contains a variety of waders and terns.  A good vantage point to observe these birds is from beside the navigation tower at Golden Beach.  Notable species of wader that can be observed here include Pacific Golden Plover, Lesser Sand Plover and Greater Sand Plover during summer and Double-banded Plover during autumn and winter.  However, undoubtedly the highlight of this area is the very large population of terns.  Beginning in October, three species of migrant terns (Little Tern, Common Tern and White-winged Black Tern) arrive from their northern hemisphere breeding grounds. Flock numbers increase between late January and mid to late February, when up to 40,000 can be seen at last light as they settle on the central sandbanks for the night.  By early May, all migratory terns have left to breed again.

 The best time to visit Golden Beach is on a rising tide just before the sandbanks are completely submerged.  This time normally coincides with the time of the high tide at Brisbane Bar.  The terns congregate in largest numbers during the late afternoon, when fortunately, the best viewing conditions occur, as the sun is directly behind one’s back.  As the sandbanks are a reasonable distance from the beach, use of a spotting scope is highly recommended.