Birdlife at Mungalla
Mungalla has long been famous for its bird life, both permanent residents and migratory visitors. During the occupation by the Cassady family, Mungalla was declared a wildlife reserve and shooting was not allowed on the property. At April 2020, 229 different species had been recorded. A number of uncommon sightings have been made.
Mungalla is an ebird Australia hotspot - http://ebird.org/ebird/australia/hotspot/L2560929
There are always many birds to see, but the best time is in the dry season, September to December, when the wetland species become more concentrated. Large numbers of Spoonbills, Egrets, Ibises, Magpie Geese, various ducks and smaller waders can be seen as the wetlands dry and contract. Jabirus breed on the property and many species of raptors can be seen hunting over the paddocks and wetlands.Owls inhabit the forests, grasslands and buildings.
Our photo gallery shows a number of birds photographed at Mungalla, thanks to Tony Ashton, Ian Boyd, Richard Wallace and others.
Saltwater Crocodiles occur in both salt and fresh water habitats in north Queensland and a number of large crocodiles inhabit Palm Creek and the Mungalla wetlands. Birdwatchers should be aware of this and exercise caution when near the creek and wetlands. Winter mornings are the best time to see crocodiles at Mungalla.
The Captive Lives Story
Many nineteenth century circuses included human curiosities, the most famous of these being the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth.
In the 1880s and 1890s Barnum’s agent, R. A. Cunningham, persuaded two groups of Aboriginal people to participate in these shows in the USA and Europe where they were portrayed as the Australian Cannibals and Boomerang Throwers. The first group came from nearby Palm and Hinchinbrook Islands and the second from the Mungalla Station workforce.
Most of the two groups died in the cold conditions they experienced in the northern hemisphere. The first to die was known as Tambo and his body was mummified and sold to a dime museum in Ohio.
Professional Savages Book
Aboriginals "removed" from Mungalla Station
One hundred years later the Australian archaeologist Roslyn Poignant would begin to compile this amazing story of how they were seen by over 27 millions people throughout Europe and America in a book called "Professional Savages". In 1993 Tambo’s body was found in a disused American funeral parlour in Ohio and was returned to Palm Island to be reburied exactly 110 years after he died.
Roslyn Poignant curated a travelling exhibition for the National Library of Australia that exposes this story and was seen by over 300,000 people. Hear Nywaigi Aboriginal story tellers recount the treatment of their ancestors and see the exhibition, which is now permanently displayed in the grand old Mungalla homestead which is one of the oldest homesteads in the Hinchinbrook shire.
Our Location
Mungalla Station is located approximately 12 kilometres east of the sugar cane township of Ingham in North Queensland. Ingham is on the Bruce Highway 1.5 hours drive north of Townsville and 3 hours south of Cairns.
From Ingham look for the Forrest Beach signs and follow the Forrest Beach Road towards Forrest Beach (Allingham). The signs to Forrest Beach are found in Ingham at the traffic lights near McDonalds. Once you are on the Forrest Beach Road take a scenic drive for approximately 12 kilometres, passing the Victoria Sugar Mill. Look for the large grove of mango trees on the right that frame the entrance to Mungalla Station, you should see a Mungalla sign near the driveway entrance. Turn right into the driveway and follow the road down to the homestead.
