We've Been Awarded Tourism Funding to Launch Our Premium Birding Expeditions

Big news, Kuranda Transfers has been awarded funding through the Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund to get our birding expedition service off the ground.

The funding covers a hybrid touring vehicle, trailer and specialist optical equipment, which is everything we need to start delivering multi-day guided expeditions targeting the 13 bird species found nowhere else on Earth, all endemic to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area right here in Far North Queensland.

What We're Building
Our eight-day expeditions will take small groups of up to six guests across the Atherton Tablelands and Wet Tropics upland rainforests in search of species including the Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird, Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, and Bridled Honeyeater.

Serious birders travel the world to tick off endemic species, birds they simply cannot see anywhere else. The Wet Tropics has 13 of them, and there's strong demand for a dedicated premium service built around finding them all in a single expedition. That's what we're here to do.

Our expeditions will be led by Clayton, who brings over 20 years of guiding experience across Far North Queensland. Clayton's been recognised by the Cairns Tourism Association for guiding excellence, and his fluency in German gives us direct access to the European birding market.

Why This Matters for the Tablelands
This isn't a day trip from Cairns. Our guests will be spending eight days travelling through the Tablelands, staying in local accommodation, eating at local restaurants, buying from local businesses and putting money into the region. It's exactly what this fund was designed to support, and we're delighted to have the opportunity to hatch this idea and give it wings.
Since launching in early 2024, we've completed hundreds of bookings, earned over 80 five-star Google reviews, and maintained a zero safety incident record. The birding expeditions are a natural next step, scaling what we've already proven into a new premium ecotourism product.
With a hybrid vehicle, small group sizes of maximum six, and Wet Tropics Defender certification, we're committed to keeping our environmental footprint as small as possible while delivering world-class wildlife experiences.

What's Next
Now that our infrastructure funding is confirmed, things are really taking flight — we're targeting our first expeditions for 2026. Expressions of interest are open now at kurandatransfers.com.au/tours/birding-expeditions.

The Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund is delivered by the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Kuranda Transfers was selected as a recipient in Round 1 of the fund as part of the Destination 2045 plan.