18/10/2025 • 4 min read
The Request That Started It All
When the booking came through last month — "Private driver needed, 8 hours, birding experience ideal", I thought it'd be straightforward. A long but easy day: point A to point B, wait in the car, deliver the reliable service Kuranda Transfers is known for.
I told the customer upfront, I could take him anywhere he wanted in the Tablelands, but I wasn't a birding guide. He said he knew his birds and just needed a driver. Easy enough.
We left his Cairns hotel just after sunrise. Within twenty minutes, he was explaining the Wet Tropics endemics, species that exist nowhere else on Earth except this small stretch of ancient rainforest we call home. Cassowaries. Riflebirds. Golden Bowerbirds building their towers of sticks in the highlands.
I've driven those roads hundreds of times. But that morning, I realised I'd never really seen them.
The stunning landscapes of the Wet Tropics that opened my eyes to birding
At our first stop, he grabbed his binoculars, turned, and said:
"You're welcome to come along if you'd like."
So I did.
Within two hours, I had eBird installed. Merlin Bird ID running. I was learning the difference between a honeyeater's call and a scrubwren's chatter. Suddenly, the forest wasn't just green anymore, it was alive, layered, full of voices I'd never heard before.
The day flew. The idea of "just driving" vanished. This wasn't work anymore, it was discovery. I extended the booking to almost 12 hours at no extra charge. Just gratitude for the experience.
The next morning, I bought binoculars. Proper ones.
A week later, Clayton was back from his trip. We caught up over coffee and a game of chess, our usual weekly ritual.
I told him about the drive and how much it had opened my eyes to the world of birding. Then I asked, "Would you be interested in guiding for any of our birding guests?"
He nodded, "Of course, that's what I do."
I already knew he was involved in birding tours, but as we talked more, I realised just how deep his experience went, decades of guiding across the Wet Tropics, fluent in German, and well-connected with international birders who travel here just for these species.
It made perfect sense.
So here we are: Kuranda Transfers & Birding Tours.
Clayton — Australian guide, German-speaking, with decades of birding experience.
Me — the driver who stumbled into birding and never looked back.
Our team — now includes a Japanese-speaking Australian driver for visiting guests.
We're working through permits, expanding our insurance, and shaping something that feels genuinely meaningful. It's not a business pivot, it's a natural evolution, born from curiosity, connection, and a shared love for the place we live in.
2026 is coming. The birds are already here.
Learn more and join the launch list @https://www.kurandatransfers.com.au/tours/birding-expeditions
