Discover Talgai Weir Paddle Trail

You may have noticed that peaceful isn’t a word we have used to describe Talgai Weir. That is because of the corellas. There must be thousands of them here. They are noisy blighters too. We don’t mind their racket. It is a quintessential sound of Australia and it adds character to the ambience. Also, their playfulness and obvious affection for each other always make us smile.

The sacred kingfishers (pictured) are much less intrusive. The Birds in Backyards website describes their call as a loud “ek ek ek ek”. It is true they seem to have a very loud voice for a bird of their size but it is nothing compared to the raucous squawking of the corellas. Sacred kingfishers usually dart away to distant branches when they see you coming but the ones at Talgai Weir seem a lot braver. That may be because hardly anyone comes here and they see no reason to be afraid.

Eastern water dragons and broad-shelled river turtles (pictured) make no sound at all. Sometimes, the only thing that alerts you to their presence is the sound of them plopping into the water. If you look into the distance, you can see them sunning themselves on river banks, exposed tree roots, and semi-submerged logs. Interestingly, you will only see dragons and turtles during the warmer months of the year because they brumate in the winter. Brumation is the reptilian version of hibernation. They are conscious but their bodily functions slow down to a point where they barely need to use any energy. We are pretty sure there are some humans who like to give that a try every winter as well.