Alstonville is twenty kilometers inland from Ballina in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales. Set on a plateau, its deep and rich red volcanic soils grow macadamias and avocadoes where once the semi-tropical rain forests of the Big Scrub grew. Tosca Falls next to the Alstonville Sewage works are surrounded by a small patch of secondary growth rain forest and a glimpse into the forests of the past. A short visit last week revealed water birds on the sewage ponds and a few bush birds at the falls. The highlight was a very active pair of White-bellied Cuckooshrikes
A White-bellied Cuckooshrike active in the trees above the falls.
An Eastern Yellow Robin in the bush surrounding Tosca falls near Alstonville.