How to spot a cassowary in the wild

If sharing a moment with one of these birds is a non-negotiable event for your getaway then head to Mission Beach, two hours south of Cairns on the eponymous Cassowary Coast overlooking Dunk Island on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s an area frequented by foraging cassowaries, a great long weekend getaway and your best bet to catch the action.

This humble seaside resort town is home to an estimated 100 resident wild cassowaries, and a passionate group of locals working hard to preserve their native habitat. The dedicated community often interact with the wild birds around parts of Mission Beach, with some of the cassowaries in the area known to live to over 50 years old - descendants of cassowaries roaming Queensland forests for over 60 million years. This animal has become a mascot to the local Mission Beach community, complete with first names and a dedicated Facebook group for sightings.

Early in the morning is the best time to spot a cassowary in the wild, so pack your mozzie repellent and find a quiet spot next to a water source in one of these seven locations. Soak in the stillness. Breathe the crisp air deeply. Wait. 

1. The Dreaming Trail, El Arish Mission Beach Road

Trekking through the rainforest is one of the best ways to spot a cassowary in the wild, if you go quietly. The 3km dreaming trail is a stunning journey and a beautiful reflection of the biodiversity of the flora and fauna in the Mission Beach region. The path crosses a handful of shallow creeks (foot bridges make these tracks more accessible) and winds through low-lying rainforests and under licuala palm forests.

When on the lookout for these magnificent beasts, try to spot the black mass of their body rather than the brilliant colours on their neck and head, which tend to blend in with the vibrancy of the surrounding forest. Attune your other senses and listen for twigs snapping beneath the 60kg bird. 

2. Mission Beach access roads 

The birds are often spotted by local community members in the morning and late afternoon as they cross the busy roads to look for new food sources. These flightless creatures can run up to 50km an hour, but they’re no match for your car. It’s really important for their preservation that visitors to the area slow down and drive with the expectation there’ll be a cassowary waiting for you over the crest or around the corner. If you happen to spot a cassowary while in your car, don’t stop abruptly, observe the incredible creature and keep a steady pace until you’re passed.

3. Mitre 10 on the corner of Dewer Street 

Home to hardware and a corridor to cassowaries – the Mitre 10 car park on Dewer St in Mission Beach is the local’s hot tip for spotting a bird. Grab a coffee, pull up next to this building and play eye-spy from the car seat – cassowary edition.

4. The South Mission Beach Transfer Station

This must be the only dump in the world that has a cassowary, instead of the ibis, as its resident winged forager. The Mission Beach tip is known haunt for a family of cassowaries as it happens to cross paths with a cassowary corridor.

While there’s plenty of food scrap and rubbish around the transfer station, hand feeding cassowaries is also a huge threat to their existence since it creates a reliance on humans in suburban areas to provide food. Queenslanders use the phrase, "A fed bird is a dead bird". Best to keep your hands, and your food, to yourself.

5. BIG4 Beachcomber Coconut Holiday Park 

This immaculately landscaped Beachcomber Coconut Holiday Park near Wongaling Beach at the south of Mission Beach borders a cassowary conservation park. Some campers have even filmed cassowaries wandering through the caravan grounds in the early morning and along the beachfront.

The giant birds have been seen bobbing their heads up and down as they eat seedlings from the forest. The cassowary is primarily fruit eating they are considered a keystone species in that they distribute the seeds of 70-plus species of trees that no other animals can. Their eating habits structure what trees will live in the deep rainforests, and without them the rainforests they inhabit would radically change. Because of this the land's traditional owners, the Djiru people, consider the animal as divine and serving great importance.

6. Garner’s Beach 

The area near Bingil Bay Reserve is a known habitat for four adult cassowaries, including Cyrilina, and a bottleneck crossing to the World Heritage area in the south.

It’s also home to a secret swimming beach with massive beach figs that literally weep over the sand and provide a few degrees of cool shade on a hot day. It’s a great place to be, even if you can’t find a cassowary.

7. Etty Bay, 50km north of Mission Beach 

Etty Bay on the way back to Cairns, some 50km north of Mission Beach is a treacle-slow, village that fronts onto one of Australia’s best-kept secret beaches.

The town’s dog-free status is thought to be the reason that cassowary spotting, at the right time, is almost a guarantee.

Some final tips before you embark on this special adventure

Cassowaries are strong, armoured birds. Their legs are extraordinarily powerful and equipped with a claw. They’re fast and territorial. While they’re large and awesome to spot, it’s important to remember that these birds are wild and potentially very dangerous. Keep your distance, use caution, resist from attempting to feed them and never approach chicks.

But above all, cherish being lucky enough to sight these incredible prehistoric creatures.