Hole 4
GALAH
As you stand on the elevated 4th tee block, contemplating the imposing line of tall Norfolk Island Pines and Cypress Pines along the left of the fairway you may well ponder why the word “Galah” is also Aussie slang for fool. In spring and summer these tall trees provide a perfect nursery for the many hundreds of breeding pairs feeding their fledglings and creating a very noisy racket.
With their rosy-pink chests and curious crests, Galahs, sometimes called Rose Cockatoos, are among the most recognisable and charismatic birds of the Australian landscape. Agile fliers and consummate chatterboxes, they gather in boisterous flocks that flash and wheel noisily above the pines before descending in bursts of pink to feed on seeds and grass among the fairways.
Galahs are highly intelligent, social and known for their playful antics—acrobatically swinging from branches or tumbling head-over-tail in the grass. Their raucous, exuberant calls are impossible to ignore, adding a lively soundtrack to any spring or summer morning at South Lakes, and making them both a delight for birdwatchers and an unmistakable presence for golfers teeing off on the fourth hole.
