Tag: Mangroves

Urunga Lagoon Footbridge

Located in Urunga on the NSW mid-north coast, the Urunga Lagoon Footbridge is a 1km long walkway through mangroves to the Pacific Ocean. Commencing in 1988, construction continued in three stages, until final completion in 2010. This wheelchair friendly walk is a great way to experience the coast from a sheltered lagoon to mangrove swamps and the surf of the Pacific Ocean.

Getting There

Urunga is a 90 minutes drive north of Port Macquarie, or a 30 minute drive south from Coffs Harbour. The small carpark near the caravan park quickly becomes full, but we were luck and found a spot straight away.

Facilities

A toilet block and change rooms allow you to change before and after swimming. Showers also let you wash the sand and salt water off before you leave.

When we visited, a coffee van was selling refreshments and snacks, which was great as we bought some and relaxed before walking on the footbridge.

Urunga Lagoon Footbridge

At around 1,000m long and flat this is an easy walk, which also makes it popular. Families were having a great time, with kids jumping off into the water and swimming around. Remember to check the tides and water depth though, as the area is not patrolled by lifeguards.

Around 300m into the walk, a second path diverges to the right into the mangroves. Badly damaged, this section is closed while awaiting repairs.

Walking along the footbridge, we had a great view of the Urunga Lagoon and surrounding mangrove forest. Extending as far as the mouth of the Bellingen River, the footbridge finishes on a surf beach where you can see the Pacific Ocean.

What Did We Think?

This was a great place to sit and relax and then have a nice easy walk. We came here after visiting the Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk. This is a good order to do them, as there are no facilities at the wetlands and access to the water is not allowed. Doing them this way would let any kids have a swim, go to the toilet or buy some drinks and snacks.