Destination's Journey

Tag: NSW

  • Urunga Lagoon Footbridge

    Urunga Lagoon Footbridge

    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.

    Information Board Urunga Lagoon Footbridge
    Information Board
    Urunga Lagoon Footbridge
    Urunga Lagoon
    View toward the mangrove swamp
    View toward the mangrove swamp
    Urunga Lagoon Footbridge
    Urunga Lagoon Footbridge
    Bellingen River entering the ocean
    Bellingen River entering the ocean
    Mangrove Trees in the lagoon
    Edge of the mangrove forest
  • Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk

    Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk

    Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk

    The Urunga Wetlands and Boardwalk are the result of a ten million dollar project to rehabilitate an old mining processing plant. The result is a beautifully restored wetland and the containment of the tailings and their heavy metal content.

    History of the Site

    In 1969, Broken Hill Antimony Pty Ltd established an antimony processing plant on the site. Located at Hillside Drive, Urunga the processing plant extracted the heavy metal antimony from its ore, stibnite. After the ore was delivered to the site, it was crushed, and the antimony removed using complex chemical reagents and equipment.

    Although the processing produced an estimated 400 tonnes of product, it generated 16,000 tonnes of waste. These waste tailings were rich in heavy metals including antimony, arsenic, lead and reagent residues of cyanide and cresylic acid. Poor management of the tailings resulted a spreading plume of waste contamination the surrounding wetlands.

    Although sold to a private owner after closure in 1974, no clean-up or remediation work occurred.

    A combination of soluble leachate and insoluble sediments impacted the wetland causing largescale die back of the swamp paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) and damage to the habitat of the wetland for birds, plants and fish.

    The Rehabilitation Process

    The Environmental Protection Authority declared this a remediation site in in 2002 because of long-standing concerns by the community, environmentalists and Bellingen Shire Council. With the owner unable to fund the remediation work ownership of the site transferred to the NSW Government as Crown land. In 2011 a remediation order was placed on the site.

    Around four hectares of land needed excavation. A total of 36,400 tonnes of contaminated soils and sediments required removal. Stockpiled and then treated with chemicals to stabilise it, the waste now sits in an engineered containment cell constructed on-site. Remediation resulted in a total of 224 tonnes of antimony, arsenic, lead and mercury removed from the environment.

    Only a grassy mound now indicates where the containment cell is located, but beneath that surface is an engineered structure with 15 different layers.

    The Site Today

    If you were unaware of the site’s history, you might think the area had not required rehabilitation because it looks so amazing. The initial walk winds through replanted forest before reaching the wetlands. At this point a 150m boardwalk crosses the water, allowing you great views of the melaleuca forest on the far shore. Along the way, sedges, lilies and other wetland plants line the shores.

    On the far side of the boardwalk the track continues completing a loop to the carpark. Along the 450m of walking track, information boards show the layout of the area, provide you the history of the site and show what wildlife you may see.

    How to Get There

    A carpark on Hillside Drive, Urunga has plenty of room. However, there are no facilities here apart from rubbish bins, so bring your own food and refreshments.

    Swimming and Canoeing

    Visitors should stay on the paths to avoid disturbing wildlife and allow the vegetation to establish. Although the water appears clean, traces of heavy metals are still present, so swimming and boating are not permitted.

    What Did We Think?

    We enjoyed the walk and were amazed how well the rehabilitation turned out. This was a great place to visit while we were in Urunga.

    Start of the Track
    Start of the Track
    Information board Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk
    Information board
    A view of the wetlands from the walking track
    A view of the wetlands from the walking track
    A section of the Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk
    A section of the wetlands
    Melaleuca tree on the edge of the Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk
    Melaleuca tree on the edge of the swamp
    Sedges, melaleuca trees and lilies Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk
    Sedges, melaleuca trees and lilies
    The boardwalk over the swamp
    The boardwalk over the swamp
    Small island Urunga Wetlands Boardwalk
    Small island surrounded by lilies
    View of the melaleuca forest across the wetlands
    View of the melaleuca forest across the wetlands

    Our photos are available for purchase on

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

  • Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

    Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

    Established in 1973 and dedicated to the to rescue, rehabilitation and release of wild koalas, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital also helps visitor learn about this unique Australian animal.

    Located in the NSW mid-north town of Port Macquarie, the hospital is a favourite destination for tourists. On arrival, we were pleased to see that a mobile coffee van was set up near the carpark. After a long drive to get here, this was a great way to start our visit. After a relaxing coffee on some chairs under shady trees, we started our visit.

    Entry is free, but donations are welcome, which are used to keep the hospital running. The first exhibit is actually another of Port Macquarie’s attractions, one of the Hello Koala statues. Scattered around town at different businesses there are around 80 of these colourful statues.

    The Koalas

    Near the statue an information board with photos of koalas under care details the threats they face. The main one is habitat loss – something that is totally preventable, but something our state Government seems reluctant to address. Koalas at the hospital suffer from a range of injuries, from road accidents, dog attacks and bush fires.

    The koala enclosures hold animals undergoing rehabilitation. Each enclosure has a description of the koala, the injury they sustained and how they are progressing. As koalas sleep a lot (due to the low food value of the leaves they eat – not the intoxicating effects of the gum leaves – that’s an urban myth) they were hard to see, cuddled up into little furry balls in the trees. We managed to spot them all, but most were too far away or obscured to take photos of.

    The last place to visit is a small museum. This details koala evolution and their place in the Australian environment. Several stuffed exhibits allow visitors to see what they look like up close.

    The Future

    Funding has been secured for a first of its kind wild breeding program. The aim is to breed and release 30 joeys each year, offsetting the current population decline. Also involved in the project are Taronga Zoo, the Australian Museum Research Institute and the University of Sydney.

    What Did We Think?

    If you are visiting Port Macquarie, this is a must-see destination. Not only do you see koalas, but you also learn about their endangered status and what is being done to save them.

    Koala Statue Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
    Koala Statue
    Information Board
    Information Board
    Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
    Educational area
    Sleeping koala
    Sleeping koala
    Information board Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
    Information board
    Koala display in the museum Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
    Koala display in the museum
    Koala display in the museum
    Koala display in the museum
    Koala skeleton Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
    Skeleton of a koala compared to other animals

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.