Type

Lookouts

Where

Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve in South Coast

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go bird watching or whale watching.

A visit to the tranquil wetlands of Pattimores Lagoon, in Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve, is a great way to soothe frazzled nerves and immerse yourself in natural beauty. Near Ulladulla, it’s an ideal remote getaway for nature enthusiasts with some of the best birdwatching on the NSW South Coast.

A short flat walk through coastal swamp oak forest and wet heath leads to a viewing platform with scenic water views. Fringed with magnificent paperbarks, the picturesque lagoon literally teems with waterbirds, and you’re likely to see southern emu wren, pied oystercatchers, pelicans and white-faced herons.

If you’re keen to spend the day exploring the waterways and forests of this unique coastal reserve, enjoy a lunch at Conjola Beach picnic area before stepping out on Burrawang track.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Ancient fishing grounds

The reserve is situated within the traditional lands of the Wanda Wandian people and the Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Land Council. With nearby creeks, lagoons and beaches, this coastal oasis is likely to have been an important food-gathering area. The reserve protects Aboriginal middens and tool-making sites, as well as canoe and shield-making trees.

Diverse landscapes

This unique reserve protects a staggering variety of landscapes in a relatively small area, making it a region of incredible beauty as well as conservation importance. Here you can wander a veritable smorgasbord of woodlands, swamps, lagoons and lakes. Explore the range of landscapes and see if you can spot the changing forests from swamplands to dunes.

Historic remnants

Between the First and Second World Wars, silica was extensively mined near Pattimore's Lagoon. Now protected, you can wander the remains of the silica mining era and discover cuttings, mounds and even an old tram line that is now being taken back by mother nature. In the early 1900s, as well as a small amount of grazing, there was some selective logging of turpentine and blackbutt from the forests. There are still some tall stumps with notches that show where springboards were placed by the axemen.

Rare nesting grounds

The beaches are some of the most important nesting and feeding areas for the critically endangered hooded plover and endangered pied oystercatcher. These distinctive birds can be seen nesting during spring and summer. This unique reserve protects a type of swamp forest that is dominated by the swamp mahogany, which in turn is an important food source for several threated species including the swift parrot, regent honeyeater and yellow-bellied glider.