Yandina Creek Wetland Open to the Public

BirdLife Australia's Ken Cross and Greg Roberts on the new bridge

The Yandina Creek Wetland is finally open to the public, eight years after efforts began to protect one of the Sunshine Coast's biodiversity hotspots. Unitywater, which acquired the site as part of its nutrient offsets program in 2016, has built an 850-metre elevated bitumen walking track that leads to a bird hide from a new carpark at the end of River Road.

Visitors are able to look out over an open area of wetland that is favoured by a resident pair of Black-necked Storks. Some interesting and scarce birds have been recorded in this part of the wetland including Australian Little Bittern, Black Bittern, Lewin's Rail and Australasian Shoveler. Great Egret, White-faced Heron and many other more common waterbirds are numerous. Several pairs of Black Swan nest in this area. To date, 168 species of birds have been recorded from the wetland.

Black-necked Stork pair seen from the hide 

En route, visitors on the wheelchair-friendly track pass through areas of Allocasuarina and Melaleuca woodland and mangroves adjoining Yandina Creek. Signs at the hide illustrate various bird species, while signs along the path highlight vegetation, tidal influence and other environmental factors. Just a small proportion of the 200-hectare site is accessed from the new facilities, with the remainder off-limits to visitors as Unitywater continues to undertake research and other activities. Those areas that remain off-limits include the main feeding and roosting sites used by migratory and resident shorebirds.

The announcement of the opening today allows the public to take advantage of newly relaxed Covid-19 restrictions that begin this weekend.

New wetland bird hide

The wetland is part of the Blue Heart Sunshine Coast project, a partnership between Unitywater, Sunshine Coast Council and the Queensland Department of Environment and Science to protect and manage more than 5000 hectares of natural floodplain in the Maroochy River Catchment.

Yandina Creek Wetland

Unitywater executive manager of Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions, Amanda Creevey, said plants in the Yandina Creek Wetland took up nutrients and sediments from the water to improve water quality and overall river health, adding: “An added bonus of the wetland is the boost in biodiversity we’re seeing, including increased marine life, mangroves and wetland plants, and birds, with some migratory birds even returning to the site.”

Sign in carpark

Ms Creevey said: “The addition of the trail walk and bird viewing hide means we get to bring the community along for the ride, take a walk with nature and maybe spot some of the incredible creatures here. With COVID-19 restrictions easing we’re proud to provide this environmental facility to our community. We see it as the beginning of an environmental hub in this area.”

The Sunshine Coast mayor, Mark Jamieson, said: “Through the Blue Heart we’re continuing to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and enhancing our natural assets. Importantly, the Blue Heart is another tangible demonstration of how our Council is working with its partners to strengthen our region’s climate resilience and taking real action to assist our communities to adapt to a changing climate.”

Black Swans seen from the hide

The site was natural wetland before it was drained in the 1920s for sugarcane plantations. It was sold to developers in the mid-2000s after the closure of the Nambour sugar mill. Farm floodgates which controlled the flow of tidal water from Yandina Creek to the site fell into disrepair, allowing the wetland to be created by tidal inflows. The area effectively reverted to its natural state.

I began efforts to protect wetland in the area in 2012 when I proposed to the Sunshine Coast Council that it acquire a 12-hectare property at the end of River Road, near where the new car park has been built. I was struck by the variety of birds in the area including the endangered Australian Painted-Snipe.

In 2014, I put to the council a much larger proposal for the acquisition of three properties covering 212 hectares. Both proposals were rejected. At the same time, I began a campaign to lobby the Queensland and federal government to intervene to deter the landholders from proceeding with their initial plan to convert the site to cattle pasture, and later efforts to re-establish sugarcane plantations.

Great Egret seen from the hide

However, the wetland was drained in 2015 when the landholders rebuilt the floodgates. The view of governments at all three levels was that because the wetland was essentially man-made, it was not worth protecting. However, following spirited efforts by BirdLife Australia and others, and intervention by Unitywater chief Jim Soorley, the site was acquired by Unitywater a year later.

The floodgates were reopened and some were destroyed to make way for a bridge over the canal along the new walking track. A full account of the Yandina Creek Wetland campaign can be found here.

Visitors are warned: mosquitoes can be in considerable numbers at this site, be prepared. Unitywater's efforts to protect this important site are to be applauded. It's a big win for the birds!

White-faced Herons seen from the hide