Muttonbird Island Walk — Muttonbird Island NR (Coffs Harbour)

Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve, Marina Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450, Australia

Photo: Dale Gillard, CC BY 2.0 · source file (Wikimedia Commons) · Trail data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL

Muttonbird Island Walk (~1.03 km one way, about 2 km return) in Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve — NSW National Parks describes this as around a 2 km return walk from the car park area near the breakwall at Coffs Harbour's marina, across the northern breakwall and over the island on a paved path and metal-mesh boardwalk to the Eastern Side lookout. Past the outdoor learning space there are 10 timber steps and an initial steep climb, then the walk is mostly flat with a short, steep rise near the lookout, which has views over the Solitary Islands Marine Park and is a good spot for whale watching between May and November. The island is a wedge-tailed shearwater (muttonbird) rookery, so stay on the track to avoid collapsing their burrows, and don't use flash photography around the birds. Return the same way. Check in at GPS points to earn ACTIVE Coins. New South Wales walking quest for Active Quests / PUML. Track details: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service; trail line: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0. Photo: Dale Gillard, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).