One of my favourite spots in the Mallacoota area is Shipwreck Creek. There is a 6km trail from Shipwreck Creek to Seal Creek that moves through banksia scrub, through heathland, dry forest, a small patch of rain forest and back through heath and beach scrub. Each area of vegetation holds it own species of animals and birds.
The tanin stained waters of Shipwreck Creek, Mallacoota
Shipwreck Creek meets the ocean
Hooded Plovers, tiny endangered beach birds, keeping under the wind.
Pied Oystercatcher on the beach
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater prefers the low scrub around heathlands
The Gap Year and Beyond 
Lovely shots of the creek, brown from the roots of all those tea trees. It looks so inviting, but I worry about stingrays lurking in the sand after a traumatic childhood experience.
A friend once told me about his father, a fisherman who worked out of Mallacoota. That fisherman said, “anyone who swims in the ocean is a fool”. Since then my reluctance to swim in the sea has gone up quite a few notches.
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thanks for the comments Sue. The coast and beaches on the ocean side of the Mallacoota are pretty wild without many lifesaver patrols. As a non-local I would not spend much time on the ocean side as I dont know the rip conditions. I don’t worry too much about the stingrays, I rarely see them along the bush tracks and I hardly ever go into the water not with all my camera gear. I am much more wary of the large monitor lizards and all the snakes I see.
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