Have you ever been travelling north along the Pacific Motorway and just before the exit caught in the corner of your eye homes backing onto Tallebudgera Creek (near the water treatment plant) as you drove by. Well many times over the years this has happened to me. Never ever thought about it only when I was heading north…along the M1… wouldn’t have been too difficult to find out, just grab a map and check!

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Well I never did check, however I stumbled across the answer accidentally, it’s funny you live in an area for a long time but still you never really know it.

Australia Day I was going to Elanora Wetlands, checked out the location a couple of days before hand. It is quite an isolated spot so I decided it would be best to take along a companion, the only one willing to come was my Dad.

Drove right down the end of Tallebudgera Drive (which is a lovely walk on its own) and parked under the Pacific Motor Way overpass. This area is a popular spot for fishing and crabbing I am told. It’s also a quick way to get to Tallebudgera Square (West Burleigh) if you walk across the footbridge. This is a quaint location with some examples of beautiful weather board buildings of days gone by. You can also visit David Fleay Wildlife Park just up the road.

There are great views of Tallebudgera Creek from the footbridge so keep your camera handy! Getting back to the beginning of this blog remember those houses on the creek I mentioned well there they were just beyond the overpass.

Elanora Wetlands Walk

Sounds like a location out of a long forgotten novel….while standing under the overpass facing the creek look to your left and you will see in the trees a steel barrier. This is the beginning of the Elanora Wetlands walk. (Elanora Water Treatment Plant is behind you)

This walk is quite different to the walks I’ve talked about so far…..the day unfolded into more of an adventure or perhaps a “you haven’t got the right clothes on sort of day”!

The walking track rambles around following the creek and you come across the area mentioned on the Mangrove Watch website, the location looks like it just came out of the book ‘The Adventures of Tom Swayer ‘ the rope dangling from the tree where you could imagine many hot summer days of fun jumping into the creek.

This area is a birdwatchers paradise, it’s quiet and secluded. However as we walked; the previous evenings and early morning activities was ever present. Those busy creatures of the night that spin their silken webs and let the cool morning air catch them so they drift strategically across the path were making themselves felt. Yes spiders! Not a problem just means we were the first to blaze the trail, me being in front. My mention about wearing the correct clothing became apparent, don’t wear shorts and make sure you take insect repellent ( it is the wetlands after all!)

We walked some distance following the creek and the grass started getting longer and longer and was constantly removing threads of silk, fortunately without any spiders attached and getting jumpier, Its not that I don’t like spiders I just don’t like them sitting on my shoulder or threads of silk across my face…

The pathway meandered back around to the Water Treatment Plant and then veered to the right, now the grass was really getting long, decision time...tics, spiders, snakes sandflies  etc etc…started filling my head. (and my Dad didn’t help, he mentioned the tics) I was ill equipped for this walk. What clinched the deal was a small harmless green 'Praying Manus'  hanging from a silken thread climbing up onto my hand. In normal circumstances it wouldn’t have worried me, but I was already jumpy; all I saw was something that I couldn’t shake off because I was shrouded in cobwebs!

End result didn’t finish the walk...will try another day.

This is more of an adventure walk for those truly interested in fauna & flora, a walk of discovery, put it on your list but remember to wear long pants, hat, sunscreen, bottle of water and take the Aeroguard! (for you) and did I mention the right shoes...

 
View Elanora Wetlands in a larger map

See you on my next walk….