Did you know about the Spring bird migration that happens every year at Pirrita Island Swansea? Travelling epic journeys from the Arctic Circle, shorebirds arrive tired and hungry on the shoreline of Pirrita Island. Sit and watch the birds gather in mass numbers.
Birds fan out across the sandflats searching for food. This nature reserve is a lovely place to explore with the family in the cooler season. Kids can search for crabs, watch the boats zoom past, and burn off some energy.
New to the island, is the Pirrita Boardwalk, connecting the point, to the sandy shoreline. If you keep walking you’ll discover Osmond Reserve past the caravan park.
How do I get to Pirrita Island?
Pirrita Island is on the channel side of Swansea. Once you navigate your way to Park Street Swansea, continue on this road right to the end. Drive past the popular Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park on the left. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you cross a small wooden bridge. There is a small parking area, toilets, BBQ facilities, and picnic tables by the channel adjacent to the boat ramp. Dogs are allowed on Pirrita Island on leads only.
The path is flat from the car to the point, however sections are not yet concrete. You can park and enter the island via Swansea Bay, however, parking is limited, especially in summer. The boardwalk has ramps on either end making it wheelchair and pram friendly.
Pirrita Island history
Our Awabakal people called Swansea ‘Galgabba’ meaning a place to rest. Swansea, including Pirrita Island, was a rich hunting and fishing ground for the Awabakal people.
The island has an interesting history of the great Aussie battler. In 1915, people arrived during the Mine Lock-Outs and Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Originally boatsheds lined the channel side of the island, however during hardship, mining families sought refuge here. With an abundance of seafood and community spirit, they supported each other living in an estimated 70 basic houses, that often fell victim to the lake tides. When their land leases expired, they were never renewed, with the last resident leaving in 1994.
Pirrita Island’s nature reserve
When you cross over a small bridge towards the car park, you can instantly detach this estuary from the mainland. With its low-lying land, naturally subject to the strong tidal current of the channel, it’s hard to imagine people living here. The reserve composition includes salt marsh, mangrove bushland, and swamp, providing valuable breeding areas for fish, crabs, and other animal life. The kids loved spotting crabs along the water’s edge.
Bird watching in spring on Pirrita Island
The viewing platform is the perfect spot to enjoy our wildlife. Look out over the sandy flats and you’ll be able to see Elizabeth Island (known by locals as The Sand Island). It’s late spring to early summer when the migratory shorebirds reach Lake Macquarie tired and ready for a feed. The Eastern Curlew can travel from as far as Siberia or Alaska! During this time of the year, dogs must remain on leads at all times so that birds can rest and feed safely.
You’ll spot:
- Eastern Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Pied Oyster-catcher
- White-faced Heron
- Crested Tern
- Little Egret
Pirrita boardwalk
In late 2022, Lake Macquarie City Council built a boardwalk through the wetlands around Swansea Bay, showcasing a gorgeous sandy shoreline, and a popular swimming spot. It’s a short boardwalk, delivering breathtaking views from the other side of the island.
If you keep heading in the same direction, you’ll cross over into Osmond Reserve.
Loopback alongside the channel
On your way back, walk in the footsteps of the residents who once called Pirrita Island their home. As you check out the wetlands on the left remember the basic housing on the right. This is where the homes once stood between you and the channel. Veer left and follow the channel back. Acknowledge the strength of the tide and how houses once stood there. See if the kids can spot crabs scurrying to their holes.
For more adventuring around Lake Macquarie, head to our Out & About section.
