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Tamar Island Wetlands Centre (photograph: Natalie Mendham)
Wetlands abundant with birdlife.
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- Tamar Island Wetlands Centre
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Access friendly- Barbecues
- Park ranger
- Picnic facilities
- Short walk
- Toilets
- Visitor centre
- Tamar Island Wetlands Centre
West Tamar Highway, Riverside TAS 7250
Postal: PO Box 46, Kings Meadows Tas 7249TAS
Phone: 03 6327 3964
About
On the outskirts of Launceston is a unique estuarine wetland ecosystem of mudflats, lagoons and islands. Abundant with plant and animal life, the Tamar Island Wetlands are a magnificent Tasmanian landscape and a haven for various birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs, fish and invertebrates.
The wetlands are best enjoyed by wandering along the accessible boardwalk, which is flanked by tall native Tasmanian grass species as it traverses the wetlands. The walk weaves through the grasses and over footbridges that reveal kanamaluka/River Tamar and its diverse birdlife.
Don’t miss the excellent interpretation centre, where you can learn about the cultural and natural values of the site, before continuing along the boardwalk to Tamar Island. On the island you’ll find picnic tables and a beautiful view down the renowned Tamar Valley towards the peaks of Ben Lomond.
Located in the Tamar Conservation Area, the wetlands are a superb site to see bird life in Tasmania with around 60 species being identified in the area. There are several species of duck, black swans, egrets, cormorants and swamp harriers, as well as occasional visitors such as the white-bellied sea eagle, and northern hemisphere migrants such as the common greenshank. Many can be observed from a bird hide about 500 metres from the start of the boardwalk.
Wildcare volunteers operate the Wetlands Centre providing visitor services 364 days a year. A program of talks with the volunteers is run which are very popular with school groups.
The Interpretation Centre and the boardwalk to the Tamar Island short walk, have easy wheelchair access and both the Centre and the island have accessibletoilet facilities.
Nature and conservation
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The Tamar Island Wetlands incorporate 60 hectares of mud flats, lagoons and islands teeming with plant and animal life. No wonder they are a naturalist's paradise. From the vulnerable white-bellied sea-eagle to the rare striped march frog and glossy grass skink, animals large and small have been recorded in this haven of biodiversity.
The reserve is an important breeding site for the nationally vulnerable green and gold frog. This frog was formerly abundant in the Tamar valley but has declined significantly since the 1970s.
Reptiles also make their home in the reserve with the metallic skink and lowland copperhead snake the most commonly seen, especially on warm days.
The only native tree remaining in the wetlands is the paperbark Melaleuca ericifolia which forms several areas of scrub and forest providing habitat for frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The common rush, Phragmites australis dominates the landscape creating one of the last native grass wetlands in the Tamar Estuary. In summer the rare great bindweed (Calystegia sepium) twines up the Phragmites stems.
For more information on our wildlife please see Tasmania's wildlife. Visit our caring for wildlife page for more information on interacting with and protecting our native animals.
Cultural heritage
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Early in the 1800s much of the West Tamar region was cleared for farmland. Convict labour was used to drain the wetlands, and levee banks curbed tidal flow from reclaimed pasture and cropping land. Drainage channels removed excess water collecting in the low-lying paddocks.
Tamar Island served as the base for crews dredging the River Tamar in the 1880s before locals transformed it into a community as a picnic spot by planting a variety of exotic species including spruce, fir, pine and oak.
From the early 1900s until the 1950s, the island was farmed and a hut in which farmers, and formerly dredging crews, lived is a remnant of this time.
Farming virtually ceased in the western section of the upper Tamar Estuary in the 1950s. The estuary is gradually reclaiming its original wetlands and native flora and fauna species are recolonising the former farmland.
Getting there
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Buy a map from TasMap The Tamar Island Wetlands interpretation centre and the boardwalk leading to Tamar Island are a 10 minute drive from Launceston on the A7 West Tamar Highway, just north of Riverside.
Where possible, please avoid driving in our reserves at night. You are sharing the roads with our native wildlife, so take itslow and watch out for animals on the road.
Know before you go
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The Tamar Island Wetlands Information Centre will operate with reduced hours from June 15 until further notice. For up to date centre opening hours it is recommended to contact PWS on 6777 2179 or 6327 3964 prior to your visit, as to avoid any disappointment if closed. The boardwalk to Tamar Island is open all year round from sunrise to sunset. Entry is by donation. Wildcare volunteers contribute to the Wetlands Centre providing visitor services.
Find out other essential information for visiting Tasmania's parks and reserves on our know before you go section.
Safety message
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Access friendly
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The visitor centre at the entrance is fully accessible, as are its toilets. The wide, wheelchair accessible, boardwalked track starts from the visitor centre and extends across the wetlands to Tamar Island. At 1.5 km each way, it may be too long for some people, but it is worth doing a partial section. There are picnic tables and sheltered barbequeson the island, as well as accessible toilets, although wheelchair users may require assistance with the natural tracks on the island.
Map View
Explore with the interactive map
Experiences in Tamar Island Wetlands Centre
1.5 hours return, 4km return, Grade 1
Just 10 minutes drive from the heart of Launceston in the Tamar River Conservation Area is the Tamar Island walk. For company you’ll have pelicans, swans, cormorants and numerous other bird species as well as frogs, dragonflies and lizards.
Tamar Island Wetlands Centre
Tamar Island
Just 10 minutes drive from the heart of Launceston in the Tamar River Conservation Area is the Tamar Island walk. For company you’ll have pelicans, swans, cormorants and numerous other bird species as well as frogs, dragonflies and lizards.
1.5 hours return, 4km return, Grade 1
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