Mariners Cove Trail
Mandurah
Directions - Creery Wetlands or Mariners Cove is located just south of Mandurah. To reach it, take Mandurah Road heading towards the main bridge, taking a left at Mariners Cove Drive. Turn left at the roundabout, following MAriners Cove Drive all the way to Darwin Terrace. The walk trail starts at the car park for Nourishing the Soul Cafe, just head straight towards the wooden tower to enter the gates into Creery Wetlands Reserve.
The Walk - With a beautiful early winters day in Perth, my plans for today was a leisurely drive down to Funbury to see my family, before heading out to the Kingdom of Py the following day. Deciding to make a day of it, and needing to drop some books off at the Mandurah Visitor Centre, I decided to cross one of the places I had been meaning to visit for a while now, Mariners Cove. Having recently taken up birding as a more serious endeavour, I was excited to check out the Creery Wetlands Reserve to see what I could find out there.
Having visited the nearby Len Howard Nature reserve a few years ago, I knew that what you see from driving along Mandurah Road is not what you'll see when you get out there on foot. Arriving at the car park, the entry in via the Mariners Cove development is typical for the Mandurah area, with lots of new-ish houses and canals constructed near the watery bits. Crossing the little land bridge leading towards the wooden tower, I had a quick climb up, before entering into the Creery Wetlands Reserve via the gate. This was starting to feel a bit more natural, as you walk through the creepy She-Oak trees towards a little information shelter. Telling you all about the wetlands and what you can find here, there is also a little side quest leading out over the wetlands that I decided to follow. Walking along the boardwalk, it leads through the damp fields of pink and green Samphire that grows here.
My first bird sighting was a large Great Egret, having a bit of fossick in the shallows for something to eat. It wasn't too fussed with my presence, and I was able to get some photos before it decided to head off. Continuing along the boardwalk, the views really open up as you leave the dense tree cover and walk out into the wide open space. I love the feeling of being this exposed, especially when the views are this good. You can see why the birds love it here, with the shallow waters providing a wealth of options for them to feed on, and off in the distance I could see many different varieties flying around. At the end of the boardwalk is a little wooden lookout, where you can see across the estuary, and beyond to the foothills of the Darling Scarp. Doubling back, this was a good start to the walk, and I was looking forward to seeing what else I could discover along the way.
Entering the She-Oak grove again, it looks like something out of a sinister fairytale, with the canopy closing in around the path. Wandering along, no witches or monsters attacked me, instead this path led me to a lovely little series of pools where different bird varieties were waiting for me, including a Little Egret, Pied Stilt and a few Willie-Wagtails. From the next information shelter you have a really good vantage point to look out over the pools, and I spent a bit of time watching the Pied Stilts feeding with their pointy beaks. Continuing along, you are sandwiched between a swampy area to your left and the edge of the estuary to your right. Given how close you are to the housing at Mariners Cove, this feels a world away from suburbia. Reaching the boardwalk section leading to the only bird hide along the walk, I was keen to have a sit, and see what I could photograph from the sheltered spot.
It seems you didn't need to go far from the bird hide to see anything, as the Welcome Swallows have taken over the premise as their own, flitting off and then returning in quick succession. I only stayed a little while at the bird hide but managed to see a pair of Black Swans, the bird emblem of Western Australia, along with more Willy-Wagtails. Continuing along, you enter an inland section of the walk, with some larger trees and a pretty sizeable Zamia Palm. This leads you towards the end of the reserve, with the walk intended to be a loop, leaving the reserve via the gates and returning on the footpath next to the housing estate. This didn't really appeal to me, so I decided to go back the way I came, which paid dividends as I ended up seeing different species of birds including a Whistling Kite, Grey Butcherbird, and a large squadron of Pelicans.
Final Thoughts - Development is Mandurah over the past few decades has seen great change to the area, so it's nice to know areas like the Creery Wetlands still exist.
Visiting during the time of the year where the wildflowers are yet to appear in great numbers, having a spot to enjoy the scenery, and do a bit of birding offers up some variety.
I've driven past here numerous times, and I wouldn't have expected the quality of scenery to be this good. I'm glad to have visited, and I don't think it will be the last time either.
Get out there and experience it!
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