BBECK ~ 11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

BBECK ~ 11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

Simon & Lorraine Freeden

11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

HELLO!

We are Simon & Lorraine Freeden and we love to travel and experience nature-based tours so much ourselves, that ten years ago we built our own river cruise company on the stunning Brunswick River, so we could share our passion with you!

WELCOME

We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to spend each and every day (weather permitting) out on our beloved Brunswick River; adventuring, exploring, learning, seeing and sharing nature's glory! As avid nature lovers, we've seen some incredible species, and we encourage you while you're cruising with us, to keep a lookout for these top ten birds that you might see - and note others that may surprise and delight you also!

Enjoy!

Simon & Lorraine Freeden Call 0410 016 926 Email [email protected] Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour 1 Old Pacific Highway, Brunswick Heads

11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

READING BAY / HARRY’S: Harry’s hill is part of the Brunswick Heads. Nature Reserve and has a lovely walk through the bush to the beautiful white sand beach on the north side of the river. Please obey the signage in this special beautiful area as Pied Oystercatchers and Endangered Beach Stone Curlews nest in this area.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

SIMPSONS CREEK

Starts life off at The Farm Byron Bay near the M1 turn off and flows through Tyagarah and on through Brunswick Heads town centre where it joins the beautiful Brunswick River. Great for kayaking at high tide and having fun with the kids. Simpsons Creek is part of Cape Byron Marine Park and no fishing is allowed south of the Bowling Club.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

MARSHALLS CREEK Starts life off at The Pocket in the mountains behind Billinudgel and flows through Ocean Shores, New Brighton and Brunswick Heads. It is one of our favourite places to kayak and has some beautiful rainforest areas along the creek banks. Where the creek enters the Brunswick River is our local oyster farmer and his leases grow delicious fresh oysters. You can buy these at the local markets. Marshalls creek has an abundance of birdlife and we often see Ospreys, White-bellied Sea Eagles and Brahminy Kites flying over. It is also a no fishing zone once past the town area.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

FLEA ISLAND Located opposite Ferry Reserve Caravan Park. This little island is a favourite resting place for Pelicans and a nesting site for Pied Oystercatchers. These and other shore birds can often be seen on and around the island and in the shallows.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

MANGROVE ISLAND Mangrove island has been formed by mangrove seeds deposited on the sandbank over time and taking root. This slowly builds with more trees growing and dropping their leaves which in turn produces a permanent base for other species of trees to take root. The strip of river between the land and the island is a great place to spot stingrays and fish in the reed beds.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

FIG TREE HOLE A White Fig seed dropped by a bird on the rock point hundreds of years ago slowly grew into a stunted bonsai. Due to the lack of soil on the rock the tree had to force its root through cracks in the rock to find some soil and moisture to grow. We have monitored it over the past 10 years and seen parts of the tree rot and slowly die so what is left and still growing is much smaller than when we first observed it.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

MIDJIMBIL CREEK This little creek offers a great place to kayak or stand up paddleboard as it is narrow with overhanging trees. It is about 1km long and can present some challenges if a tree has come down or the tide is too low or too high to navigate it. There is a huge old fig tree upstream which overhangs the river and is a beautiful backdrop for a photo. This area is also a great place to spot kingfishers as they like the quiet creek and it is shadowed under the canopy.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

COFFEE ROCK CORNER The black rock above the river when crumbled looks like coffee grounds hence the name. It was once part of the sand dunes and the black rock was formed by the sand particles being crushed together over time and you can still see the white sand in places. In this area we often see the tea tree coloured water coming out of the wetlands where it flows into the river water and doesn’t want to mix. Why? What floats on top? The fresh water or the salt water and why? The answer is the fresh water floats on top as it is lighter and the salt water is heavier because it has salt mixed in it. The tea tree water is fresh water so floats over the top of the salt water and appears not to mix. It does eventually of course.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

KINGS CREEK The largest creek on this part of the river, it flows south and you cross over it on the cement bridge on the Mullumbimby road when you come over the hills and onto the flat before reaching the town limits. There are some lovely big trees along the banks as well as big mangroves. It is too narrow for our big boat to go down but we have been down there on a big tide in our smaller boat and it is really beautiful.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

BASHY’S CORNER The Bashforth family have owned this land from the early days of European settlement. They have done a great job stabilising the riverbank on their side of the river with rock and concrete which protects the trees and helps prevent riverbank erosion. Also on this part of the river is the last patch of seagrass so it’s a great place to spot wading birds, eagles and kingfishers as there are lots of fish.

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11 SPECIAL PLACES ON THE BRUNSWICK RIVER

DEVIL’S ELBOW The turn-around point for the cruise, this thin strip of land creates a sharp corner on the river near the Mullumbimby Leagues Club fields. Way back when the logs were being floated down the river towards the river mouth this corner created some problems and gave the loggers a “devil of a time” hence the name. The strip of land is only a few meters wide at the point and gets quite shallow on low tide when the sandbank is exposed. Luckily, we have a flat bottom river boat so are able to manoeuvre in this small space and shallow water.

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ABOUT US

We offer sunset cruises, morning cruises and guided kayak tours and SUP tours of the Brunswick River, and each one offers such a different experience of nature! A small, beautiful river with an interesting history which we'll share parts of with you on your cruise, as well as some understanding of the aquatic ecosystem, landscapes and the environmental issues that can affect this special place. We know you'll have fun with our safe, supportive team and with what we share, we hope that you can further your appreciation of our unique Australian environment and how to help preserve it.

Enjoy!

Simon & Lorraine Freeden Call 0410 016 926 Email [email protected]

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T E S T I M O N I A L S

Very informative and such a lovely crew! Found out so much about an area I'd lived in for years! Good excursion.

- We nd y Doo l e y

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T E S T I M O N I A L S

Absolutely fantastic tour, beautiful scenery and awesome tour guides with interesting local knowledge and good yarns. Thanks Simon and Rob! � Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area.

- Gwe ndo l y n e O ' Dea

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T E S T I M O N I A L S

Absolutely wonderful!! I totally recommend. Such a tranquil cruise on the stunning river with exceptional knowledge from the tour guides - so informative. Excellent! Staff were BRILLIANT!!! A must do if in Brunswick, Byron and surrounding areas!!

- Ka t y Bu c kma s t e r

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T E S T I M O N I A L S

Great to see the river and wildlife with enthusiastic guides :)

- J u l i a F r e r i c h s

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S imon & L o r r a i ne F r eeden Ca l l 04 1 0 0 1 6 926 Ema i l f un@by r onbayc r u i s e s . com. au B r unsw i c k Heads Boa t Ha r bou r 1 O l d Pac i f i c H i ghway , B r unsw i c k Heads

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Byron Bay Eco Cruises & Kayaks www.byronbaycruises.com.au/