Tyagarah Nature Reserve picnic area

Tyagarah Nature Reserve

Open, check current alerts 

Overview

Relax at this lovely picnic area next to Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Wander the nearby bush tracks, or head to the beach for swimming, sunbathing or fishing.

Type
Picnic areas
Accessibility
Hard
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply
What to
bring
Hat, sunscreen, drinking water, snacks
Please note
  • Nudity is not permitted at Tyagarah Nature Reserve and Tyagarah Beach is no longer a clothing optional area. Penalties apply.
  • Beaches in this park are not patrolled, and can sometimes have strong rips and currents.
  • There may be limited mobile reception in certain parts of this park.

Located right next to Tyagarah Nature Reserve, this charming, quiet picnic spot, complete with tables, is a great place to chill out and grab a bite, or recline with a long, lazy picnic between swims at the beautiful beach just across the way.

Besides the gorgeous stretch of protected coastline here, there are also some excellent tracks behind the dunes, which are great for bushwalking and birdwatching. Coastal banksia can be found along the tracks and behind the dunes, as well as midgen berry, with its white flowers and purple spotted berries, which are much-loved by the local birds.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/picnic-areas/tyagarah-nature-reserve-picnic-area/local-alerts

General enquiries

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about the Tyagarah Nature Reserve picnic area.

Getting there and parking

The picnic area is located at the end of Grays Lane.

Road quality

  • Sealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

  • Parking is available at the end of Grays Lane.
  • It can be a busy place on the weekends and public holidays, so parking might be limited.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you in Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Here are some of the highlights.

Spring

Watch from the dunes and beach as humpback whale mums and their new calves pass by on their way home from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica.

Summer

The perfect time to enjoy swimming, sunbathing and fishing on the reserve's gorgeous beach, or eating and relaxing in the picnic area.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

22°C and 27°C

Highest recorded

35.1°C

Winter temperature

Average

12°C and 20°C

Lowest recorded

3.3°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

March

Driest month

September

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

350.4mm

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Beach safety

Beaches in this park are not patrolled and can have strong rip currents. These beach safety tips will help you and your family stay safe in the water.


Fishing safety

Fishing from a boat, the beach, the rocks or by the river is a popular activity for many national park visitors. If you’re planning a day out fishing, check out these fishing and rock fishing safety tips.

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

River and lake safety

The aquatic environment around rivers, lakes and lagoons can be unpredictable. If you're visiting these areas, take note of these river and lake safety tips.

Accessibility

Disability access level - hard

Wheelchairs can access this area with some difficulty

Permitted

Fishing

Fishing from a boat, the beach, the rocks or by the river is a popular activity for many national park visitors. If you’re planning a day out fishing, check out these fishing and rock fishing safety tips.

Prohibited

Pets

Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Learn more

Tyagarah Nature Reserve picnic area is in Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Colourful wildlife

Pelicans (Pelecanus) on the river, Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Photo: David Young

Among the diverse wildlife you may encounter here are Australian bush turkeys wandering the nearby tracks in search of food. Ospreys, brahminy kits and majestic white-bellied sea eagles patrol the coast, sometimes swooping dramatically to snatch food from the sea. Pied oystercatchers, with their distinctive long red beaks, may be seen searching for pippis along the beach. If you're especially lucky, you may even come across a wallaby grazing beside the track that runs from Grays Lane to Brunswick Heads. Threatened species recorded in the reserve include the long-nosed potoroo, wallum froglet, and the Mitchells Rainforest snail.

Generations of Aboriginal history

Forest, Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Photo: David Young

The reserve falls within the Bundjalung nation and is of importance to the local Arakwal people who have affiliations and connections to the reserve and surrounds. The abundant resources of the reserve have been used by generations of Bundjalung people, who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of NSW.

Unique, endangered ecology

Paper bark trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia)  on the river bank. Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Photo: David Young

The reserve protects six endangered ecological communities in the north coast bioregion: coastal saltmarsh; swamp sclerophyll forest; littoral rainforest; lowland rainforest on floodplain; subtropical coastal floodplain forest; and swamp oak floodplain forest. A huge total of 33 threatened plant species are known, or likely to occur, within the reserve such as stinking crypotocarya, red lilly pilly and green-leaved rose walnut.

  • Tyagarah Nature Reserve picnic area Relax at this lovely picnic area next to Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Wander the nearby bush tracks, or head to the beach for swimming, sunbathing or fishing.

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