Cudgen is home to plenty of birdlife, making it a great spot for bird watching. The lake and surrounding wetlands are a great place to see black swan and waterbirds like the Australian white ibis or the white-faced heron. You'll also see shorebirds including pied oystercatcher, osprey and sea eagles.

For a modest reserve, there is certainly an enormous variety of vegetation, ranging from coastal dunes to heath, swamp forests to rainforests, and the beautiful wetlands on Cudgen Lake and surrounding estuaries. Much of the reserve is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community (EEC), including swamp oak, swamp melaleuca forest, littoral and lowland subtropical rainforest, and freshwater wetlands. Cudgen Nature Reserve also provides a great viewing point and stopover point en route to the magnificent rainforest in the World Heritage-listed Wollumbin National Park.

With the great expanse of Cudgen Lake, nearby creeks and Cabarita Beach all included in Cudgen Nature Reserve, you'll find loads of water sports to enjoy. Go sailing on the lake, or explore by kayak, canoe or paddleboard. Enjoy swimming on the lake or head to Cabarita Beach for swimming, surfing and fishing in the ocean.