Mulbabidgee Keatings Lagoon Conservation Park
Located on the right hand side of the Mulligan Highway approximately 8 km south of Cooktown. Turnright at the lagoon signpost and about 50 m along turn left and keep going until you reach the carpark. The conservation park has been set aside to protect the wetlands and surrounding habitat. For many thousands of years the area has been a source of food and medicine for the Gungarde people of this region. Numbered stations along the trail will introduce you to some of the plants which are of value to the Aboriginal community.
Information brochures are available from Nature's Powerhouse in the Botanic Gardens. A bird hide is located about 800 m along the walking trail at the edge of the lagoon and a picnic table is available at the end of the trail. The swaying reeds and floating water lily pads here make a scenic stop. The prolific bird life on the margins of the lagoon include the Radjah Shelduck, Egrets, the delicately coloured Torres Strait Imperial-Pidgeon (a seasonal visitor from New Guinea), Magpie Geese, Jabirus, and in the treetops, parrots and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.
For further information, please contact Nature's Powerhouse or Queensland Parks and Wildlife.
