Belongil Creek empties water from the Belongil Mangrove and Melaleuca wetlands to the sea about 1km north of the main Byron Surf beach area.(hence the tanin colours in the water) The area is a tranquil estuary emerging behind Belongil Beach barrier dunes between prime tourist potential land,formerly for a failed Club Med venture and the sea. Erosion of the frontal dune at the estuary mouth makes any development here extremely sensitive although a new venture is almost certain within a few years now that planning approval has been ceded to the NSW Sate Government,effectively bypassing oppositional local government. A further sensitive feature of the estuary mouth is the existence of a breeding colony of Little Terns who lay their eggs directly on the dune with little effort to conceal them.This area has been fenced off in recent years.Tourist development of the size reportedly being considered could potentially impact on this colony.
Categories & Keywords
Category:Scenic
Subcategory:Rivers
Subcategory Detail:
Keywords:australia, beach, belongil, belongil creek, belongil lagoon, byron, byron bay, creeks, estuaries, estuary, little terns, ocean, river, rivers, sand, sea, water