Cudgen Nature Reserve
Overview
Escape the Tweed Coast crowds and head to Cudgen Nature Reserve. Great for school excursions, with opportunities for fishing, canoeing, picnicking and birdwatching.
Read more about Cudgen Nature Reserve
Visit Cudgen Nature Reserve and you’ll quickly leave the hectic Tweed Coast behind, as you surround yourself in a mosaic of beauty and contrasting landscapes.
It’s a modest reserve, but it’s packed full of things to see and do for the whole family. Indulge in picnicking at Cudgen picnic area and admire the dramatic backdrop of Wollumbin Mount Warning.
It’s also a great spot for birdwatching and home to some of the last remaining koalas on the Tweed Coast, so keep a lookout in the trees around the lake and near Round Mountain.
Go sailing on the lake or explore the shorelines and birdlife by kayak or canoe. And if that’s not enough, the beach nearby also offers great fishing and surfing.
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/cudgen-nature-reserve/local-alerts
Contact
- in the North Coast region
Cudgen Nature Reserve is always open but may have to close at times due to flooding or high fire danger.
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Murwillumbah office
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Email: npws.tweedbyron@environment.nsw.gov.au
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Murwillumbah office
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Cudgen Nature Reserve.
Map
Map legend
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
From Tweed Heads:
- Drive south on Pacific Highway
- Take the Tweed Coast Road exit at Chinderah
- Continue for approximately 6km on Tweed Coast Road until you see the first part of the nature reserve on your right
From Murwillumbah:
- Drive north-east on Tweed Valley Way for approximately 4km
- Turn right into Clothiers Creek Road Continue until you cross Pacific Highway
- After approximately 2.5km, you’ll see the nature reserve start on your left.
From Brunswick Heads:
- Drive north on Pacific Highway
- Take the Clothiers Creek Road exit and drive towards Cabarita Beach
- After approximately 2.5km, you’ll see the nature reserve start on your left.
Parking
- Cudgen Lake See on map
By bike
Cycle ways run along the edge of Cudgen Nature Reserve, connecting the coastal villages. Check out the Bicycle information for NSW website for more information.
By public transport
Cudgen Nature Reserve is accessible by bus from Tweed Heads. For information about public transport options, visit the NSW country transport info website.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Cudgen Nature Reserve. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Venture off to explore the lake in your kayak or canoe and paddle along Cudgen Creek.
Spring
Enjoy a peaceful picnic at Cudgen picnic area, with spectacular views across the lake to Wollumbin.
Summer
Escape the holiday crowds and have fun swimming, sailing and paddling on Cudgen Lake.
Winter
Enjoy birdwatching on the lake and watch for migratory birds.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
18°C and 30°C
Highest recorded
42.9°C
Winter temperature
Average
8°C and 22°C
Lowest recorded
-1.4°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
February
Driest month
September
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
820.4mm
Facilities
Maps and downloads
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.
Nearby towns
Murwillumbah (18 km)
Murwillumbah is rich dairy, sugar cane and banana country. It's located on the banks of the Tweed River and set in the Tweed River Valley against a backdrop of rainforest-clad hills.
Tweed Heads (18 km)
Tweed Heads features endless surfing, beaches and waterways. It is the northernmost town on the NSW coast.
Brunswick Heads (33 km)
Brunswick Heads is a holiday village with clean, uncrowded beaches. It's a coastal location on the estuary of the Brunswick River.
Learn more
Cudgen Nature Reserve is a special place. Here are just some of the reasons why:
Water sport playground
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.
- Cudgen Lake Cudgen Lake, near the coastal villages of Cabarita Beach and Bogangar on the Tweed Coast, is perfect for kayaking, swimming, picnicking and birdwatching.
Good things come in small packages
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.
A birdwatcher's paradise
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.
- Cudgen Lake Cudgen Lake, near the coastal villages of Cabarita Beach and Bogangar on the Tweed Coast, is perfect for kayaking, swimming, picnicking and birdwatching.
Education resources (1)
What we're doing
Cudgen Nature Reserve has management strategies in place to protect and conserve the values of this park. Visit the OEH website for detailed park and fire management documents.