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Tiger Bay Wetlands Walk

This is the website version of the walk. You can play each track as you approach each stop on the map, listening to the prompts about when and how to move to the next stop. You can also jump ahead if you want to, depending on how much time you have to explore Tiger Bay.

Hello/ Yaama! Welcome to Tiger Bay. This is the traditional land of the Wayilwan people.

TIMELINE OF WARREN’S LOCAL HISTORY
Pre-settlement: Wayilwan Country
1818: Explorer John Oxley camps on the site of the town
1845: Warren station was established by Thomas Readford and William Lawson, the son of explorer William Lawson. A hut was built by the site of a river crossing on the main route from Dubbo.
1860/61: A township was surveyed in 1860 with land sales starting in 1861.
1895-1897: Warren became a municipality, Warren weir was built, and the railway arrived
1967: Burrendong Dam was opened further upstream, changing the flow of the river forever.
1988 – Tiger Bay cowal was modified as an example of a Wammerawa/Wambuul Macquarie River wetland and to inspire visitors to undertake the journey to the internationally important Macquarie Marshes further north of here.

RiverSmart established the Window on the Wetlands Centre in Warren in 2015—an education, recreation and cultural centre next to Tiger Bay Wetlands. We run school-based and adult education programs about how to look after our waterways.

Rivers are for people, wildlife and sustainability. This is our vision as a not-for-profit organisation founded in late 2008. We’ve been working the length of the Wambuul/ Macquarie River and into the Macquarie Marshes/ Maliyanga ngurra, for the past decade.

Tiger Bay Wetlands map

Download the map to help guide you around the wetland. It takes 30-50 minutes to complete.

The Tiger Bay Info page has more about some of the things you may encounter during this walk, including bird identification apps you might find useful.  We reference this resource page in the audio.

Welcome to Tiger Bay

To ensure your safety and enjoyment:

  • Ideally wear closed-in shoes, a hat, and sunscreen. In summer, apply insect repellent. On hot days make sure you are hydrated and carry a filled water bottle.
  • Don’t approach snakes, they will usually see you before you see them and slither away. Stop walking and backtrack slowly until the snake moves away. Please stick to the paths. If bitten, immobilise the limb that is bitten and call 000.
  • Watch for wildlife on the path, which might include birds, lizards, snakes or echidnas. Give them space. Please do not chase the birds.
  • Pick up any plastics you might see and put them in the bin at the carpark, and please take your rubbish with you. Leave as you came. Only take memories away with you.

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Where did Tiger Bay get its name from?

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  • Tiger Bay in flood, 1944
  • The wetland in 1988
  • The carpark sign
  • The path around to the bird hide
  • The path to the bird hide

Photos of Tiger Bay in flood in 1944 and of the wetlands when they opened in 1988, with thanks to Picture Warren – Warren Shire Library. Find more information about the history of Warren at the Warren Museum and Art Gallery.

Bird Hide #1

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  • The view from the bird hide
  • Apostlebird
  • Grey-crowned babbler

The Gate

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  • The gate on the levy. Please close it behind you.
  • The view from the levy bank
  • Whistling kite
  • Whistling kite nest

Wetland Snap

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One of the WetlandSnap photo-point frames.

Wetland Snap

Scar Trees

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  • One of the two scar trees at this stop.
  • Two scar trees side by side
  • Fallen scar tree further along on walk
  • Standing scar tree further on alongside path

Ewanmar Inflow

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Nardoo, looking east
Close-up of nardoo beside the path

Reed Beds

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  • Reedbeds and dead trees in the wetland. Both are important habitat.
  • Cumbungi
  • Parrot species: Red-wing parrot
  • Parrot species: Galah
  • Parrot species: Sulfur-crested cockatoo
  • The diggings of echidnas looking for ants.
  • A mat of lippia growing on the path.
  • Australian reed-warbler (Acrocephalus australis) (Image: Lip Kee Yap CC BY-SA 2.0)

Bird Hide #2

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  • Parrot species: Cockatiel
  • Honeyeater species: Blue-faced honeyeater
  • Parrot species: Red-rumped parrot
  • Waterbird species: Egret
  • Waterbird species: Pink-eared duck
  • Waterbird species: Blue-billed duck
  • Waterbird species: Heron

End of Walk

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Wetland species: Moorhen
The view over Tiger Bay from the highway
Rainbow over Tiger Bay
MORE WETLANDS INFO

This walk was produced with the support of a Telstra grant through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), Warraan Widji Arts – Warren Performing Arts and Language Place Inc., Zoey Daley (Wayilwan), and Kim V. Goldsmith.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Check our website for more information about the Window on the Wetlands (WOW) Centre and RiverSmart Australia.

For more information about what to do and see around Warren and the region, including how to access the Macquarie Marshes, drop into the Visitor Information Centre at the WOW Centre during opening hours. You can also book a visit to the Marshes via the Burrima Boardwalk online.