Darwin Mangrove Ecosystem

Wooden boardwalks wind over shallow water courses...

Mangroves cover a narrow band around much of the Northern Territory coastline.

They are a fascinating, unique ecosystem supporting highly specialised fauna, including many distinctive mangrove birds such as the yellow white-eye, chestnut rail, black butcherbird, mangrove gerygone, mangrove robin, white-breasted whistler, and mangrove golden whistler.

... to the aluminium walkway into the mangroves.

The walk from Lake Alexander takes about 20 minutes, the last section along a raised metal walkway above the muddy mangrove floor.

With tides of up to 8 metres, this walk can be very different at different times.

The metal walkway works its way through mangroves

A short walk along a gravel path which follows the high water beach brings you to the beginning of the metal mangrove boardwalk.

This metal bordwalk heads straight out towards the sea through the dense canopy of mangrove trees.

When the tides is high it is only inches above the water for most of it's length. This a crocodile territory, so stick to the safety of the walkway.

Just above the high tide

The walkway slopes gently down out from the shore, so a rising tide will cover the end section first, allowing visitors to return without getting cut off by water.

Information boards along the walk describe the flora and fauna of the area.

The Larrakiah people used the recourses of the mangroves in their traditional lifestyle and were known as 'the water people'.

A similar walkway behind Casuarina beach

Casuarina Coastal Reserve, and Charles Darwin National Park also provide access to different parts of Darwins Mangroves.