Maaroom
Mud and sand flats just north of the township of Maaroom. Significantly affected by human disturbance. Lies within the Great Sandy Strait Ramsar protected site. Access is restricted between March 1 and April 30, and between September 1 and October 31. See link below.
Interesting Sightings: Grey Plover (2026), Wandering Tattler (2026), Sanderling (2026), Red-necked Avocet (2025), Gull-billed Tern (2023), Asian Dowitcher (2020)
A good place to see: Bar-tailed Godwit, Far Eastern Curlew, Pied Oystercatcher, Great Knot, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Whimbrel, Red Knot, Terek Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Pied Stilt, Common Greenshank
Conservation
The Great Sandy Strait Shorebird Area lies east of Maryborough in south-eastern Queensland, stretching from Hervey Bay to Tin Can Bay. This expansive and complex wetland system includes intertidal sand and mudflats, extensive seagrass beds, mangrove forests, saltmarshes, and saline estuarine waters with some freshwater inflows. Habitats range from shallow estuarine channels and subtidal seagrass meadows to mud and sand flats, salt flats, and vegetated swamp margins behind mangroves. The region supports high biodiversity, including 10 species of mangrove and rich communities of invertebrates and fish. It is one of three major feeding and roosting sites for migratory shorebirds in eastern Australia.
It is internationally significant for Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey-tailed Tattler, Siberian Sand-Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel and Far Eastern Curlew.
Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.