The wetlands is a large area of land, some10km² kilometres or 10,000 ha, on the northern side of the Macleay River floodplain. It lies east of the hills, west of Yarrahapinni Wetlands and is divided by the new Pacific Highway dual carriageway.

The Clybucca Wetlands has been described as an “Estuarinescape Twilight Zone” by those who are exploring opportunities for its rehabilitation. The wetlands have sections which are at or below sea level. It was once a thriving wetlands and drought-poof refuge pasture for graziers prior to being modified by drainage, particularly in the 1960s to ’70s.

The drainage and gates installed causes the acid sulphate soils to dry out during times of low rainfall. When “re-wetted” by rainwater, acid run-off along with often water containing low levels of dissolved oxygen flows into the estuary. This discharge severely degrades water quality, impacting fishing and oyster industries, quality of pasture and soil health, tourism potential, and biodiversity.

Max Osborne, senior land services officer with North Coast Local Land Services, collaborating with a government inter-departmental working group, has been working towards rehabilitating this significant area of back-swamp and wetlands for the past three years.

Save Our Macleay River encourage residents to attend a presentation to see what ‘behind the scenes’ progress has been made and the opportunities for future progress.

The progressive restoration of the smaller Yarrahapinni Wetlands to the east and downstream has shown that restoration is not only possible but happens relatively quickly. It is now a thriving estuarine wetland with greatly improved fish and bird habitat and with regenerating mangrove and saltmarsh Endangered Ecological Communities.