Arkarra Lagoons

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An easy drive from Hervey Bay, offers a wetland setting, walks and even a cafe. If it's the wander around the lagoons you're after, you can show up any time, but it's worth visiting when the Arkarra Tea Gardens cafe is open. Its hours are 8.30am and 4.00pm from Wednesday to Friday, and 8.00am and 4.00pm on the weekend.



Arkarra means 'place of many ducks' and that was certainly the case when I arrived at the lagoon during my midday visit. In fact, I spent ages at the platform over the water watching the wildlife. But I have to say it wasn't the ducks that had me captivated. It was all the inquisitive turtles that kept bobbing their heads up.





Once you lave the platform, some short walks take you past other sides of the two-acre gardens, like the wetlands scenes, which are probably reminiscent of what the place originally looked like. The lagoons as they are today didn't actually exist until sand was extracted in the 1960s and the remaining holes starting filling with water. Previously it had been swampy melaleuca wetlands for a lot of the originally 200 hectare property (it's now very residential around the lagoons though).



Back at the cafe, you can get tea or coffee, treats or meals (gluten free and vegetarian diets are covered) are available for lunch, morning or afternoon tea, with breakfasts also an option on the weekend. There's outdoor seating and even thatch-covered shelters for you to enjoy (you can't see the water while you eat, but it's quite pretty nonetheless).

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