Mutton Bird Island (Coffs Harbour)

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Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve
Muttonbird Island is a sacred and very significant site to the local Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people. Home to thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters, also known as muttonbirds, the island is a protected Nature Reserve.

No visit to Coffs Harbour is complete without a stroll to and, if you can handle a reasonably steep but short climb, over Muttonbird Island.

A 500m paved walkway runs across the island to the other side.

There are interpretive signs at the start of the walkway at the bottom of the island and along the path, explaining the lifecycle and habits of the wedge-tailed shearwaters.
On top of the island, you’ll have an incredible 360-degree view across the ocean, beaches, harbour and marina, the city and the mountains. At the end of the walkway is a viewing platform, providing uninterrupted views of the waves crashing onto the rocks and of the Solitary Island Marine Park, which starts here.

The viewing platform also has interpretive signs about humpback whales. Muttonbird Island is one of the best spots on Coffs Coast for whale watching. Thousands of humpback whales pass the coast north and then back south between June and November on their annual migration to give birth in warmer waters.



"Muttonbird Island is the largest and most significant breeding site for wedge-tailed shearwaters in NSW. The birds nest in shallow burrows located over the majority of the island. The birds breed between May and June using the same burrow each year."