Butcher Gap Conservation Park

A pocket of the old South East

Six kilometres south of Kingston SE, Butcher Gap Conservation Park protects about 180 hectares of seasonal wetland, salt lake and dense coastal scrub — a small surviving pocket of the country that once covered much of the lower South East before the drains went in.

An easy interpretive loop trail, mostly flat on graded and sandy paths, takes around an hour. Small marker posts point out native plants, animal habitat and traces of earlier industry on the land. Some sections can be muddy after rain, especially around the lake margins, which is part of the charm.

The park is best known to birdwatchers. Black swans, chestnut teal and mountain ducks gather on the salt lake from summer into autumn, herons stalk the shallows, and in winter the scrub occasionally shelters the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot on its mainland migration. The park sits close to the road out to Cape Jaffa, so it pairs naturally with a visit to the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse. Entry is free; dogs, bikes and camping are not permitted.