Mount Scott Conservation Park

Inland from the beaches

Most visitors to Kingston SE look seaward, but 22 kilometres east of town Mount Scott Conservation Park rewards those who turn inland. Here low woodland of brown stringybark, cup gum and peppermint box grows over heath and grass-trees, a very different landscape from the coastal dunes.

The park is a stronghold for wildlife. Western grey kangaroos and red-necked wallabies are common, and patient observers may find evidence of the rare malleefowl, the mound-building bird that is one of the park's most prized residents. Nearly 150 bird species have been recorded, from common bronzewings to white-throated treecreepers.

A picnic and camping area in the park's north-west corner makes this an easy overnight stop. Combine it with the coastal wetlands of Butcher Gap Conservation Park for a day that runs from stringybark forest to salt lake — two faces of the Kingston SE district most travellers never see.