Limeburners Creek lies on the northern outskirts of Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast, flowing through what was declared a nature reserve in 1971 — the first on the NSW north coast — and later upgraded to national park status in 2010. The area contains important Aboriginal sites with a known period of occupation spanning 5,000 to 6,000 years, and has a history of oyster farming in which sandstone rocks, brought to Port Macquarie as ballast on sailing ships, were placed on ti-tree platforms at low tide to catch oyster spawn.

A typical paddle covers around 25 km return and takes approximately five hours. The most common route begins on the Hastings River, paddling a couple of kilometres downstream before turning into Limeburners Creek, which heads north into the national park. The creek is tidal, so timing a departure to coincide with an incoming tide allows paddlers to travel upstream with the current and then ride the outgoing tide back out. Early in the route, paddlers navigate around a number of oyster farms before the creek narrows and enters the national park proper. The creek eventually opens onto two unnamed lakes, and some paddlers extend the trip to Saltwater Lake before returning. The water level in Shallow Bay, which is crossed near the put-in, drops noticeably at low tide, so timing the return leg is worth considering.

The character of the creek changes considerably along its length. Near the mouth, shrubby mangroves line one bank while saltgrass meadows occupy the other. Further upstream, vegetation includes grey and river mangroves, casuarinas, melaleucas, eucalypts, and clusters of elk and stag ferns. The creek alternates between open stretches and narrow, tunnel-like sections, with fallen trees occasionally requiring navigation or portaging. Birdlife is active throughout, and the area supports a number of threatened animal species. Drone flying is not permitted within the national park section of the route.

The overall experience is one of varied and largely undeveloped waterway paddling, with the environment shifting from working oyster leases near the coast to dense riparian vegetation deeper in the national park.