Limeburners Creek lies on the northern edge 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 used as platforms to catch oyster spawn at low tide.

The creek is tidal, and paddlers typically access it from the Hastings River, paddling a couple of kilometres downstream before turning north into Limeburners Creek. The entrance area features oyster farms that require some navigation, after which the creek enters the national park and progressively narrows. The character of the waterway changes constantly, moving between open stretches and narrow, tunnel-like sections, with fallen trees and other obstacles adding variety. Vegetation along the banks includes grey and river mangroves, saltgrass meadows, casuarinas, melaleucas, eucalypts, and clusters of elk and stag ferns. Further upstream, the trees thin out as the creek approaches Saltwater Lake. There are two lakes along the route, with Saltwater Lake being a noted turnaround point for many paddlers.

Timing a paddle with an incoming tide is strongly recommended, as the tidal current provides meaningful assistance heading upstream and ideally reverses to assist the return journey. The full return trip to Saltwater Lake is approximately 25 kilometres and takes around five hours. Fallen trees across the creek may require portaging or scrambling, so paddlers should be prepared for minor obstacles. Drone flying is not permitted within the national park section of the route.

The creek passes through a range of environments, from open bays to enclosed mangrove tunnels, with abundant birdlife audible throughout. The area around Shallow Bay, crossed at the start and end of the paddle, can become very shallow depending on the tide, so timing the return crossing appropriately is worth considering.