Paddling in Everlasting Swamp National Park

Everlasting Swamp National Park sits on the NSW North Coast north of Grafton, in the Clarence Valley — a low, flat coastal wetland where the water is slow, the channels are narrow, and the paddling is entirely flatwater.

This is one of the largest freshwater wetlands on the NSW North Coast, and the park exists specifically to protect it. Coming here by canoe or kayak is not incidental to the experience; it's one of the two ways the park is designed to be explored.

The designated paddling route runs through Woody Creek and Sportsmans Creek.

You launch at Woody Creek and paddle right through green rushes and violet water lilies, then turn left onto Sportsmans Creek where the canopy closes in — old red gums, swamp oak, and paperbark overhead. The route runs 5.

6 kilometres out to a natural turnaround, making 12 kilometres return. NSW National Parks rates it easy, with a suggested time of around four and a half hours.

Water levels on both creeks are described as always sufficient to paddle, which matters in a wetland system where seasonal variation can be dramatic elsewhere in the region. The launch at Woody Creek is soft riverbank — no ramp, no structure. Step carefully.

You can exit wherever the banks are low enough along the route, but vehicle access is only at the Woody Creek launch point, so plan accordingly. Fishing is permitted on Sportsmans Creek; bass and mullet are the species mentioned.

Check current NSW regulations before you go — the park falls under NSW rules, and the Grafton NPWS office is the contact for park-specific questions. What makes paddling here different from a free-flowing river trip is the pace and the purpose.

The swamp rewards slow movement and quiet. After heavy rain, water levels rise and birdlife concentrates — black-necked storks, brolgas, black swans.

The canoe is the right tool for this place not because it's the only one allowed, but because it fits the water: still, reed-lined, and best read at walking pace.