The best time to see lots of birds at the Macquarie Marshes is early in the morning. Two places open to the public are recommended for bird watchers.

One is along Gibsons Way, a gravel road from Quambone to the Carinda Road, which crosses the marshes at Monkey Bar Creek, a popular bird feeding area. If there has been recent rain, water flows over the road. Check the condition of the road at the nearest town before travelling.

The best place to view the marshes is at ‘Burrima’ 129km along the Carinda Road from Warren and 50km from Carinda. This bitumen bush road, very narrow in parts, has cattle grids that beep as you cross them.

‘Burrima’ has a 2km boardwalk circuit built across the marshes as well as a picnic area, facilities and a large shaded area with lots of information on the management of the wetland ecosystem.

To enter the property you must book prior to arriving and pay $25 per car. Once paid you are given a pin code to open the enormous gates.

The boardwalk and observation tower is a wonderful way for visitors to view the marshes and its insects and birdlife. Being amongst these marshes makes you want to protect them more. In 1986 the Macquarie Marshes was listed under the Ramsar Convention as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ for its significance as a floodplain wetland in a semi-arid landscape.