Dog walkers asked to avoid environmental reserves

Both sites are important shorebird roosting sites and seasonal closures apply to dogs from October to April each year.

Sandfly Creek Environmental Reserve, located off East Gordon Street, supports one of the highest diversities of shorebirds in the region. Twenty-nine species have been recorded at the site, including 22 migratory species, and seven resident species.

The Shellgrit Creek area, located off Illawong Drive, is equally important and bird species including the Eastern Curlew, Great Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit, roost on the foreshore during high tides, when their feeding grounds are under water.

The exclusion zone for Shellgrit Creek includes both the beach and the reserve.

Dog walkers are asked to seek alternative routes until the end of April 2020. Pedestrians are asked to stick to walking tracks and observe all wildlife from a distance to minimise human disturbance.