The wild banks of Tasmania’s Swan River are home to millions of flowers, thousands of insects and hundreds of birds. White-bellied sea eagles and three species of cormorant are as common as pigeons in a public park, drawn by the abundance of fish in its waters. High on the ridge lines, more cautious than the birds, Bennett’s wallabies send their unmistakable silhouettes bounding through thin woodlands.
Rising on the flanks of Mount St John, the Swan runs for about 45km, meandering south to Moulting Lagoon, where grebes, herons, egrets, ducks and mighty Australian pelicans gather in uncommon abundance. Satisfyingly, it is also home to thousands of black swans. It’s their presence, and annual moulting, that gives both river and lagoon their names.
