The Hunter Wetland Centre Australia is a World Heritage Ramsar Wetland Site and is situated in the Western suburb of Shortland in the City of Newcastle which adjoins the Hexham Swamps.
The centre is celebrating thirty years of operation this year since the area was saved from being completely filled in by a surrounding City Dump The land and buildings were previously owned by a Rugby Football club with several playing grounds and on the outer perimeter were a couple of swamps. These days the site has six wading dams and six Green & Golden Bell Frog ponds.
The Centre is a not for profit Community site and has a board of Directors and no paid staff with a large number of Volunteers as well as a very popular Cafe which is open to the public from 9.30am to 2.30pm daily.
The area is forty six hectares and is now a breading and resting site for several spices of mainly migratory water birds plus other species of birds which visit the site yearly.
The centre has its own Native Plant Nursery that propagates all plants from seeds collected on site and used for on-site projects. The Nursery also grows and sells plants to create revenue for the Centre. During 2014 a Native tree was planted at the Centre to commemorate the planting of the To Hundred Thousand Native Plant that has been planted on the site. Also on site is a Bush Tucker Garden has been established to supply the Cafe.