The passage of the Noosa River that cuts into the Great Sandy National Park north of Lake Cootharaba is poetically known as the ‘river of mirrors’ or the Everglades. Hosting almost half of the bird species found in Australia, the river's entire upper catchment is protected, making this one of the most pristine wetlands in the world. It's a perfect place to launch a kayak and camp in one of the many national park camping grounds along the riverbank.
The waters themselves are a known habitat of the elusive dugong, a gentle, vulnerable water mammal.