Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia 1 Wetlands Place, Shortland, New South Wales 2307

"Spoonbill cafe is our chosen meeting place.Fresh air a great view and affordable yummy meals. Great wildlife paintings for to admire or purchase. And pleasant helpful staff thoughout the centre"

"Note: 5-star rating is for Wetlands area ONLY. We were warmly welcomed by the two friendly ladies at reception, who gave us maps and advice. It's a beautiful place to spend some time and get your nature on and me, my wife and our 6 year old son really enjoyed it. We decided to stay for lunch and, unfortunately, this proved to be a mistake. The grumpy old guy in the restaurant couldn't have made us feel less welcome if he'd tried. First, we sat down at an empty table; he came and put a Reserved card on it and said we had to move because it's reserved. So we moved to another table. (That 'reserved' table remained unused for the duration of our stay.) When he brought us our drinks, my wife politely asked him if he could please remove the previous diners' dirty plates and cups. His reply in a surly tone: "You shouldn't even be sitting here, I haven't sanitised the table yet." I held my tongue because I didn't want to cause a scene. Luckily we were also served by a very friendly young man with a plaited pony tail who clearly understood customer service. Later, my wife went to order another smoothie. Grumpy was at the counter and completely ignored her as she stood right in front of him. I understand these eateries attached to attractions like this are leased and run by an external company. I would suggest to Wetlands management that they give serious consideration to their current arrangement. We'll return to the Wetlands but never again will we visit the restaurant."

"This is my 1st time to visit here and go inside to take a look around. It is good place to visit wild birds...if you like it. And nice restaurant to enjoy your meal here..."

"It's so good to see the ponds filled with water! The only positive of La Nina. Kids loved walking around, exploring and all the mini play areas"

"1st time I've been inside and taken a look around. It is excellent and well worth visiting. If you have an interest in the natural world or want a quiet place for coffee and a stroll, this is a good option. Clearly reliant on volunteers they make the wetlands accessible to all. Two tips for you... go during the week when it's quieter and don't forget your binoculars if you have them."