Moruya River is a located in a large catchment area on the south coast of New South Wales. The estuary has 2 training walls that keep it permanently open to the sea. It is classed as a barrier river estuary.
Malabar Lagoon – also known as Malabar Creek – supports saltmarsh, seagrass meadows and mangroves, and is an important arm of the Moruya River estuary.
Quondolo Island, another feature of the Moruya River estuary, is protected as part of Eurobodalla National Park. The island supports a range of coastal vegetation including swamp oak and coastal banksia, which provide important shelter for shorebirds, and mudflats surrounding the island provide a food source for the birds and crustaceans.
Historically, Moruya River is known as the site which provided granite for piers and pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.