Prior to colonisation, Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest could be found surrounding waterways along the East Coast of so called australia, for example along the banks of Goolay'yari (the cooks river). The dominant trees in the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forests are Casuarina glauca (Swamp Oak) and species of Melaleuca (bottlebrush), namely Melaleuca ericifolia and Melaleuca quinquinervia.