Many biophysical factors influence the elevation of mangrove and saltmarsh including water level, inundation depth, duration and frequency of inundation, groundwater levels, sedimentation, plant productivity and organic matter decomposition. The study was undertaken at the Hunter River and focussed on Ukerebagh Island. Vegetation mapping indicated a continuing trajectory of mangrove expansion and a slight loss of saltmarsh over the study period.Management actions that increase the delivery of sediment to coastal wetlands, increase the capacity of vegetation to sequester sediment, and increase primary productivity and the contribution of organic matter to soil volume may ease the threat of systemic change to coastal wetlands as sea-level rise accelerates in the 21st century.