This park protects sandy beaches, diverse coastal lowland vegetation and the catchment of near-pristine Deepwater Creek, one of Queensland’s few remaining undisturbed coastal freshwater streams.

The park's diverse vegetation of coastal scrubs, eucalypt woodlands, wet heaths and sedgelands surround Deepwater Creek and its tributaries. Tannins and other substances leached from surrounding heath plants stain the creek water brown. The creek is fringed by tall forests of swamp mahogany, paperbark and cabbage palms, and is broken in places by shallow sections of reed bed and paperbark forest. In these areas water only flows during the wet season.

Deepwater supports diverse birdlife such as emus, red-tailed black-cockatoos, honeyeaters, brahminy kites and waterbirds. Nesting turtles frequent Deepwater Beach from October to April; turtle hatchlings emerge from the nests from January, usually at night.