A refuge for woodland wildlife
Abutting Queensland's spectacular Carnarvon Gorge National Park, Carnarvon Station Reserve is one of the few remaining strongholds for woodland species largely lost to the rest of eastern Australia.
The rugged sandstone hills, narrow valley floors and high escarpments of the reserve create a dramatic setting, offering natural protection to its inhabitants.
Of almost 200 of animal species found on the reserve so far, at least 12 are threatened with extinction, including the nationally endangered northern quoll. This reserve also protects hundreds of plant species, 13 of which are threatened.
The lowland woodlands and bluegrass grasslands, which cover much of Carnarvon's valley floor, are important additions to the rugged ranges of the neighbouring national park.
Nationally, more than two-thirds of these woodlands have been destroyed, but what's left protects a wide range of native species, including geckos, gliders, honeyeaters, the tiny narrow-nosed planigale and the common dunnart.
All this has been protected thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
What this reserve protects
 The northern quoll.
Photo: Jiri Lochman/ Lochman Transparencies
 Squatter pigeon.
Photo: Wayne Lawler/ Ecopix |
Bush Heritage ecologists got very excited when remote-sensing cameras confirmed suspicions that the nationally endangered northern quoll can still be found at Carnarvon Station.
Carnarvon Station Reserve also protects these significant species and communities:
Animals |
- Squatter pigeon
- Herbert's rock-wallaby
- Turquoise parrot
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- Glossy black-cockatoo
- Dingo
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Plants |
- Illawarra greenhood (endangered orchid)
- Austral cornflower (vulnerable wildflower)
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- Ooline (vulnerable tree)
- Austral toadflax (vulnerable herb)
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Vegetation communities |
- Bluegrass grasslands
- Vine thicket
- Brigalow scrub
- Spring wetland communities
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- Redgum forest
- Poplar box woodlands
- Mountain coolabah woodlands
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What we’re doing on the property
Carnarvon Station was a cattle station for 140 years, so our first priority was to remove any remaining stock before they could further degrade the area’s sensitive grasslands and natural springs.
Getting rid of feral pigs and horses is also of primary importance. Horses destroy shelter for ground-nesting birds and other wildlife, cause erosion, and trample springs and watercourses, ruining important turtle and frog habitat.
Pigs root up earth around the springs, fouling the water and degrading the tiny wetland habitats encircling the springs.
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| Bush Heritage volunteers doing important fencing work. |
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Fencing out these feral animals is having spectacular results on the spring ecosystems. By building fences that allow native animals to pass, but not pigs or horses, we’ve improved not just the springs but also the surrounding areas.
As a result, we’ve seen an increase in ground-nesting birds and small mammals, and regeneration of vegetation communities at Carnarvon Station Reserve.
Coming home
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Bidjara woman Keelen Mailman.
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Keelen Mailman is a Bidjara woman who lives at Mt Tabor Station in central Queensland. For many years the Bidjara people were denied access to their neighbouring property, Carnarvon Station Reserve, even though it is part of their Traditional Lands.
But since Bush Heritage bought the property that’s all changed.
“When Bush Heritage acquired Carnarvon Station they took steps to identify the traditional owners, which was brilliant for us,” says Keelen.
“It really touched my heart seeing the joy on the face of my old uncle when he was allowed to visit the place where he’d lived as a child for the first time in years. This land is our grassroots and there will always be that connection for the Bidjara people.”
“I have learnt how to help the plants and wildlife on Mt Tabor Station by watching the Bush Heritage ecologists at work. In return, I have taught them how to identify our cultural sites, as well as speak our lingo.”
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History and cultural values
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Rock art at Carnarvon Station Reserve. Photo: Wayne Lawler/Ecopix |
The Bidjara people are the traditional owners of Carnarvon Station Reserve, with a historical connection to the land stretching back at least 18 000 years before European settlement.
The reserve holds many sites of cultural importance to the Bidjara, including rock art, burial places and quarry sites.
Carnarvon Station seems to have been grazed from the early days of European settlement, with records dating back to 1884.
Page Last Updated: Wednesday 27 April 2011