Last October, I packed a truck and embarked on the long road trip from Melbourne to outback South Australia to start my new role. 'Bon Bon voyage' was the call from friends and family!
I feel very fortunate to be Bon Bon Station Reserve's first full-time Reserve Manager – I'll be responsible for keeping the property ticking and undertaking all the necessary projects Bush Heritage has planned, such as doing the on-ground conservation work and maintaining and upgrading infrastructure on this quite large ex-pastoral property.
I'd previously worked at Bush Heritage's office in central Melbourne, helping to manage Bon Bon remotely, but these days my office looks a bit different...
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To put you in the picture, Bon Bon is located between Woomera and Coober Pedy, on the Stuart Highway.
The property measures about 70 km north to south and about 30 km east to west. Remote is the right word for Bon Bon – the closest pub is at Kingoonya, about 75 km from the homestead!
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Here's where I've called home for the past 6 months – Bon Bon homestead. At its peak, there was quite a community of people living here, so there are plenty of buildings, even an old post office and general store.
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In November, we received much-needed rainfall, giving the entire property a good drink. I measured 72.8 mm at Bon Bon homestead, which is about half the annual rainfall.
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The rain transformed the place, with ephemeral lakes springing up all over the property. There were a few large ones, which attracted all sorts of fauna and gave me a new perspective on the property.
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These red-necked avocets made the most of the abundant water. They flew in to take advantage of the ephemeral lakes, and as the lakes dry up they're moving on again.
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We get plenty of birds around the property – here're some budgies and the big blue Bon Bon sky.
As seed-eaters, the budgies are probably enjoying the fact that Bon Bon hasn't been grazed for almost two years now, and so they've responded to the food resources available.
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These are some lamb's tails flowering after the rains. These crop up in patches over much of the property.
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It's great to see these rocky chenopod plains recovering. Habitat like this is where we hope to find species such as the stripe-faced dunnart and the slender-billed thornbill.
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I spotted this kangaroo and joey out hopping over the chenopod shrublands in the southwest of the property. Kangaroos contribute to the total grazing equation, so we are monitoring their densities as part our day-to-day management activities.
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Apart from the cute and furries, Bon Bon is host to many other locals. I came across this western brown snake in the Buckshot land system in the north of the property, and have also found a few more specimens around the homestead, which are keeping me on my toes.
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Later this year, I'll be playing host to a team of volunteers and scientists who will descend on Bon Bon to undertake much needed fauna surveys. We expect that this intensive 'bioblitz' will reveal some exciting finds and help to compliment fauna inventories for Bush Heritage and the Gawler bioregion. Stay tuned for the results!
From top: photos 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 by Craig Norris; photos 5, 7, 8,10 by Glen Norris; photo 3 by Hugh Pringle.
Page Last Updated: Wednesday 24 February 2010