Bush Heritage Australia’s new brand ad - The poetry of the landscape
There are many more Australians we could be reaching and inviting to walk alongside us. That’s why we're proud to launch our new brand ad - The poetry of the landscape.
Protecting Australia's vanishing woodlands
The Brigalow Belt is unlike any other landscape in Australia, defined by its dense pockets of Acacia harpophylla (Brigalow) trees and rich, fertile black soils. There’s a quiet beauty about the Brigalow that begins well before the wallabies or Koalas appear. It’s in the deep, cracked earth, the metallic green sheen of the foliage, and the absolute stillness that settles in the afternoon.
We are deep in Western Kangoulu Country, 275km west of Rockhampton on Avocet Nature Refuge, which adjoins our existing Goonderoo Reserve. With help from our supporters, the two reserves will be managed as one, securing a vital fragment of one of Australia’s most rapidly vanishing ecosystems: the Brigalow woodlands.
After two days tracking down Bridled NailTail Wallabies (Onychogalea fraenata) and Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with Bush Heritage Ecologists and Reserve Managers, it becomes clear that this entire ecosystem, with its remnant Brigalow thickets and red gum forests, is as precious as the species it shelters.
This is the quiet beauty of the Brigalow, and it's why the acquisition of Avocet Nature Refuge is so essential. By adding Avocet to Goonderoo, we are tripling the size of this protected area, creating a safe haven for these iconic Queensland species.
Becky Miller, Goonderoo Reserve Manager, stands in a field of native Bluegrass (Dichanthium sericeum), the green of the Brigalow thickets visible over her shoulder.
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Reserve Manager Becky Miller in a field of Bluegrass. Photo Grassland Films.
– Becky Miller, Goonderoo Reserve Manager“One of our priorities is the Bridled Nailtail Wallabies – or ‘flashjacks’. They’re small (around 5-7kg as an adult), and their joeys are even smaller. Very cute, but very vulnerable.”
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A Bridled Nailtail Wallaby with joey in pouch. Photo Grassland Films.
Bridled NailTail Wallabies face immense pressure: they have not adapted to the hunting styles of invasive ground predators like foxes and feral cats. Their natural threat response is to freeze, making them easy targets. This species cannot survive without the protection and resources of the Brigalow ecosystem.
Tragically, the region’s fertile soils made the Brigalow a prime target for land clearing through the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, only 5% of its original extent remains, and a mere 2% of that is protected.
“Another focus is the Koalas,” Becky adds. “They’re experts at camouflaging, but I’ve already been lucky enough to spot a few resting in the trees. It’s a low-density population here, but throughout the reserve there’s a good mix of food trees and shelter. They particularly love the River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) along the creeks – which could explain how they survived the intense droughts here.”
With both Goonderoo and Avocet protected, the next step is ramping up the management of invasive plants and animals, implementing detailed fire plans with fire breaks and fuel load management, and scaling up monitoring to truly understand this expanded landscape.
“Now that we will soon triple the area we manage with these neighbouring reserves, the opportunities– and responsibilities – have grown too,” says Becky.
“It’s a huge task, but if I can play even a small part in protecting some of the threatened species that call this place home... what an honour that would be.”
