Bilbies, bush cafés and books! | Bush Heritage Australia

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Join us to celebrate the launch of the children’s book Honey Possum’s Bush Café, the latest from Rabbit-Free Australia’s Easter Bilby’s Friends series.

Set at Monjebup Reserve in the Fitz-Stirlings on the highly biodiverse Goreng-Noongar Country in south-west Western Australia, this book takes readers into a fictional world where Gnow (Malleefowl), Kwoora (Black-Gloved Wallaby) and Dalgyte (Greater Bilby) are trying to bring their family and friends to a passionate Noolbenger’s (Honey Possum) bush café.

But there’s a problem, and it’s not the taste of Honey Possum’s coffee. It’s a challenge that landscape reconnection, restoration, invasive species control and community action might just help overcome!

Malleefowl
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Malleefowl

These land management strategies resonate with the vision Alex Hams, Healthy Landscapes Manager Fitz-Stirlings, leads for our work in the region, where we actively manage approximately 7,000 hectares of land, including one of our newest reserves – Dodgey Downs.  

“Within our reserve network in the Fitz-Stirlings, we have surveyed at least 1,000 species of native plants, many of which can’t be found anywhere else,” says Alex. “We’ve been working here for over 20 years, to try and improve landscape connectivity through the protection of remnant bushland and high-integrity restoration efforts.”    

The gang
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The gang

This area is designated a biodiversity hotspot, meaning it is one of the most species rich places on earth, and, sadly, one of the most threatened. Since colonisation began, land clearing, the spread of invasive species, altered fire regimes, and now climate change, challenge the persistence of this area’s lush ecosystems, including habitat for Easter Bilby and their friends. 

“The fragmentation across the landscape is really impactful for a lot of species, particularly smaller animals that can’t move over large distances. When we restore the bush and reconnect pieces of the puzzle, it provides opportunities for animals to create habitat and diversify genetically, building stronger resilience into their populations,” says Alex.  

And just like Honey Possum’s café – build it and they will come!  

Since the first seeds of restoration were planted at Monjebup Reserve over ten years ago, “We’ve got Malleefowl coming in and actively breeding, Carnaby’s Cockatoo visiting and feeding, Pygmy Possums taking up nesting boxes, Honey Possum’s climbing through the banksia, and a whole range of other species inhabiting the area,” Alex shares.  

But it’s not just through restoration that these native species are being able to enjoy the liberty of more space.  

Honey Possum
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Honey Possum

“It’s really important that we continue our on-ground management of invasive species such as rabbits, foxes and feral cats, to make the bush safe for native species to survive and flourish,” says Jeff Pinder, who has been working on a five-year Fauna Recovery Project funded by Lotterywest.

Black-gloved Wallaby
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Black-gloved Wallaby

“The fragmentation that now exists has allowed significant numbers of pest animals to take up residence and exploit the abundant food resources in the area. With more parcels of land under our management, we can exert much greater control and, through our Integrated Pest Management program, assist in reducing predation pressure and land degradation.”

We won’t spoil the ending of the book, but we’re confident that the conservation efforts we’re delivering in the Fitz-Stirlings will help bring about similar outcomes: healthy and happy native animals in a thriving habitat.  

Join Honey Possum, Easter Bilby and all their friends at the following libraries for book launch events: 

SAT 15 MAR – Mount Gambier, Boandik Country, South Australia

SAT 22 MAR – Adelaide, Kaurna Country, South Australia

THU 17 APR – Albany, Menang Noongar Country, Western Australia

  • Run by Dora Adeline, launch event from 10:30 AM and includes a story time adventure to Tjuirtgellong (Lake Seppings), please phone the library for more details (08) 6820 3600.
  • Location: City of Albany Library, 221 York St, Albany, WA.  

To order the book or learn more about it, please head to Easter Bilby’s Friends – The Bush Café.

 

We have partnered with Rabbit-Free Australia since 2022 and are proud to support their work raising awareness of the harm caused by rabbits to our landscapes and the ongoing research needed to achieve best practice invasive species control. We gratefully acknowledge Lotterywest for their support of the Fitz-Stirling Fauna Recovery Project.

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