Pilungah protected forever

Wangkamahdla Country

In the rolling dune swales of Pilungah Reserve, 470 km south of Mt Isa in Queensland, the temperature cools quickly as the sun sinks behind the horizon. This is Wangkamahdla Country, a vast landscape of deep red sand interspersed with wheaten spinifex and the greens of Mallee and Gidgee woodlands that stretch under big, blue skies. 

“When the rains come, the musky smell of the Gidgee Tree hits the back of your throat first,” says Wangkamahdla Traditional Custodian Avelina Tarrago. “Afterwards, the desert bush flowers bloom, and you can see hundreds and hundreds of Brolgas dancing on the plains.” 

When the wet season arrived in 2026, this ancient and ecologically rich landscape achieved the highest level of protection possible for privately owned land in Australia – Special Wildlife Reserve status. 

“Queensland is the only state that has legislation that protects private land to the same standard as a national park,” explains Felicity Shapland, National Covenant Lead for Bush Heritage. 

Cultural heritage

Pilungah’s newly granted status is the third time the Queensland Government has applied the legislation, and the first time a Special Wildlife Reserve has been declared where cultural heritage is the leading reason for the decision. 

The 231,000-hectare reserve is home to irreplaceable rock art, culturally important sites and historic trade routes of international significance used by Wangkamahdla people and other First Nations groups. 

Nganganterre or Painted Gorge, is a rocky outcrop rising above an otherwise low-lying landscape of rolling sand hills. Scattered within it are deep caves and ancient rock carvings, reminders of a culture that has lived in this arid landscape for tens of thousands of years. 

“Our homelands are unique. There are sites, including at Pilungah Reserve, that contain the largest concentration and variety of Aboriginal petroglyphs in Queensland,” says Avelina. 

Long-term ecological research

In addition to the reserve’s rich cultural heritage, Nganganterre and surrounding areas provide habitat for the only known populations in Queensland of Hill’s Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous cf. hilli) and Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus (Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis), a small carnivorous marsupial with a rodent-like appearance.

Astoundingly, Pilungah is also home to one of the most diverse reptile communities on the planet. The Desert Ecology Research Group (DERG) at the University of Sydney, co-led by professors Chris Dickman and Glenda Wardle, has undertaken research at Pilungah Reserve, and the nearby Ethabuka Reserve, for more than 30 years.

It was this critical dataset – representing one of the longest-running studies of any arid system in the world – which helped inform the Special Wildlife Reserve application.

“Chris and Glenda’s research provided us with an enormous wealth of ecological information,” says Felicity. “They started their research well before we acquired Pilungah, so their long-term studies enabled us to identify and demonstrate the exceptional ecological values of this remote landscape.”

Wangkamahdla people helped secure protection

For a while, it appeared likely that Pilungah may only receive partial Special Wildlife Reserve protection, which wouldn’t include some of its most significant sites – such as Nganganterre – because we faced significant barriers to removing the mining leases over these areas. Before a Special Wildlife Reserve can be declared, all incompatible land use rights must be extinguished. 

Organisations like ours have minimal rights, but Native Title holders have priority to negotiate with mining lease holders. 

“These incredibly culturally significant places that were being left out of the Special Wildlife Reserve area were going to be left behind, including habitat for species found nowhere else in Queensland,” explains Felicity. 

However, the Mulligan River Aboriginal Corporation, fighting on behalf of the Wangkamahdla people, was determined to succeed. Their commitment to protecting this culturally significant landscape in perpetuity meant they continued striving until all the mining tenements over Pilungah were withdrawn. 

Special Wildlife Reserve status was granted in 2026 for the entire reserve. 

“We have faith in each other that we’re on the same pathway and we want to achieve the same outcomes,” she says. “On top of that, I believe we’ve got a genuine friendship – you know, we call Bush Heritage our friends,” she says, smiling. For Felicity, the feeling is mutual:

“It’s through the strength of our partnership with Wangkamahdla that we’ve managed to achieve this protection for Pilungah Reserve. We couldn’t have done it without them. I’m proud, and very humbled, to have played a part in the legacy this protection will give.”

We gratefully acknowledge the Wyss Foundation via the Friends of the Australian Bush Heritage Fund for their support of our work to enhance the protection of Bush Heritage-managed Queensland reserves. We also acknowledge the support of Emeritus Professor Chris Dickman and Professor Glenda Wardle who co-led the Desert Ecology Research Group at The University of Sydney, providing insights into the exceptional values of the reserve.