Hundreds of Critically Endangered Plains-wanderers found thriving in unexpected habitat
In a ground-breaking discovery, researchers found more than 250 Plains-wanderers thriving in habitat nobody expected the species to use.
If you drive an hour west of Broken Hill, past the backdrop of Mad Max II, feral goats and frantic emus, you'll reach a dirt track that leads to a former sheep station, now our Boolcoomatta Reserve.
Boolcoomatta’s 63,000 hectares contains vegetation under-represented in Australia’s national reserve system. Its sweeping plains boast chenopod (saltbush) shrublands and ephemeral wetlands. Creek beds are lined by grand old River Red Gums; squat, twisted and pocketed with bird hollows.
But for the occasional waterhole, the creeks are usually dry; the average rainfall is just 190 mm and highly variable.
Yet the open mulga woodlands support species such as Gould's Wattled Bat, Blue Bonnets and Red-backed Kingfishers.
Down on the saltbush plains Orange Chats, Chirruping Wedgebills, Bearded Dragons and large flocks of Emus go about their business. And watching over all of this are the dramatic Olary Ranges – some of the oldest rocks in Australia.
All this is protected thanks to generous supporters.
Boolcoomatta protects:
Animals: Plains-Wanderer, Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies, Tree skink (Egernia striolata), Dusky Hopping Mice, Narrow-nosed Planigale, Emus, White-winged Fairy Wrens, Chirruping Wedgebills, Chestnut Crowned Babblers, Singing and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, Australian Pipits, Nankeen Kestrels, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Masked Woodswallows. Orange and Crimson Chats, Zebra Finches, Budgies, Cockatiels, Brown and Rufous Songlarks.
Plants: Murray Swainson-pea (vulnerable), Purplewood Wattle (nationally vulnerable), Slender bell-fruit (nationally vulnerable), Riverine flax-lily, Wilga, Australian Broomrape, Broughton Pea.
Vegetation communities: Mulga woodland, Bullock bush shrubland, Freshwater wetlands, River Red Gum woodlands.
Image Information
Ecologist Graeme Finlayson with a Dunnart.
What we’re doing
Run for 150 years as a sheep station, Boolcoomatta shows plenty of signs that it was carefully managed, and retains outstanding examples of Saltbush plains, ephemeral streams and wetlands.
Our staff and volunteers have worked hard to control feral animals and weeds. The reserve has also benefited from effective landscape-scale fox control through the national Operation Bounceback program in the Flinders Ranges.
Plains-wanderer research
272 birds found
In a groundbreaking discovery that could reshape conservation strategies for one of Australia’s most endangered birds, researchers found 272 Plains-wanderers thriving at Boolcoomatta.
Usually associated with native grasslands in Victoria and NSW, South Australia has historically been considered marginal habitat (with less than 90 birds found in the past 100 years).
The project by researchers at the University of Adelaide, working with Bush Heritage staff, has changed how we think about the ‘core range’ for this species and the likely importance of Boolcoomatta for Plains-wanderer conservation efforts.
Our ecologists and volunteers have carried out plant and animal surveys, which show significant increases in shrub-dependent birds such as the Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Rufous field-wren, Redthroat and Chirruping Wedgebill.
On the edge of the reserve, jumbled rocks at the foot of steep cliffs are home to nationally threatened Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies. They've expanded their range from the neighbouring Bimbowrie Conservation Park to establish a permanent population at Boolcoomatta, made up of several discrete colonies.
Image Information
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby. Photo Wayne Lawler.
Landscape rehydration
Landscape rehydration has been a major focus to ensure that when rains do fall, water has a chance to soak into the landscape and move in a way that sustains life for local species.
After drone mapping erosion gullies we installed filters and check banks to mitigate erosion and restore surface water flow. We also repaired tracks and water flows around dams.
Ecological Scorecard
See a full ecological scorecard for Boolcoomatta Reserve.
Learn more about how we measure our impact.
2 MB Cultural values
The Adnyamathanha and Wiljakali peoples are Traditional Custodians of Boolcoomatta.
The property played a crucial role in both the pastoral and mining industries that helped expand the fledgling colony of South Australia. Many historic buildings on the property were built using local stone.
Boolcoomatta was acquired in 2006 with help from the Australian Government under the Natural Heritage Trust’s National Reserve System Program and the Nature Foundation SA.
