The quiet achiever of the Mid West
At Eurardy Reserve, resilience blooms as science, culture and community restore wildflower Country.
The diversity of plant species in the Southwest Botanical Province rivals Australia’s tropical rainforests, and its annual wildflower displays attract people from all over the world.
When we bought Eurardy Reserve in 2005, it had an immediate impact on Western Australian conservation.
Overnight, the amount of jam and york gum woodlands protected in the Geraldton Sandplain bioregion jumped from less than 1% to 22%.
The decision to buy Eurardy had many other benefits, including cementing protection for part of the Southwest Botanical Province.
One of only 34 biodiversity hotspots recognised globally, the province makes up just 0.23% of the Earth’s land surface and yet supports 12.6% of its rare and threatened flora.
What Eurardy protects
Animals: Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Spinifex Hopping-mouse, Hairy-footed Dunnart, Ash-grey mouse.
Plants: Northern Dwarf Spider-orchid, Feather-flowers, Kalbarri Spider-orchid, Beard’s mallee, Wreath flower.
Vegetation communities: York gum woodland, Scrub-heath, Shrublands of acacia, casuarina, Eucalyptus eudesmoides (mallalie), Ashby’s banksia and other species, Sceptre banksia and sandplain cypress woodland.
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Malleefowl. Photo Jiri Lochman.
What we’re doing
A massive project is underway to plant out and restore vegetation across a 1350 hectare cleared area. We were able to start thanks to a partnership with Regenerate Australia, and the generosity of supporters will help us give the new seedlings the best chance of survival in the months and years ahead.
Eurardy has benefited enormously from the generous support of volunteers. Volunteers joined forces with our Reserve Managers to survey Malleefowl activity, making an important contribution to what we know about this nationally vulnerable species on Eurardy.
It was a special day when an active mound was found, but even better when some broken eggshell and downy feathers on the mound’s edge indicated a successful hatching.
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Thorny Devil. Photo Ben Pankhurst.
The Bungabandi Creek Restoration Project has also benefited from volunteer contributions. Brush has been laid in key sections of the disturbed creek bed and, together with closing a track through the creek, this has effectively slowed water erosion and helped to re-establish a more natural flow.
We’ve also had great success with controlling invasive species. Rabbits, foxes and cats are managed as part of an integrated pest management program that covers all our mid-west WA reserves.
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Calytrix and Pileanthus flowers. Photo Ben Parkhurst.
Blooming marvellous
When the big reds and yellows of Eurardy Reserve come out to play, they draw an abundance of local birds and insects.
The big reds are Feather-flowers, Claw-flowers and Grevilleas, and when in bloom they cast flushes of palest coral, rosy red and vivid scarlet across the landscape.
The big yellows are Acacias and ground-hugging Everlastings, which stand in gorgeous contrast to the blue sky above. And that’s just the beginning – with flowers in pinks, purples, blues and whites all adding to the heady mix.
No wonder Eurardy is one of the most outstanding wildflower destinations along WA’s Batavia Coast.
In 2003 (before it was a nature reserve) the Wildflower Society of Western Australia began to help with surveys on the property. On their very first survey 481 native plant species were identified, and many were pressed and mounted in a field herbarium. They were the first to suggest Bush Heritage should consider the property for conversion as a nature reserve and, they're still helping with surveys today. That herbarium is now regularly updated and the species count has reached 667.
Threatened orchids
Australia has a wide range of native orchids and Eurardy has recorded more than 25 species.
Several orchids found on Eurardy are rare and threatened such as the Northern Dwarf Spider Orchid (Caladenia bryceana subsp. cracens), Small Dragon Orchid (Caladenia barbarella) and the Kalbarri Spider Orchid (Caladenia wanosa).
As well as protecting their habitat, orchid populations are monitored annually. We measure their exact location on permanent transects, record whether they’re flowering and producing seed. This helps us understand their ecology.
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Kalbarri Spider Orchid. Photo Ben Pankhurst.
Reserve scorecard
Learn more about our Conservation Management Process and how we measure our impact.
Cultural values
Eurardy Reserve and the area surrounding it is the traditional country of the Nanda people. This area is of strong cultural significance, particularly Bungabandi Creek, which was once part of a significant stock route. Both evidence of camping and cultural artefacts have been identified in the area.
