The Western Australian Naturalist
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THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST Vol. 21 31st December, 1996 No.2 HISTORY OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF NATIVE FAUNA FROM THE NULLARBOR PLAIN THROUGH THE EYES OF LONG TIME RESIDENT AMY CROCKER By]. D. RICHARDS and JEFF SHORT CSIRO Wildlife & Ecology, LMB No.4 PO Midland Western Australia 6065. The southern coastal region of naturalist, artist and writer, her years Australia was first explored from the of observation provide an account of sea by the Dutch in 1627, the French the region since the early days of inl792, the English in 1802, and finally European settlement, and man's by Edward John Eyre, who made the influence on the environment. first overland crossing of the Mrs Crocker provided an overview of Nullarbor in 1841. Initial settlement her impressions of the changing of the area followed, with Yalata fauna within her surroundings, with Station established by William Swan a brief letter written the year of her in 1858 near Fowler's Bay in South death. Here follows an excerpt of her Australia. Further settlement did not letter, describing the impact of take place until the 1870's with European settlement, from a lifetime Mundrabilla Station in 1871, Moopina of living on the Nullarbor. inl873, Madura in 1876and Balladonia in 1880 (Allen 1987). One of the early settlers of this area, Amy Eda Crocker was born in Albany, "Balladonia Station Western Australia in November 1902, via Norseman W A 6443 and at only seven weeks of age, My grandfather, Stephen Ponton, voyaged along the southern coast to with his brother William and their Point Malcolm at the eastern border partner, John Sharp, were 'the' ofwhatisnowtheCapeArid National pioneers of this district, having driven Park. Here she began her life on the their sheep and cattle overland along Nullarbor, residing between Cape the coast from Albany in 1873. They Arid and Balladonia Station, until her settled at Point Malcolm for a few death in November 1989. As a keen years until they discovered Balladonia 89 .L...__ Gffi l in 1879. They at once settled here, and Foxes ~a:ve eyes which reflect light it has been my family home ever since. very bnlhantly. So, on moonlit night My parents joined them in 1898, and I they quietly circle the tree in Whi ~ was born in Albany in November the birds camp. And when the bir~ 1902, my mother bringing me home lean forward, they lose their grip s 0 to Balladonia at the tender age of 7 their perch and so drop to the groun~ weeks! Always a keen naturalist, I had or near enough for the fox to grab the help of my uncle William Ponton them. Junior as well. He joined his father, The Goverr:-ment is showing great Stephen, here in 1880. concern trymg to prevent starlings In those days, there were lots of little from gaining a hold in Western Australian animals, even possums, Australia. I wish they had shown the which had gone before my day. My same care and vigilance when foxes uncle told me of a strange virus which made their way across to Western attacked all small marsupials, killing Australia. many species right out. Possums were As I've told you, the fox was not among these. I think this occurred in known here until late in 1917 (rabbits the 1880s or 1890s.I was once told by a came to Balladonia in 1904). One of man from the eastern wheatbelt that the first birds to suffer from foxes a similar virus occurred there, but was the curlew or stone plover. They unfortunately I did not know his were caught and killed easily and name. within a few years were all gone. Plain turkeys used to feed freely here, but Of the few animals which survived, I they too have gone, only coming back knew the bilbies well. Theywerefairly in good seasons when there is plenty numerous until late 1917 when foxes of green grass, but they do not stay became established in our district. long and never nest here now. Spotted native cats were also about, Babblers, whose long, stick nests were though not so numerous. so common have all gone too. I miss The introduced fox, is to my mind, these cheeky, noisy birds with their the greatest pest in Australia. People deep, scolding voices and sharp of little experience say the domestic whistles. Mallee hens have gone too, cat gone wild is a pest- perhaps they although we meet with one lone are, in certain localities, but speaking traveller occasionally. for this district and from my own In the early 1920s, my brother-in-law personal knowledge, wild cats were was Postmaster at Eyre's Sandpatch. hereagood30years before foxes came, My uncle often took us to see my and we still had our own little sister's family there. When travelling animals. We still had wrens and such at night we were amused by the like birds, nesting on or near the number of little rat-kangaroos ground-but since foxes, we have lost jumping across the road in the car all these creatures, as well as many of lights. Such great leaps for such a small our large lizards and our natural bush animal! There were lots of other snails. Foxes are even able to get young running and hopping little creatures magpies and squeakers [grey too, but they have all gone now. Foxes currawongs]from their roosting place are responsible for these. But we had in tall trees. some other little burrowing creatures 90 here at Balladonia, in the very early distribution of foxes originally days, before foxes. They were called followed the spread of rabbits. "I don't Boodie rats, and I believe they were think anyone realises that doesn't live about the size of a small rabbit. I never out in these places how bad the foxes saw them, as the virus had killed them are .. .if it's not a good season, and the all before my time, but they made ewes are a bit weak, they get tired of huge warrens which can still be seen guarding their lambs and the foxes today, in the limestone ridges. They just take them". dig deep and under great slabs of Predation and competition by feral limestone. When rabbits came in 1904 animals are commonly regarded as they found ready made homes in the primary contributors to the decline Boodie warrens, and use them to this and extinction of native species day. (Jarman 1994). Although Mrs Another strange little mouse-sized Crocker's story is anecdotal and we animal we used to have, was one can never be certain of the precise which collected the round, hard species to which she refers, it provides stones of the jamberry or quandong some early record of the impact of (Wild Peach). These have very nice foxes and rabbits. Her dates kernels and the little mouse took approximate those already known them in its forepaws, and having a for the introduction and spread of pair of very strong teeth in the front foxes and rabbits, with rabbits first lower jaw, they would rotate the nut recorded in the region around 1896 against these with their paws and eat (Stodart and Parer 1988) and foxes first a large round hole enabling them to reported 160 kilometres west of the eat the kernel. I have some of these South Australian borderin 1915 (Long nuts but I never saw the mouse, 1988). though I've looked carefully in The time of disappearance of the hollow trees for them where many of burrowing bettong or 'boodie rat' the stones were stored. But I think (Bettongia Iesueur), is of a more they were all gone before my time uncertain nature. Burbidge (1995) and my uncle agreed with me. We suggests that their disappearance had the Possum Dormouse until a from Western and Central Australia few years ago, but I've not seen one coincided with the spread of the fox. for some years. While it had disappeared from Amy E. Crocker." Victoria by 1863 (Burbidge 1995), it Mrs Crocker contributed additional persisted in the wheatbelt of Western information about introduced Australia until as late as the 1940s animals during an interview with (Kitchener and Vicker 1981) and Chris Jeffery from the W A Oral possibly in the Northern Territory History Programme in 1978. She relates until the 1960s (Finlayson 1961; that "The rabbits did an awful lot of Burbidge et al. 1988). The last record damage because they ringbarked the from the Nullarbor region is from trees ... they just simply cut them, and Rawlinna in 1928 (Short and Turner cut them down until they killed 1993). Mrs Crocker suggests that they them .. .And the foxes ... killed out most had already become extinct prior to of our little marsupials [and] our the introduction of foxes in the ground birds." She believes that the Nullarbor region, due to some "strange 91 virus". Shortridge (1909) also reports a Rats' (thought to be the Brush-ta'l w disappearance of species first noticed Bettong) prior to 1938 (Brooker l~?~d ct in 1880, thought to be caused by a All of these animals are now regard ). (tv disease which "appeared to be a kind as extinct in the Nullarbor region ed to Australia (Strahan 1995), the first t:f of marasmus". 0 Sf Feral cats rate a brief mention. The being extinct on the Australi N time of the first introductions of cats mainland. Carlisle records the 1:n fr to Australia is unknown, with some sightings of the Brush-tailed Betto~t B: evidence suggesting that it may have and Native Cat on the north-wester g K been prior to European settlement Nullarbor in 1938 (Brooker 197~ VI.