Bush Heritage News Winter 2006 ABN 78 053 639 115 www.bushheritage.org Boolcoomatta – South Australia on In this issue Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA the Bush Heritage map Nardoo Hills Reserve, Vic David Baker-Gabb oversees the I had been asked by Bush Heritage Map of Bush Heritage reserves management of Judith Eardley to assess the 63 000 hectare Research at Ethabuka and Nardoo Hills reserves in Boolcoomatta Station as a possible Surveys at Eurardy Victoria and undertakes property reserve.This meant looking at the assessments for Bush Heritage property’s significance within the region, assessing the conservation Heritage (DEH).The department As a potential conservation reserve, status and quality of its vegetation had been generous in providing us Boolcoomatta Station in outback South communities and land systems, with survey records and information Australia stood out from the start. identifying management issues and about the property, and Tim had My initial research on the property threats to the property and assessing experience in reserve assessment. showed that it was one of only two its importance for threatened species. grazing leases to receive a Pastoral Should it prove worthy of acquisition, Board Land Condition Index of 2.8 then Boolcoomatta would be acquired out of a possible 3. It seemed that, with funds provided by the Nature despite a long history of sheep grazing, Foundation SA and the Australian Clockwise from top: Dome Rock. Flowering purple-wood the property’s outback land systems Government’s Natural Heritage Trust’s Acacia carnei. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Endangered plains-wanderer. PHOTO: TOM WHELLER had survived relatively unscathed. National Reserve System program. Inset: Yellow-footed rock wallaby. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX I also knew of numerous records, going back over many years, of nationally I shared the inaugural journey to threatened plains-wanderers at Boolcoomatta with Jim McHugh Boolcoomatta. from the Nature Foundation SA and Tim Bond from the South Australian Department for Environment and 1 At the time of our visit, southern cottage, an impressive manager’s with the telltale Australia was in the grip of a major residence and sheds galore.There was whitewash of cliff-nesting birds of prey. drought.The ungrazed, drought-tolerant hardly any rubbish. Paradoxically, my A nearby outcrop displayed a dazzling roadside vegetation contrasted starkly hopes began to fade. It is not usual to collection of turquoise and green shards with the parched, bare paddocks that find properties as well resourced as this that told of the presence of copper, stretched depressingly to the horizon. one appeared to be that still retain a feature of much of the region and their natural values for conservation. another management issue to note. As we entered Boolcoomatta’s front Often a lack of resources, and thus the gate my spirits lifted, because, here inability to fully develop the land for On sandy rises in the sandbush plains at least, there were some scattered pastoral use, means that the vegetation we found the threatened purple-wood saltbushes surviving. I recalled that and wildlife are inadvertently preserved. Acacia carnei, with its vivid purple the South Australian Pastoral Board timber.This species is now threatened had recorded 32 species of saltbush We headed out across the plains because stock and rabbits eat the on these plains, ranging from tiny like detectives, looking for signs of seedlings, preventing regeneration, and ground-hugging fissure weeds to overgrazing and land degradation.We rabbits also undermine the ageing trees. swathes of bluebush and blackbush. were also alert to future management We drove past Boolcoomatta’s airstrip, issues, looking at the condition of Most of the vegetation and landforms the heritage woolshed and shearers’ boundary fences and assessing weeds, on Boolcoomatta proved to be typical quarters built from local stone in the fire susceptibility, rabbit warrens, of this part of the Outback, and 1870s, and up to a gracious homestead. goat numbers, road access and either not protected or only poorly Alongside were a fully restored communication systems. Numerous protected in reserves.The spectacular stops later, we agreed that rocky range country, low mulga and Boolcoomatta was scoring well. prickly wattle woodlands, river red gum woodlands, blackbush and Despite the dry, the bluebush plains cottonbush shrublands, freshwater were dotted with copses of bullock wetlands and the Oonartra Creek bush and black oak, and cane grass all provided vital habitats for wildlife, swamps were evident. Massive red including threatened thick-billed gums lined dry creek beds, the grass wrens.The grasslands were of headwaters of which lay in the distant special significance; they were some purple Olary Ranges in Boolcoomatta’s of the few occurring in the region south-west corner. In the north-west, that were suitable for the plains- impressive rock stacks were splashed wanderer, a small grassland bird 2 threatened nationally as a result of As I sat on a large bare rock beside cultivation and overgrazing.The an Aboriginal gnamma hole, with its plains-wanderer needs drought cap rocks nearby, and gazed out over refuges, and there are currently no the vast plains below, I could sense reserves for it in South Australia. that this was a special place. It would be an ideal reserve. Jumbled rocks at the foot of steep cliffs also held promise of nationally The sky had been threatening threatened yellow-footed rock wallabies. throughout the day and finally it began With effective goat and fox control to spit with rain.The rain began in from DEH’s Operation Bounceback, earnest as we started on our journey this endearing rock wallaby has made south. It felt like a good omen at the an impressive recovery on the new time, and so it turned out to be. Bimbowrie Conservation Park that Boolcoomatta Reserve was launched adjoins Boolcoomatta. It is not too on 26 April 2006.Another very optimistic to hope that with further important part of our natural heritage goat and fox control this species may has been protected. Now Bush Heritage well return to Boolcoomatta’s rocky needs your help to manage this hills.Threatened slender bell-fruit wonderful property in perpetuity. Codonocarpus pyramidalis, which also I have sent in my donation. Please help occurs on Bimbowrie, may yet be by giving whatever support you can. found on Boolcoomatta. Boolcoomatta has a history of mining Facing page, clockwise from top: An ancient river red gum and we examined the relics of a copper on Boolcoomatta. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Cinnamon quail-thrush. PHOTO: GRAEME CHAPMAN View to the distant Olary Ranges. mine and some old shafts. Gold and PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Gazing over the plains, from left, uranium are still mined nearby but Bush Heritage CEO Doug Humann, Alexandra de Blas, these activities have no known direct David Baker-Gabb and Don Royal. PHOTO: DUNCAN MACKENZIE effect on Boolcoomatta at present. This page, clockwise from top: Sunrise in the rocky hills. We headed for the rounded rocks Native bee. Ptilotis sp. Gould’s monitor. Oonartra Creek. of the ram paddock which station Boolcoomatta’s historic shearing shed and quarters. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX owner Langdon Badger had told us was one of his favourite places. 3 A new reserve in the Nardoo Hills, Victoria David Baker-Gabb is Reserve only on Judith Eardley Reserve and Overseer for both the reserves in on adjacent grazing properties, but the Nardoo Hills also on the new grassy woodland reserve just purchased by Bush Heritage ‘Swift parrots!’The cry sent our team in the Nardoo Hills.The Threatened of volunteer ‘cactus stabbers’ spilling Species Network has helped support from the cars, binoculars in hand, to this work as part of the Swift Parrot the base of some of Judith Eardley Habitat Enhancement Project. Reserve’s massive grey box trees.We counted at least ten of these nationally Bush Heritage has put down an endangered migrants from Tasmania as anchor in this part of north-central comprise the 7000 they squabbled and fed in the mass Victoria. It contains some of the most hectare Wychitella of gum blossom.After the first wet threatened vegetation communities Nature Conservation Reserve.There spring in a decade, the grey box were in eastern Australia, has great potential is potential for further conservation flowering profusely throughout north- for good conservation outcomes gains by protecting the substantial central Victoria.There was some and poses challenges that can be blocks of privately owned woodland debate among us about why these effectively managed. that link the ‘islands’ of public land. swift parrots were feeding in Bush Some of these links are well managed, Heritage’s reserve and not elsewhere. The region’s potential for conservation others are declining in quality, and all is built around a landscape that still are potentially at risk from a change Our group was on the reserve to retains more than 30 per cent of its in ownership. continue the control of invasive native vegetation in a dozen blocks wheel cactus.We were working not of public land.Together, these blocks Bush Heritage is helping to protect these key areas of native vegetation. The new 245 hectare Nardoo Hills Reserve has been purchased with support from the R E Ross Trust, the Miller Foundation, and the Bristol- Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc. It adjoins the southern boundary 4 of Judith Eardley Reserve and lies along the eastern border of the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve. It also provides good access to the Bush Heritage reserves and so saves on management costs. This new property has been firetails, hooded robins and tree goannas grazing sheep. As the summer conservatively managed by the are all much more common in the progressed, the ranks of diamond Paterson family for over a century.