A Rocky Road to Recovery at Hiltaba 

The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (YFRW) population was once spread extensively over the Gawler Ranges, Flinders Ranges and into north-western NSW & south-western QLD. Their population, particularly in the Flinders Ranges, was severely depleted by intensive hunting after European settlement, and heavily impacted by the introduction of feral animals such as foxes and goats. 

Hiltaba Nature Reserve, comprising 78,000 ha, is located in the Gawler Ranges on Eyre Peninsula. It is an important habitat for native plants and animals, particularly the YFRW. Since Nature Foundation acquired Hiltaba in 2012, we implemented an intensive feral goat, cat and fox control program. Recent monitoring of the YFRW population shows, for the first time since purchase by NF, the wallabies appears to be successfully breeding, which will increase the population and enable them to occupy more rocky outcrops across the broader landscape where they were once found.  

This is supported by the pleasing findings from our trapping work (mark-recapture and release), where there are a number of adult females with pouch young, and the majority of wallabies proving to be sub-adult or juvenile. Sightings outside known core habitats are now also becoming more common. The wallabies are also radio tracked, and recently we have received permission to start ear tagging them to see how many turn up in camera traps over a broader area.     

YFRW at Witchelina

The last official record of YFRWs on Witchelina Nature Reserve is from 1933 when Hedley Herbert Finlayson investigated the northern extent distribution of YFRW and close to the southern extent of the Black-flanked Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis).

HH Finlayson confirmed the species of wallaby sighted at Witchelina to be YFRW and notes the similarity of Witchelina with Boocoomata (presumably Boolcamatta), now managed by Bush Heritage and a location where YFRWs are recovering. We have always been intrigued by Finlayson's report and in light of what is now 12 years of vegetation recovery and predator control we have been contemplating whether the habitats previously occupied by YFRWs would once again be suitable.

Recently, Dr Mark Lethbridge (a specialist in wallabies), Mr Bruce Jackson and Dr Jonathan Sobels volunteered a week of their time to search the areas where YFRW may have existed. While the survey yielded some interesting results, more ground habitat assessment work needs to be done over a broader area to see where else they may have been and how these habitats linked up. They searched two significant range complexes and found an old YFRW skeleton at one of the sites, south of the original site explored by HH Finlayson. This is significant as it confirms that YFRWs were once more widespread throughout these low ranges, probably linking up to Mt Aroona further south. 

Photo: Maria Reed