Kurrawonga Reserve is a 40-hectare private conservation property managed by Nature Glenelg Trust in western Victoria, Australia.Portland Observer, Monday April 2nd 2018 p8 It is located near the town of Nelson and borders the Lower Glenelg National Park.

History

The property was donated by Bill and Kate Moore's adult children in 2018 to Nature Glenelg Trust. The Moore family previously used Kurrawonga as a weekender where the family would retreat from Mount Gambier to a cottage within the brown stringy-bark and manna gum forest. Following its acquisition by Nature Glenelg Trust, there are ongoing efforts to ensure the intact remnant bushland remains in an excellent condition.

Ecology

Kurrawonga Reserve is notable as an area of intact remnant bushland in excellent condition and for being an adjoining area to the Lower Glenelg National Park. It hosts a wide range of native mammals including Red-necked wallabies, Brushtail possum, Echidna, Southern brown bandicoot and the near threatened Swamp antechinus.

Mammals Common name Scientific name Records Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula 377 Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor 99 Red-necked Wallaby Notamacropus rufogriseus banksianus 45 Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus 34 Southern Brown Bandicoot (eastern) Isoodon obesulus obesulus 13 Eastern grey kangaroo Macropus giganteus 8 Koala Phascolarctos cinereus 3 Fox Vulpes vulpes 3 Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus 2 Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus trisulcatus 2 Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus 2 Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes 2 Swamp Antechinus Antechinus minimus maritimus 1 Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps 1

Birds Common name Scientific name Records Common Bronzewing Phaps (Phaps) chalcoptera 20 Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 10 Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 9 Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla (Colluricincla) harmonica 8 Grey Currawong Strepera (Neostrepera) versicolor 8 Grey Fantail Rhipidura (Rhipidura) albiscapa 7 Red Wattlebird Anthochaera (Anthochaera) carunculata 6 Galah Eolophus roseicapilla 6 Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria (Eopsaltria) australis 6 Crimson Rosella Platycercus (Platycercus) elegans 6 Brown Thornbill Acanthiza (Acanthiza) pusilla 5 White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea 5 Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis (Maccoyornis) broadbenti 5 New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris (Meliornis) novaehollandiae 5 White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis (Sericornis) frontalis 5

Reptiles Common name Scientific name Records Highlands Forest-skink Anepischetosia maccoyi 1 Striated Worm-lizard Aprasia striolata 1 Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink Lampropholis guichenoti 1 White's Skink Liopholis whitii 1 Southern Grass Skink Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii 1

Conservation significance

At the lower reaches of the Glenelg River, Kurrawonga Reserve, together with Lower Glenelg National Park, lies within one of Australia's 15 national biodiversity hotspots.

See also

Lower Glenelg National Park Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)

References