A long-held desire to create their very own wildlife haven has manifested into a flagship Land for Wildlife property for the Gray family of Kleinton on Toowoomba’s outskirts.
Having planted more than 200 Eucalyptus trees for koalas and built and installed 30 nesting boxes on their 7ha property, Jarowair, Judi and Brendon Gray are proving that landholders can make a difference to the abundance of wildlife in their own backyard.
“We love being part of the program and are very proud of our iconic green (Land for Wildlife) sign,” Judi said.
“Over the last 10 years, even though our property is relatively small, we have recorded some amazing sightings of wildlife here including koalas, feathertail gilders, owlet nightjars, rufous bettongs, and the Australian coral snake, and our list continues to grow.”
“During this time we have kept a blog as a chronological journey of our experiences, sightings and work at Jarowair and this has also connected us with plenty of other like-minded people and helped educate us on the journey.
“The newsletters both from the Land for Wildlife headquarters and the local newsletter from QMDC are really informative, interesting and educational, and we love reading about other members’ experiences.”
Judi said prior to joining the program they had planted native tress in “an experimental fashion”.
“We didn’t have a whole lot of success with the varieties we had chosen and the dreadful drought at the time. In 2007 we contacted the local Land for Wildlife coordinators through the then Crows Nest Shire Council and applied for an assessment.
“The team gave us wonderful advice on the correct trees to plant for our area, where to source them and how to plant them for success – after that we started to have much success with our tree revegetation.
“As part of the program we were invited to visit other properties who had open days and met a lot of other like-minded people and really began our learning journey. We were given a great guide to nesting box designs for all species of wildlife and we now have almost 30 nesting boxes of variety of styles installed on our property, that Brendon has built,” she said.
QMDC Landcare Coordinator Sandy Robertson said Jarowair was an outstanding example of what could be achieved through a passion to live sustainably alongside wildlife.
“The Grays are demonstrating how a patch of remnant bushland can be restored and enhanced to once again be home to a diversity of wildlife. Jarowair is truly a private wildlife haven,” Sandy said.
“Land for Wildlife membership is non-binding but it helps landholders protect native bushland so that native species can survive and thrive.
“Registration is free and recognises voluntary efforts to conserve nature. We’re hoping to increase membership and welcome enquiries from any landholder interested in protecting remnant vegetation.”
Land for Wildlife is supported by QMDC through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
Kelly Butterworth
Rockhampton-based journalist covering all things ag.
Rockhampton-based journalist covering all things ag.
