I wasn't sure how many people might be aware of this place, so I thought I'd post about it in case anyone is keen to get an up-close look at any of these species in a fairly natural environment. Conmurra Wildlife Sanctuary and Airbnb is located at Walang, just east of Bathurst NSW. It is 67 hectares of natural woodland. In January 2020 they received approvals to create enclosures for endangered Australian animals. The first animals arrived in September 2020. The walk-through, feral-proof enclosure is home to breeding groups of Rufous Bettong, Long-nosed Potoroo and Southern Brown Bandicoot, as well as two male Parma Wallaby. The first baby bandicoots were confirmed in March 2021. These species were chosen because historically they were naturally found in the area. Conmurra also has a pair of Dingo, which have successfully bred. The only access to see these animals is to stay at the Airbnb, which includes a twilight tour, or to volunteer. Conmurra schedule regular volunteer days which are listed on their website. I personally attended the bandicoot release in October 2020. 2.2 bandicoots, sourced from a reserve in Victoria, were released. What the owners are doing here is very exciting, with plans to add more species and enclosures in the future, and personally I think places like Conmurra will be an essential part of conserving native Australian animals. https://www.conmurra.com.au/wildlife-sanctuary
I know it’s a bit tricky at the moment with lockdowns, but Conmurra have another volunteer day coming up on 8th August. This time they are preparing the area where the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby enclosure will go. This enclosure will be used for captive bred wallabies from Secret Creek, as stepping-stone on their journey for release into the wild. In the Conmurra enclosure they will learn to feed themselves and be ‘wild’ wallabies without the threat of predators, before they are finally released into the wild and have to fend for themselves. https://www.conmurra.com.au/get-involved
The Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby enclosure is complete and they have received their first wallaby, with another due to arrive soon. The bandicoots, potoroos and bettongs have all bred successfully, and surplus males have been transferred into the wallaby enclosure. Volunteer days are usually the 4th Sunday of each month. https://www.conmurra.com.au/get-involved
Conmurra now have a pair of Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies. The male is wild born, and the female captive bred. The intention is that their offspring will be released into the wild population at Jenolan. I’m not sure who is in charge of the program, but these animals were chosen because of their specific genetics which were deemed to be important for conservation.
Conmurra are holding another volunteer day on 18th September. It will run from 3pm to 8pm, including dinner and a sunset walk in the enclosures. I highly recommend getting involved if you can, it's a great opportunity to see some rare native species in a natural environment. https://www.conmurra.com.au/get-involved Also, the Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies have bred, and a new enclosure is in the planning process now.
