Moorunde

Moorunde Wildlife Reserve was established in 1968 from money donated by public appeal. This reserve, on 2020 hectares of typical mallee country near Blanchetown South Australia, was created and is maintained for the preservation of the South Australian fauna emblem, the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons).

Fantastic news! With generous support from members, other like-minded organisations and most notably our Patrons (Dr & Mrs Holt) we have been able to increase the size of Moorunde 3 fold. Yes, we have been able to purchase a large portion of the old Portee Station (another 12,000 acres), bringing the size of Moorunde close to 18,000 acres. The new land comprises of titles 841 & 842 in the Hundred of Skurray. It is locally known as the "Twelve Mile Plain". We now protect the largest population of wombats in the world! Not only is this a grand achievement for us, but it creates hundreds of square kilometres of connected conservation reserve, with Brookfield adjoining to the north and Yookamurra to the south. The only interruption to this corridor is the Sturt Highway, running along our northern most boundary near Blanchetown. As well as guaranteeing the safety of wombats in this area, our extensive weeding and land management program means that human history is also preserved. Amoung notable land marks contained within our new acquisition are the remnants of the charcoal pits, which were instrumental in providing power during our World War efforts.

Moorunde almost always puts on the most fantastic light show. It's the dust in the air from the arid environment.
Moorunde Sunset
Sunset taken @ Moorunde, looking West, 3 Jan 2009, by Brett Smith©

Sunset taken @ Moorunde, looking West, 7 Nov 2008, by Brett Smith©

Sunset taken @ Moorunde, looking West, 3 Jan 2009, by Brett Smith©

Sunset taken @ Moorunde, looking West, 3 Jan 2009, by Brett Smith©

Moorunde Sunset
Sunset taken @ Moorunde, looking West, 14 Aug 2004, by Brett Smith©

Volunteer rangers regularly patrol the fences. Volunteer working bees also maintain the reserve and its biota, removing weeds and repairing tracks and damaged fences. Research projects are ongoing including monitoring wombat populations, recovery of flora and monitoring of grazing pressures from all fauna on the reserve.

The current wombat population is estimated at around 600 wombats, which has grown from 200 animals present in 1968. Other wildlife abound, with a list of species observed available for enthusiasts.

Public access via Moorundie Road includes a welcome sign (below) which contains a map of the reserve. Most importantly this sign highlights some rules that must be followed when visiting. Please go to the visiting page for more details.

Moorunde Sign

Adjacent to the sign is self guided nature trail. It starts on the South West corner of the reserve (bottom right corner in the photo above) and takes about an hour to complete. The general public is welcome. As indicated on the visiting page, we ask you not to venture into the reserve without a guide, as it is treacherously easy to get lost in the mallee. If you wish to view the activities of the reserve more fully please contact us and we will arrange a mutually convenient time for you to visit.

The following 3 photographs were all taken within 20m of each other. We show them here to highlight the damage caused by sheep, and hence the need for our reserves (ie to retain some of our natural heritage).

Sheep grazing country.
Notice the bare ground and
the damage to the tree trunks.

Sheep grazing country
on the left of the fence.

Lack of ground cover
reduces water retention
further degrading
the fauna.

Moorunde fence with sheep grazing damage outside

Moorunde Reserve
on the right of the fence.

Inside Moorunde

Notice the lack of sheep has allowed the ground cover to grow and healthy tree trunks.

Damage caused by introduced animals gives members motivation to maintain the fences to their high standard. It does sadden us, however, to see such large areas devastated by sheep grazing.

Because of the semi-arid climate it has taken 30 years for the environment to recover to the stage shown. Once protective elements have been introduced, conservation requires a much smaller effort to maintain.