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Fauna Spotter Catchers for Darling Downs and Surat Basin.

Fauna Spotters field vehicle at a wind-farm site

Fauna Spotters has staff available right across the Darling Downs and Surat Basin, from Toowoomba, Oakey and Warwick to Dalby, Chinchilla, Tara, Miles, Wandoan, Roma, Surat and Injune. We supply licensed Fauna Spotter Catchers, Koala Spotters and ecologists to gas, renewables, transmission, rail, road, council and agricultural projects. Get an itemised quote online in under two minutes. Share your Darling Downs and Surat Basin site, dates and approval conditions so we can confirm scope and availability.

Services in Darling Downs and Surat Basin

Choose the support your job needs. Specialist surveys are arranged around the site, target species and dates.

Koala Spotters

Dedicated koala searches and monitoring for works in koala habitat.

Thermal drone surveys

Thermal imaging to help locate wildlife and guide follow-up checks.

By arrangement

Staff available across the Darling Downs and Surat Basin

We have staff available in every part of the Darling Downs and Surat Basin, backed by our wider team when a job needs extra people or specialist skills. Where flights are required, we confirm those costs with you before you accept the quote, so there are no surprises.

Longer programs are cheaper. Our duration discounts step down the rate as the total length of your project grows, across both labour and equipment, so a month-long clearing campaign costs less per day than a one-off shift.

Where we work across the Downs and Surat Basin

We have staff available in every part of the region:

  • Toowoomba and the Range: Highfields, Crows Nest, Westbrook and Oakey
  • Southern Downs and Granite Belt: Warwick, Allora, Killarney, Stanthorpe and Wallangarra
  • Western Downs: Dalby, Chinchilla, Tara, Miles, Wandoan and Jandowae
  • Maranoa: Roma, Injune, Surat, Wallumbilla, Yuleba and Mitchell
  • Border Rivers and Balonne: Goondiwindi, Texas, Inglewood, St George and Dirranbandi

Gas, solar and transmission programs

The Surat Basin and Western Downs carry some of the country's biggest gas, solar, battery and transmission builds. We crew well pads, gathering lines, pipeline right of ways, panel areas, cable trenches and transmission easements, and work under the inductions and permits each operator requires. Duration discounts step the rate down across long programs.

Recent work on the Darling Downs and Surat Basin

Wambo Wind Farm Stage 2 (2025, for Yurika): We provided fauna spotters and ecological services for vegetation clearing, trenching and construction compliance on a 42-turbine wind farm.

Wambo Wind Farm Stage 1 (2024, for Vestas): We supported vegetation clearing, nest protection and construction compliance across the first stage of the 42-turbine project.

Wambo Transmission Line Upgrade (2024, for Downer): We delivered fauna management and ecological support along a 47 km high-voltage line, including bird nest monitoring on existing structures.

Wandoan Solar Farm Stage 2 (2025, for Western Downs Civil): We provided fauna spotters for vegetation clearing and construction compliance across a 490 hectare solar farm.

Local fauna know-how

Brigalow, cypress and eucalypt country across the Downs supports koalas, gliders, the yakka skink and Dunmall's snake, along with a busy mix of pythons, brown snakes and goannas. Our crews complete hollow and log inspections, stage clearing to let animals move on, and record every animal in a format that suits your approval conditions.

Significant species: Darling Downs and Surat Basin.

Mapped potential, not confirmed sightings. Select a count to explore species names and profiles.

14 service-area screens across Darling Downs and Surat Basin. Library snapshot: 30 Oct 2026.

Total significant species: 233

Queensland conservation categories

  • Critically endangered: 9
  • Endangered: 33
  • Vulnerable: 35
  • Near threatened: 5

National (EPBC) conservation categories

  • Critically endangered: 11
  • Endangered: 37
  • Vulnerable: 38
  • Migratory: 26
  • Colonial breeders: 64
  • QLD special least concern: 20

Each species counts once in the total. Additional groups can overlap with one another and the conservation categories.

Mapped potential, not confirmed sightings. This is not a site survey or a complete wildlife inventory.

Species names and profiles
Area, sources and limitations

Combined 50 km circles around the 14 service centres listed below, with each species counted once. This is not a screen of the entire region, and is not an administrative boundary. Areas between and beyond the circles are not covered.

Generated from Fauna Spotters significant-species screening library on 30 Oct 2026. Underlying source dates vary. Counts use mapped ranges and generalised distribution estimates, not a live ALA or WildNet records search. Marine-only profiles are excluded; coastal species may be included.

State and national conservation categories are shown separately. Priority and other conservation categories are not necessarily threatened listings. The total includes all significant fauna in the screening areas, including any adjacent jurisdictions. Listings may apply to only part of an area. Colonial breeding is an ecological grouping, not a threat status. Check individual profiles for listing details and source references.

Screening centres, using GeoNames (CC BY 4.0):

Coverage across Darling Downs and Surat Basin

Discuss support for coal seam gas wells, gathering lines and pipelines in the Surat Basin; Solar, wind, battery and transmission projects across the Western Downs and Southern Downs; Warrego, Gore, New England and Cunningham Highway works. We confirm the crew, access and timing against your site brief.

  • Toowoomba
  • Dalby
  • Chinchilla
  • Miles
  • Roma
  • Warwick
  • Stanthorpe
  • Goondiwindi
  • St George
  • Oakey
  • Tara
  • Surat
  • Injune
  • Wandoan

Where’s your next job?

Enter your site, dates and crew needs for an itemised quote. We’ll confirm availability before booking.

  • Site address or nearest town
  • Start date and number of days
  • Crew and equipment needed

Licensed in Queensland

We hold the Rehabilitation permit (spotter catcher) and can supply licensed personnel across Queensland. The licence is issued by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Copies of licences, insurance and induction records are supplied with every quote.

Any additional permissions and approval conditions are checked for the job.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have staff near Roma and the gas fields?

Yes. We have staff available across the Downs and Surat Basin, including Roma, Miles, Chinchilla, Tara and Injune, for day work, camp-based work and swing rosters.

How do I get a price for a job in Darling Downs and Surat Basin?

Use the instant quote tool on our website. Enter your site, dates and crew needs and you get an itemised quote in under two minutes, with labour, equipment and duration discounts shown line by line. Where flights are required, we confirm those costs with you before acceptance. You can accept it online or call 1800 4 FAUNA to talk it through.

Can you work on remote rosters?

Yes. We support day work from Toowoomba, camp-based work and swing rosters for longer remote programs, and our crews carry the kit and communications needed for remote sites.

Can you start at short notice?

Send the site, dates, shifts and approval conditions. We will check crew availability and any permissions before confirming a start.

What permissions apply in Queensland?

We hold the Rehabilitation permit (spotter catcher) and can supply licensed personnel across Queensland. The licence is issued by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Copies of licences, insurance and induction records are supplied with every quote. Tampering with an animal breeding place needs an approved Species Management Program, and clearing in mapped koala habitat needs a dedicated Koala Spotter under the Koala Conservation Plan.

Can you prepare a fauna management plan?

Yes. Share the clearing footprint, relevant approvals and any existing surveys. We will scope the plan and reporting requirements for your project.