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Cape York Rock Wallaby (Petrogale coenensis)

The Cape York rock-wallaby is an endangered macropod restricted to rocky habitat in eastern Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. On development sites, rocky outcrops, gullies, dry creek beds and adjacent vine thickets may provide shelter and feeding habitat, while clearing, changed fire regimes, livestock and feral animals can reduce habitat quality and isolate small colonies.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Breeding season

The supplied documents do not provide species-specific breeding, young-rearing or dispersal months. The seasonal pattern below identifies what is known and flags where project timing must be resolved through site-specific evidence rather than assumed.

Month values are January to December. A value of 0 means that no seasonal pattern is supported by the supplied documents, rather than that the activity is absent.

  • Afternoon and evening activity: Animals shelter by day and emerge in the afternoon to feed. This activity pattern applies across the year unless site observations indicate otherwise.

Identification

This is a medium-sized, grey-brown rock-wallaby with a pale sandy to buff underside and distinctive facial and tail markings. Identification may require an experienced macropod specialist where other Petrogale species occur.

The upper body is grey-brown, while the remainder is paler sandy brown to buff. A pale to buff cheek-stripe is present, and a mid-dorsal stripe runs from the head onto the upper back.

The tail is darker towards the base and has a slight brush at the tip. Grey-white hairs become denser towards the tip, producing a distinct silvery tail tip in most animals.

Male head and body: 54 to 56 cm

Male tail: 48 to 54 cm

Female size: Slightly smaller than males

Identification: Similar species and sex

The species was formerly included as a race of Godman's rock-wallaby, Petrogale godmani. It differs particularly in chromosome shape and number, so reliable separation from closely related rock-wallabies may require specialist examination or genetic confirmation.

No subspecies are recognised. Females are slightly smaller than males, but the supplied documents do not provide sex-specific pelage criteria.

Identification: Field signs

Daytime refuge use in rock piles, rocky gullies and vine thickets is a useful survey clue. Animals may be absent from view during daylight and emerge in the afternoon to feed in nearby woodland, grassland and vine thicket.

The supplied documents do not describe diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, eyeshine or other field signs. Any suspected record should be supported with clear photographs, location data and habitat photographs, and confirmed by a suitably experienced fauna ecologist.

  • Inspect rock piles, crevices, gullies, dry creek beds and nearby vine thickets rather than relying only on open-ground searches.
  • Use remote cameras or repeated dusk and early evening observations where direct sightings are needed.
  • Treat an unconfirmed Petrogale record as requiring specialist review because closely related rock-wallabies may occur in the wider region.

Distribution: National range

The Cape York rock-wallaby is endemic to Queensland and has a fragmented distribution in eastern Cape York Peninsula. Known colonies are grouped around Musgrave, Coen and the Pascoe River.

The species is restricted to Queensland. Its known latitudinal range extends for about 240 km from near Musgrave in the south to at least the Pascoe River in the north.

Records occur within the Cape York Peninsula bioregion. The distribution is associated with rocky outcrops and is fragmented across separate sites.

State: Queensland only

Bioregion: Cape York Peninsula

Latitudinal extent: About 240 km, from near Musgrave to at least the Pascoe River

Elevation: Sea level to 400 m above sea level

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Known sites are concentrated into three locations: the Musgrave area, the Coen area and the Pascoe River area. Four populations were discovered near Coen after the species had been known from only several small, scattered colonies.

Most sites are sufficiently separate that each may represent a subpopulation. Movement between sites is unknown but is probably small.

Known locations: Three broad locations: Musgrave, Coen and Pascoe River

Known colonies: Fewer than 20 colonies were inferred for the population assessment

Known area of occupancy: Likely 50 to 200 km², with an alternative estimate of less than 50 km² based on known colonies

  • Treat rocky outcrops and associated vine thickets near Musgrave, Coen and the Pascoe River as potential habitat requiring targeted assessment.
  • Check project areas against current records and suitable-habitat mapping, including areas between known colonies.

Distribution: Population size and trend

There is no precise estimate of total abundance or population trend. Most colonies have fewer than 15 individuals, while the largest known colony has about 100 individuals.

A continuing decline is inferred from declining habitat quality, area of occupancy and number of individuals. The species is considered to be declining, but the rate of decline has not been quantified precisely.

Typical colony size: Fewer than 15 individuals in most colonies

Largest known colony: About 100 individuals

Estimated mature population: Likely fewer than 2,000, with an estimate of about 1,000

Trend: Continuing decline inferred from habitat degradation and contraction in occupied areas

Habitat: Habitat types

Cape York rock-wallabies use rocky habitat with nearby vegetation that provides food and cover. Habitat is patchy, and small movement distances from refuge sites increase the potential effect of local disturbance.

Recorded habitat includes isolated rocky outcrops, well-vegetated ridges, rocky gullies, dry creek beds and pockets of deciduous vine thicket.

Animals use surrounding woodlands, grasslands and vine thickets for feeding. The species is associated with escarpments and rocky formations rather than broad areas of uniform vegetation.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Relevant vegetation includes deciduous vine thickets, eucalypt woodlands, grasslands and vegetation along rocky gullies and creek beds. In Alwal National Park, escarpments, sandstone gorges, vine scrubs and adjacent grassy flats provide habitat for the species.

Key structural features are rock piles, crevices, boulder-strewn gullies, escarpments, talus slopes and nearby dense vegetation. The supplied documents do not specify minimum outcrop size, vegetation height or buffer distances.

  • Map rocky outcrops and associated cover, not only vegetation communities shown as suitable in broad-scale mapping.
  • Retain links between refuge rocks and nearby woodland, grassland and vine thicket where project design allows.
  • Assess temporary access tracks, laydown areas and firebreaks as potential habitat changes where they affect rocky refuges or nearby feeding vegetation.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The known elevational range is from sea level to 400 m. The species occurs in eastern Cape York Peninsula, where regular wet season rainfall, rocky escarpments and seasonal creek systems shape available habitat.

No narrower climatic limit is provided in the supplied documents.

Elevation range: Sea level to 400 m above sea level

Regional climate context: Cape York Peninsula with regular wet season rainfall

Foraging habitat: Foraging areas and timing

The species feeds outside its daytime refuges, mainly in nearby woodland, grassland and vine thicket. Detailed dietary studies are not available in the supplied documents.

Animals shelter during the day and emerge in the afternoon to feed in surrounding woodlands, grasslands and vine thickets.

The species does not move far from cover in some conditions. Food shortages can follow fire where animals are unable to move far from their refuge sites.

Usual feeding period: Afternoon and likely into the night, based on emergence timing

Foraging distance: Not quantified; the species may not move far from cover

  • Survey feeding habitat around rocky refuges, including woodland edges, grasslands and vine thicket margins.
  • Inspect nearby feeding areas as well as the outcrop itself when assessing a clearing footprint.
  • Avoid treating open ground between rocky sites as having no value without checking whether it provides feeding habitat or movement cover.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The supplied documents do not identify particular food plants or prey items. The conservation advice identifies diet and the response of key dietary items to fire and habitat change as research priorities.

For project assessment, record the vegetation types and ground-layer condition surrounding each rocky refuge rather than assuming that all suitable feeding resources are interchangeable.

  • Document woodland, grassland and vine thicket condition within the proposed disturbance area and around rocky refuge sites.
  • Record recent fire, grazing and weed impacts that may reduce available food near cover.
  • Refer suspected key food plants for species-specific confirmation because no food-plant list is provided.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The breeding biology of the Cape York rock-wallaby has not been studied in detail in the supplied documents. Breeding habitat is expected to be associated with secure rocky refuges and nearby feeding vegetation, but species-specific breeding sites and timing are not reported.

The supplied documents do not provide a breeding season, litter size, gestation period, age at maturity or lifespan. No species-specific nest or maternity-site description is available.

Rock piles, rocky gullies, crevices and vine thickets should be treated as potential breeding and young-rearing habitat because they provide the documented daytime shelter used by the species.

Breeding season: Not reported

Litter size: Not reported

Gestation: Not reported

Age at maturity: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported

Generation length: Approximately 6 years, inferred from other Petrogale species

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Potential breeding habitat includes stable rock piles, crevices, rocky gullies and dense vine thickets close to feeding areas. The species' fragmented distribution and small colonies mean that loss of a single refuge complex may affect a local subpopulation.

No required den dimensions, maternity refuge dimensions or breeding-site buffers have been established in the supplied documents.

  • Search all rocky refuge features within and immediately adjacent to the clearing footprint before works begin.
  • Retain secure rock cover and connected nearby feeding vegetation where practicable.
  • Use repeat dusk observations or remote cameras when breeding status must be resolved, because daytime absence does not demonstrate that a refuge is unoccupied.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Daytime shelter is provided by rocky features and dense vine thickets. These refuges are closely linked to nearby feeding habitat and may be important because local movement away from cover is limited.

The species shelters during the day in rock piles or vine thickets. Relevant rocky features include isolated outcrops, escarpments, rocky gullies, dry creek beds and sandstone gorge habitat.

The documents do not state whether the species routinely uses caves, hollow logs, burrows or tree hollows. Do not infer use of those features without field evidence.

Documented daytime refuges: Rock piles and vine thickets

Refuge size: Not reported

  • Inspect rock piles, boulder fields, crevices, talus slopes, gully walls and dense vine thickets on foot where safe.
  • Check whether proposed blasting, excavation, vibration or machinery access could affect rock refuges even if the refuge itself is outside the direct clearing boundary.
  • Record refuge photographs and dimensions during pre-clearance surveys because no standard refuge size is provided.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge condition

Refuges are most useful when close to woodland, grassland and vine thicket feeding areas. Fire, livestock and feral herbivores can reduce the quality of the vegetation surrounding shelter sites.

The species may not move far from cover, so a fire or clearing event that removes nearby food can affect animals even when rock piles remain.

  • Maintain undisturbed access between rocky shelter and nearby feeding vegetation where possible.
  • Avoid piling cleared vegetation, soil or construction material against rock refuges.
  • Prevent stock access and manage fire around retained refuge vegetation in accordance with approved species and site management requirements.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main documented threats are inappropriate fire, habitat degradation from livestock and feral herbivores, and predation by feral cats. Clearing and construction can add to these pressures by removing rocky habitat, feeding vegetation or links between small colonies.

The species has a fragmented distribution associated with rocky outcrops, and movement between sites is probably small. Clearing an outcrop, gully, vine thicket or nearby feeding area can therefore affect a local subpopulation even when the cleared area is small.

The supplied documents do not quantify a development clearance threshold or specify a minimum habitat buffer. Project assessment should consider direct habitat loss, indirect disturbance and the isolation of remaining refuge sites.

  • Avoid clearing rocky outcrops, boulder piles, rocky gullies, dry creek beds and associated vine thickets.
  • Map retained and removed refuge features separately from general vegetation polygons.
  • Assess whether roads, tracks, powerlines, service corridors, pads and construction compounds divide a refuge from its nearby feeding habitat.
  • Use targeted searches and remote cameras before clearing where suitable rocky habitat is present.

Threats: Fire

Inappropriate fire regimes can degrade habitat and cause food shortages after fire. The species may not move far from cover, so extensive or poorly timed burns can reduce access to food around occupied refuges.

Late dry season fires are identified as a management concern. Fire management should also consider altered fuel loads caused by weeds, grazing and changed vegetation structure.

  • Avoid broad, intense or late dry season burns around known colonies and retained refuge vegetation.
  • Plan construction fire controls so that escaped fire cannot burn rocky refuge complexes and adjacent feeding areas.
  • Coordinate fire planning with neighbouring landholders and Indigenous ranger groups where relevant.

Threats: Livestock, feral herbivores and weeds

Livestock and feral herbivores degrade habitat and food resources. In Alwal National Park, feral cattle concentrate around water during the dry season, increasing grazing pressure, erosion and weed growth.

Feral pigs, horses and pest plants are also recorded in parts of the species' range. Gamba grass and other weeds can alter fuel loads and vegetation structure, increasing fire-related habitat impacts.

  • Prevent domestic stock from entering retained rocky habitat and nearby feeding vegetation during construction.
  • Control soil, vehicle and machinery pathways that could spread pest plants into vine thickets and creek lines.
  • Inspect construction water points and disturbed ground for increased cattle, horse or feral pig activity.

Threats: Predators and other pressures

Feral cats may take young animals. Their potential impact extends across the species' range and may be more significant for small or isolated colonies.

The supplied documents do not identify species-specific disease impacts, road mortality rates or hydrology thresholds. Changes to creek beds, water availability, erosion or drainage should still be assessed where works affect rocky gullies, dry creek beds or nearby vine thickets.

  • Do not leave food waste or other attractants at construction camps that may increase feral cat activity.
  • Record feral cat observations and incorporate approved control measures where required by the project or land manager.
  • Assess changes to drainage, erosion and seasonal water flow around rocky habitat rather than assuming that dry creek beds have no habitat value.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and records assessment

Survey the Cape York rock-wallaby where rocky habitat and associated shelter or feeding areas may be disturbed. The species is restricted to eastern Cape York Peninsula, occurs from sea level to about 400 metres, and may be present in small, poorly connected colonies that are easy to miss. No species-specific survey effort, such as a required number of nights or trap nights, is provided in the supplied documents.

Before field work, map rocky outcrops, boulder piles, rock crevices, rocky gullies, dry creek beds, well-vegetated ridges and nearby vine thickets.

Inspect surrounding woodland, grassland and vine thicket for feeding areas linked to rocky shelter.

Search records and consult land managers, Traditional Owners, Indigenous ranger groups and Queensland wildlife authorities about known colonies and recent sightings.

Treat each separated rocky site as a potential subpopulation because movement between sites is unknown and is probably small.

Known range: About 240 kilometres from near Musgrave to at least the Pascoe River in eastern Cape York Peninsula.

Known locations: Three broad locations: Musgrave, Coen and Pascoe River.

Known colonies: At least 10 known colonies were used in one area of occupancy estimate, and fewer than 20 colonies were considered likely overall.

Elevation: Sea level to about 400 metres above sea level.

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting and evening searches

Undertake targeted searches from late afternoon through the evening because animals shelter during the day and emerge in the afternoon to feed.

Walk or drive slowly along the edges of rocky outcrops, boulder piles, gullies, dry creek beds, vine thickets and adjoining feeding areas, using a spotlight to scan rock faces, ledges, crevices and vegetation.

Record the start and finish time, route, weather, moon conditions, observers, spotlight type, habitat searched and all detections or non-detections.

Repeat searches across suitable rocky sites where the project could affect habitat. The supplied advice does not prescribe a number of nights, hours per night, transect length or search area, so the effort must be justified in the project survey plan and scaled to the number and separation of habitat patches.

  • Give additional attention to sites with intact vine thicket, dense shelter vegetation and nearby woodland or grassland feeding areas.
  • Do not treat a single night without a detection as evidence that a site is unoccupied.

Survey methodology: 3. Daytime shelter searches

Search rock piles, caves, crevices, vine thickets, rocky gullies and other shaded shelter sites during the day without entering or damaging potential refuges.

Use a qualified fauna ecologist to inspect accessible shelter features and record signs such as scats, tracks, feeding remains, hair or repeated animal observations.

Map each shelter feature and its connection to nearby feeding habitat before any clearing or blasting is planned.

Use remote cameras at shelter entrances or along movement routes where direct observation is impractical, subject to land access, animal welfare and project approvals.

  • Avoid moving rocks, entering deep crevices or flushing animals during the survey.
  • Record the exact location, feature type, photographs, access route and condition of every occupied or potentially occupied refuge.

Survey methodology: 4. Monitoring and survey limitations

Where a colony is found or suspected, establish repeatable monitoring points across the retained habitat patches and record relative abundance, site condition, fire history, livestock or feral herbivore pressure and feral cat activity.

Use the same observers, routes, timing and recording method for repeat surveys where practicable.

State clearly whether a result confirms presence, indicates likely presence, or is only a non-detection. The conservation advice states that there is no robust estimate of population size or population trend.

Engage Indigenous ranger groups in surveys and monitoring where appropriate, as recommended in the conservation advice.

Generation length: About 6 years.

Typical colony size: Most colonies have fewer than 15 individuals.

Largest known colony: Around 100 individuals.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Survey every rocky habitat patch and connected shelter or feeding area that may be cleared, excavated, blasted, inundated or isolated.
  • Schedule searches in the afternoon and evening, and include daytime inspection of shelter features where safe and authorised.
  • Document the survey design, dates, times, weather, observers, equipment, routes, habitat searched, limitations and detection results.
  • Do not rely on a single non-detection where habitat remains suitable or survey conditions were poor.
  • Submit verified records, photographs and spatial data to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and provide records to the project approval authority where required.
  • Report any suspected nationally listed species record through the project’s EPBC and state reporting arrangements.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid disturbance to rocky refuges and retain links between shelter and feeding areas. The species has a restricted, fragmented distribution and is affected by fire, livestock and feral herbivore impacts, with feral cats also identified as a threat.

  • Redesign the footprint to retain rocky outcrops, boulder piles, rocky gullies, dry creek beds, vine thickets, well-vegetated ridges and adjacent woodland or grassland feeding areas.
  • Retain connected habitat between rocky shelter sites and nearby feeding areas wherever practicable.
  • Avoid clearing or isolating individual colonies, because movement between sites is unknown and probably small.
  • Keep machinery, stockpiles, access tracks, lighting and blasting away from retained shelter features and vine thickets.
  • Avoid late dry season fire and prevent project activities from increasing fuel loads or introducing fire into retained refuge vegetation.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

National status: Endangered under the EPBC Act.

Queensland status: Endangered, as specified for this profile.

  • Check whether the action requires referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 because the species is nationally listed as Endangered.
  • Confirm current Queensland Nature Conservation Act requirements, wildlife permits and any authority needed for capture, handling, release, spotlighting or relocation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, exclusion areas, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, release sites, incident reporting and rehabilitation.
  • Stage works so that disturbance is limited to the smallest practicable area and retained habitat remains accessible to animals during each stage.
  • Consult the relevant Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger groups before survey, clearing, monitoring or habitat management.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the targeted pre-clearance survey shortly before works, with particular attention to rocky shelter and vine thicket features.
  • Mark no-go areas, retained habitat, access routes, release areas and any occupied or potentially occupied refuge features on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, workers, stock or domestic animals entering retained habitat without blocking animal movement between retained patches.
  • Brief all workers on the species’ appearance, shelter sites, reporting chain, speed limits, lighting controls and stop-work procedure.
  • Remove waste, food and other attractants that could increase feral cat activity around retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Works must be supervised by the fauna spotter catcher in habitat that could contain a wallaby. The spotter catcher should manage the interface between machinery and retained rock, vegetation and movement routes, and must have authority to stop work.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, no-go markers, access routes and retained habitat before work starts each day.
  • Maintain a fauna spotter catcher on site while clearing, rock removal, excavation, blasting, grading or other activities could affect suitable habitat.
  • Use slow vehicle speeds, minimise night lighting and avoid unnecessary noise, vibration and access near rocky refuges.
  • Keep cleared material, spoil, equipment and fire sources out of retained rocky habitat, vine thickets and movement routes.
  • Recheck the work area after breaks, at the start of each shift and whenever machinery moves into a new habitat patch.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna spotter catcher and machinery

  • The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the next work area before machinery enters and communicate clear exclusion boundaries to the operator.
  • Stop machinery immediately when an animal, suspected refuge, fresh sign or unstable rock feature is found in the work area.
  • Allow the spotter catcher to approach only when it is safe, authorised and necessary, and keep workers and machinery quiet and clear of the animal.
  • Do not chase, corner, handle or remove a wallaby unless the person is authorised under the relevant permit and the action is required for animal welfare or approved relocation.
  • Record the location, time, activity, response, animal condition, handler and release or treatment outcome for every interaction.

During habitat disturbance: Rock and shelter feature handling

  • Do not move boulders, rock piles, logs or dense vine thickets until they have been inspected and cleared by the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Treat caves, crevices, rock piles, rocky gullies and vine thickets as potential daytime refuges even when no animal is visible.
  • Retain suitable rock shelter in place wherever practicable rather than dismantling and rebuilding it after clearing.
  • If a refuge must be disturbed, stop work and obtain direction from the project ecologist and the relevant wildlife authority before proceeding.
  • Do not assume that hollow-bearing trees, nest boxes or wetlands are primary habitat features for this species, but inspect any such feature if it forms part of a rocky gully, vine thicket or connected feeding area.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, injury and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work immediately if a Cape York rock-wallaby is seen, trapped, injured, exposed in a refuge, or unable to move away from the work area.
  • Keep people, dogs and machinery away and allow the animal to move to nearby retained habitat where this can occur without handling.
  • Use only an appropriately authorised wildlife handler for capture, examination, transport or relocation.
  • Release a healthy animal into nearby retained habitat that is suitable, connected and approved in the fauna management plan, unless the authority directs otherwise.
  • Take an injured or ill animal to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable.
  • Stop work if an occupied or potentially occupied shelter feature cannot be safely cleared, if exclusion fencing fails, if fire enters a no-go area, or if the approved fauna controls cannot be maintained.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-work checks must confirm that retained habitat remains usable and that controls have not created barriers or new threats. Monitoring should focus on occupied colonies, retained rocky refuges and the condition of linked feeding areas.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained refuge features, exclusion fencing and access boundaries after each clearing stage.
  • Check that no animals, injured fauna, trapped animals or isolated shelter features remain within the work area.
  • Confirm that retained rocky outcrops, boulder piles, vine thickets, gullies and feeding areas have not been damaged by machinery, spoil, erosion, fire or sediment.
  • Remove temporary fencing, waste and materials only when the fauna ecologist confirms that doing so will not create a new risk.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Repeat spotlighting, daytime refuge checks or camera monitoring at occupied or suspected colonies using the same locations and methods used before disturbance.
  • Monitor relative abundance, signs of use, habitat condition, fire effects, livestock or feral herbivore impacts and feral cat activity.
  • Report all sightings, injuries, deaths, relocations, work stoppages, permit breaches and unexpected habitat impacts to the project environmental officer and relevant approval authority.
  • Update the project spatial database and submit verified species records to the relevant Queensland wildlife database.
  • Review monitoring results before the next construction stage and change controls if animals avoid retained habitat or use declines.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Assess residual impacts under the EPBC approval and Queensland requirements after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation measures are applied.
  • Use any required offset or conservation action to protect and manage suitable rocky habitat, vine thickets and connected feeding areas for the species.
  • Do not count an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied colonies and their shelter features within the project area.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore rocky shelter, nearby feeding habitat and the vegetation structure that supports movement between them. Fire, livestock, feral herbivores and feral cats must be managed as part of the outcome, not treated as separate issues.

  • Reinstate stable rocks and boulder piles where their removal was unavoidable, using local material and designs approved by the fauna ecologist.
  • Restore rocky gullies, dry creek beds, vine thickets, woodland edges and grassland feeding areas with local native vegetation appropriate to the site.
  • Retain fallen timber and natural cover where it contributes to shelter, while avoiding placement that blocks movement or creates erosion hazards.
  • Do not install hollows or nest boxes as a substitute for rocky refuge unless monitoring shows that another species benefit is needed and the design has been approved.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and introduced animals

  • Develop and implement a fire regime that protects refuge vegetation and avoids frequent or late dry season fires around retained and rehabilitated rocky habitat.
  • Control weeds and introduced pasture plants that alter fuel loads, vegetation structure or food resources, following the site’s weed management requirements.
  • Exclude domestic stock from rehabilitated habitat and repair fences that allow cattle to enter rocky refuges or feeding areas.
  • Reduce feral herbivore impacts on vegetation and food resources.
  • Implement approved feral cat control that minimises harm to the wallaby and other native animals.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitated habitat after wet season rainfall, fire and major construction events to identify erosion, weed invasion, stock access and loss of rock shelter.
  • Use repeat spotlighting, camera monitoring and daytime checks to determine whether wallabies continue to use or recolonise the retained and rehabilitated habitat.
  • Record stable or increasing use of rocky refuges, continued access to nearby feeding areas, successful vegetation establishment and no new barriers between habitat patches as project success measures.
  • Continue monitoring for a period and at a frequency set by the approval, fauna management plan and observed response of the colony.
  • Use monitoring results to adjust fire management, weed control, feral animal control, fencing and further rehabilitation.

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