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Common Wallaroo (Osphranter robustus)

The common wallaroo is a stocky, mostly solitary macropod associated with rocky hills, escarpments, caves, woodlands, shrublands and nearby grasslands across much of mainland Australia. On development sites, the main concerns are disturbance or removal of rocky shelter, clearing of feeding areas, fencing, roads and changes to water availability, particularly because individuals usually occupy small, stable home ranges.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Common wallaroos can breed in every month, and dependent young may be present throughout the year. Activity is generally highest from late afternoon through the night, while movement remains mostly local except during dispersal or major changes in food and water availability.

Conduct pre-clearance checks in daylight and repeat targeted observations around dusk where rocky shelter and feeding habitat are present.

  • Breeding, mating and births: Breeding is continuous or opportunistic throughout the year. Females may mate shortly after giving birth, with embryonic diapause allowing the next young to be delayed.
  • Young in pouch and dependent: A single young spends about 8 to 8.5 months in the pouch and is weaned at about 15 to 17 months, so dependent young may occur in every month.
  • Local movement and dispersal: Most individuals are sedentary within home ranges of about 100 to 300 ha. Dispersal up to 15 km has been recorded, and short-term movement may increase when food or water availability changes.
  • Drought-related breeding reduction: There is no fixed drought month across Australia. Breeding may reduce or cease during prolonged drought, so local rainfall and food conditions should be checked.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is high year round because breeding is continuous, dependent young may be present in every month, and daytime shelter may be occupied even when no animal is visible. Give particular attention to caves, rock overhangs, boulder piles, dense shade and connected feeding habitat.

Identification

Common wallaroos are medium to large macropods with a compact, powerful build. Their preference for rocky country and their tendency to remain concealed during daylight can make them easy to miss during site inspections.

The species has a large, stocky body, long and shaggy fur, a black hairless muzzle, large rounded ears and relatively short limbs compared with many other large kangaroos. Coat colour varies widely, but males are usually darker than females and may be black, dark grey, reddish brown or brick red. Females are commonly grey, brown or reddish brown and are generally paler.

Males have particularly solid shoulders and forearms. They can reach 1,085 mm head and body length, have tails up to 901 mm and weigh up to 60 kg. Females can reach 831 mm head and body length, have tails up to 749 mm and weigh up to 28 kg.

Male head and body length: Up to 1,085 mm

Female head and body length: Up to 831 mm

Male tail length: Up to 901 mm

Female tail length: Up to 749 mm

Male weight: Up to 60 kg

Female weight: Up to 28 kg

Identification: Distinguishing features

Compared with eastern and western grey kangaroos, the common wallaroo is more compact and heavily built, with shorter limbs, coarse shaggy fur and a darker overall appearance. Males have conspicuously strong shoulders and forearms.

The species is associated more strongly with steep escarpments, rocky hills, stony rises, caves and rock overhangs than the other large macropods covered in the supplied management plans. It is often encountered singly or in small, fluid groups rather than in large mobs.

The common wallaroo is sometimes confused with rock-wallabies in rocky country. The supplied survey guidance identifies the euro by its naked rhinarium and large rounded ears, but the scat comparison provided applies specifically to the Barrow Island euro and should not be applied automatically to mainland animals.

  • Check the muzzle, ear shape, body build and coat colour together rather than relying on colour alone.
  • Record sex where possible because adult males are much larger and darker, with heavier shoulders and forearms.
  • Inspect rocky shelter and nearby grassy feeding areas, especially where the animal is not visible during daylight.

Identification: Field signs and detection

Common wallaroos usually rest during the day in caves, beneath rock overhangs, among rocks or in dense shade. They become active from late afternoon or early evening and may feed in open grassland during the night.

The supplied documents do not give diagnostic measurements for mainland tracks or scats. For site work, record sightings, fresh scats, tracks, worn access routes and repeated use of rocky shelters, and use dusk or night observations where habitat is suitable.

Search effort should cover both the shelter and the adjoining feeding area. A shelter may be occupied even when no animal is visible during daytime inspections.

  • Inspect caves, overhangs, boulder piles, rocky gullies and dense vegetation during the day.
  • Undertake targeted dusk or night searches where rocky shelter connects with open grass or improved pasture.
  • Photograph and map any shelter, access route, scats or tracks before clearing or earthworks.

Distribution: National range

The common wallaroo has one of the widest distributions of the larger Australian macropods. Its distribution is discontinuous because suitable rocky and hilly habitat is scattered, and regional forms vary in colour, coat texture and ear length.

The species occurs across most of mainland Australia and is absent from Tasmania, southern Western Australia and most of Victoria. It occurs in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, including arid and semi-arid inland areas.

The species is most often associated with mountains, escarpments, rocky hill country and stony rises. It can also occur in woodland, shrubland or grassland on flatter ground, particularly near watercourses.

States and territories recorded in the supplied documents: Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and parts of Victoria

Mainland range limits noted: Absent from Tasmania, southern Western Australia and most of Victoria

  • Treat rocky hills, escarpments, stony rises and associated grassland as potential habitat wherever the species occurs.
  • Do not assume that flat ground is unsuitable if it is close to rocky country, woodland, shrubland or a watercourse.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

In eastern Australia, the eastern wallaroo form occurs mainly along the eastern and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range where water and rocky habitat are available. In inland and western Australia, the euro form occupies suitable rocky habitat across arid Australia.

The species is widespread in New South Wales, including the coast, Great Dividing Range, western slopes, plains, New England Tablelands and parts of western New South Wales. Documented local areas include the Northern Tablelands, New England, the western slopes and the Barrier Ranges.

Queensland contains five commercial harvest zones for macropods, and the common wallaroo is harvested in those zones. The supplied documents do not provide a complete national map of bioregional strongholds.

  • Give priority to rocky habitat connected to grassland or open woodland when planning surveys.
  • Consider local populations separately where rocky habitat is separated by broad plains, intensive development or exclusion fencing.

Distribution: Population size and trend

The common wallaroo is described as widespread and generally abundant, with stable or increasing status in the cited IUCN and management documents. Local abundance can fluctuate substantially with rainfall, drought and animal movement.

Population estimates are harder to obtain than for more visible large macropods because common wallaroos use rugged country and are secretive. Helicopter surveys have produced estimates two to three times lower than walked ground surveys in one comparison.

Recorded local densities: Up to 80 animals per km2 in some local areas; broader surveys recorded about 1.5 per km2 in suitable south-east Queensland habitat and about 6 per km2 in the New England and western slopes region of New South Wales.

Northern Tablelands estimate: More than 85,000 animals were estimated across three north-eastern New South Wales management zones between 2001 and 2010, representing less than 10% of the state distribution.

Barrier Ranges estimate: About 18,000 animals were estimated in the Barrier Ranges of western New South Wales during the late 1990s.

Population trend: No reliable long-term national trend is provided. Northern Tablelands survey data suggested decline in some zones, but seasonal conditions, movement and changes in survey methods limited interpretation.

Habitat: Overall habitat

Common wallaroos require a combination of secure rocky shelter and nearby grazing habitat. They occupy both wetter eastern environments and arid inland country, but habitat use is strongly shaped by the availability of rocks, caves, shade, grass and water.

Preferred habitat includes steep escarpments, rocky hills, stony rises, ridges, caves and rock overhangs. The species also uses eucalypt forest and woodland, shrubland and grassland, including flatter areas near watercourses.

In eastern Australia, suitable habitat occurs along the eastern and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range and on the New England Tablelands. The euro form uses rocky habitat in arid and semi-arid Australia, including the Pilbara and western New South Wales.

  • Map rocky outcrops, escarpments, caves, overhangs, boulder piles and stony rises before clearing.
  • Map connected grassland, improved pasture, shrubland and woodland within the adjoining home range.
  • Retain links between shelter and feeding areas wherever practicable.

Habitat: Vegetation and structural features

Common wallaroos graze in grass-dominated areas but also use shrubs, forbs, browse and Spinifex. Dense vegetation can provide daytime shade and cover, particularly where it is close to rocky shelter.

The species can benefit from improved pasture and artificial watering points in some areas. Those changes can also concentrate animals and increase exposure to fencing, roads, competition with livestock and local control.

Elevation limit: No elevation range is provided in the supplied documents.

Climate range: The species occurs from wetter eastern Australia to arid and semi-arid inland Australia.

  • Assess rocky shelter together with the condition and continuity of surrounding grass cover.
  • Record water points, drainage lines, dense shrubs and improved pasture because they may influence local use.
  • Do not treat improved pasture as unsuitable habitat where it is close to rocky shelter.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The common wallaroo is primarily a grazer. It usually leaves shelter in the late afternoon or evening and feeds in open grassy areas, while retaining the ability to browse shrubs and take forbs.

Grasses comprise most of the diet. Forbs, shrubs and other browse are also consumed, and Spinifex is an important food in parts of arid Western Australia.

Diet studies from the New England Tablelands found broadly similar food use to eastern grey kangaroos, with grasses forming the main component. In western New South Wales, diet varies seasonally between wallaroos, eastern grey kangaroos and sheep.

Main food: Grasses

Additional food: Forbs, shrubs, browse and Spinifex in suitable arid areas

  • Record grass cover, grazing pressure, shrub cover and available forbs in the site assessment.
  • Inspect both native and improved pasture where it lies close to rocky shelter.
  • Consider Spinifex and other arid grass communities as feeding habitat in inland areas.

Foraging habitat: Foraging pattern and range

Animals generally rest during the day and move into more open grassy areas from late afternoon or early evening, often feeding through the night. Activity may become more nocturnal during hot weather.

Most individuals are sedentary. Home ranges are approximately 100 to 300 ha, with larger ranges generally recorded for males. Dispersal of up to 15 km has been observed, and temporary movements can occur when food or water availability changes.

Typical home range: Approximately 100 to 300 ha

Observed dispersal: Up to 15 km

Short-term movement: Usually within a couple of kilometres, although larger movements can occur when resources change

  • Survey open grassland and pasture adjoining rocky shelter during dusk and night.
  • Assess whether proposed works sever regular movement routes between shelter, water and feeding areas.
  • Treat a work area as potentially used even if no animals are recorded during daytime inspection.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Common wallaroos breed opportunistically throughout the year. Breeding depends on access to secure rocky or shaded shelter and enough food and water to support the female and her dependent young.

Females can mate shortly after giving birth. The next embryo may remain in suspended development until the existing young reduces its suckling, allowing a new young to be born when the older young leaves the pouch.

Breeding may continue year round under normal conditions, but births can reduce or cease during prolonged drought. A single young is produced at a time.

Breeding season: Continuous or opportunistic throughout the year

Litter size: One young

Gestation: About 33 days

Pouch period: About 8 to 8.5 months

Weaning: About 15 to 17 months

Female maturity: From about 14 months

Male maturity: From about 18 months

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents

Generation length: Estimated at 7 to 10 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat requirements

Females need secure daytime shelter close to feeding habitat. Caves, rock overhangs, boulder fields, dense vegetation and shaded rocky areas can provide cover for the female and young.

The most sensitive breeding areas are likely to be shelter sites connected to grassland, shrubland, woodland or pasture. Clearing that removes shelter or cuts access to feeding areas can affect females and pouch young even when no animal is present during the works.

  • Inspect all potential shelter sites before vegetation removal, rock breaking, blasting or earthworks.
  • Maintain a connected path between shelter and nearby feeding habitat where feasible.
  • Use dusk and night observations to check whether females with young are using the site.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter types

Daytime shelter is usually associated with rocks or dense cover. Shelter sites can be discrete and difficult to detect, so rocky habitat should be assessed even when no animals or obvious nests are found.

Common wallaroos rest in caves, beneath rock overhangs, among rocks and in the shade of dense vegetation. Rocky hills, escarpments, ridges, stony rises and boulder fields are therefore high-priority shelter habitat.

The species does not build nests or use tree hollows according to the supplied documents. No standard shelter dimensions are provided.

Shelter size: No standard cave, overhang or shelter dimensions are provided.

Home range associated with shelter: Approximately 100 to 300 ha

  • Search caves, overhangs, crevices, boulder piles, rocky gullies and dense shaded vegetation.
  • Check shelter sites for fresh scats, tracks, resting areas and regularly used access routes.
  • Keep heavy machinery, blasting and rock removal away from occupied or potentially occupied shelter until fauna checks are complete.

Sheltering habitat: Site protection

Because individuals are mostly sedentary and maintain stable home ranges, removal of a shelter can affect a local animal for an extended period. Local movements are generally small, although dispersal up to 15 km has been recorded.

Retain shelter, shade and access to grassland wherever possible. If works must occur near rocky habitat, stage clearing so that animals can move towards connected shelter and feeding areas rather than being surrounded by fencing or machinery.

  • Complete pre-clearance inspections during daylight and repeat observations at dusk.
  • Avoid blocking known shelter entrances with spoil, temporary fencing or stored materials.
  • Inspect rock piles and artificial embankments before dismantling them.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are loss of rocky shelter, clearing of connected feeding habitat, fencing and changes to water availability. Other pressures include predators, disease, drought, local culling and regulated harvest.

Urbanisation and infrastructure construction have removed habitat in some areas. The species is less affected by agricultural development than some large kangaroos because rocky country is often unsuitable for intensive agriculture, but local habitat loss remains a documented concern.

Fencing can restrict dispersal and concentrate animals in enclosed areas. Cluster fencing may increase local grazing pressure and lead to further control of wallaroos. The effects on genetic diversity and long-term population viability remain poorly understood.

Road construction, vehicle movement and road mortality are not quantified in the supplied documents, but linear works can sever movement between shelter, water and feeding areas and should be assessed during project planning.

  • Avoid clearing rocky shelter and the grassland or woodland immediately connected to it.
  • Plan fauna-friendly fence alignments and avoid trapping animals between exclusion fences and construction zones.
  • Inspect temporary fencing daily during active works and remove redundant fencing promptly.
  • Map movement routes between shelter, water and feeding areas before finalising access tracks.

Threats: Fire, drought and water change

The supplied documents do not identify a specific fire regime or fire interval for common wallaroo habitat. Assess fire effects through the retention of rocky shelter, shade, dense vegetation and post-fire grass availability.

Drought can reduce or stop breeding and can cause major changes in local abundance. Artificial watering points have increased wallaroo density in some areas, while changes in water availability can alter local distribution and grazing pressure.

  • Retain unburnt rocky refuge and shaded vegetation where possible during fire planning and recovery works.
  • Assess how temporary water removal, drainage changes or new water points may change local wallaroo use.
  • Monitor shelter and food availability after drought, fire or major hydrology changes.

Threats: Predators and disease

Predators include dingoes or wild dogs, wedge-tailed eagles and, to a lesser extent, foxes. Dingo control has been associated with higher macropod abundance in some areas, while predator effects vary between sites.

Common wallaroos are susceptible to naturally occurring diseases and parasites. Mass deaths have sometimes followed high rainfall and flooding, and lumpy jaw has been recorded in Victoria during drought conditions.

  • Do not create food or carcass sources that attract foxes or other predators to shelter and breeding areas.
  • Report unusual mortality, sick animals or repeated observations of poor body condition to the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Maintain hygiene and carcass management procedures around construction compounds and processing areas.

Threats: Culling and harvest

Local non-commercial culling may occur where wallaroos are considered to be causing agricultural damage. Commercial harvest also occurs in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia under state management systems.

Harvest quotas are set using population estimates and may be reduced or suspended when population indicators fall. Development projects should still consider local impacts because survey methods can underestimate wallaroo abundance in rugged country.

  • Confirm whether damage mitigation, commercial harvest or other wildlife control activities occur in or near the project area.
  • Do not assume that a low survey count means that rocky shelter is unused.
  • Coordinate project fauna management with state wildlife regulators where clearing overlaps known wallaroo habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Daytime habitat and sign searches

Common wallaroos are mostly sedentary, secretive macropods associated with rocky hills, escarpments, caves, dense vegetation and nearby grassy feeding areas. Surveys should focus on shelter sites, late afternoon and night activity, tracks and scats, and movement between rocky habitat and feeding areas.

Search the project area during the day for rocky hills, escarpments, boulder piles, caves, overhangs, dense shrubs, woodland edges, watercourses and open grassed feeding areas.

Record tracks, scats, worn shelter sites, resting places, grazing areas and any paths linking rocky shelter to feeding habitat.

Inspect the full area proposed for clearing and a suitable surrounding area where access permits, because home ranges are reported at about 100 to 300 hectares and individuals may disperse up to 15 kilometres.

Treat the absence of daytime animals as weak evidence of absence because common wallaroos generally rest in caves, rock cover, shade or dense vegetation during the day.

Activity period: Mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, with activity from late afternoon or early evening

Typical home range: About 100 to 300 hectares

Recorded dispersal: Up to 15 kilometres

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting

Conduct spotlight searches from late afternoon into the evening and, where required, during the night, when animals move from shelter into open grassy areas to feed.

Walk or drive suitable access tracks slowly and scan rocky habitat, escarpments, grassland edges, shrubland and watercourse margins.

Record the date, start and finish times, weather, temperature if measured, route, search effort, observers, lighting equipment, locations and behaviour of every wallaroo detected.

Use spotlighting as a presence survey and habitat-use survey, not as evidence that the species is absent when no animals are seen.

Recommended timing: Late afternoon, evening and night

Detection focus: Animals moving from rocky shelter into open grassy feeding areas

  • Repeat searches under suitable conditions where the initial survey is affected by heavy rain, strong wind, poor visibility, unsafe access or unusually high disturbance.
  • Avoid approaching or pursuing animals, particularly near caves, rocky shelters or areas where females may have dependent young.

Survey methodology: 3. Camera traps and sign-based detection

Deploy motion-sensor cameras at likely shelter entrances, rock corridors, tracks, water points and paths between rocky shelter and feeding areas where direct observation is difficult.

Use cameras to confirm species identity and activity periods, particularly where wallaroos are concealed by rugged terrain or dense vegetation.

Collect and photograph scats and other signs only where this can be done without disturbing shelter sites, and obtain specialist advice before using genetic identification methods.

The supplied survey guideline gives baited camera traps and spotlight surveys as suitable detection methods for wallaby and euro taxa, but it does not provide common wallaroo specific trap-night or camera spacing requirements.

Best placement: Shelter entrances, rocky movement routes, water points and feeding-area edges

Survey limitation: No common wallaroo specific camera spacing or trap-night effort is provided in the supplied documents

  • Do not use live capture as a routine detection method unless it is authorised, necessary and designed by a suitably qualified wildlife professional.
  • Document the camera model, deployment dates, location, bait if used, operating hours, failures and total camera nights.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey interpretation and habitat mapping

Map confirmed records, likely shelter sites, feeding areas, movement routes, water points and habitat that connects separate rocky areas.

Give greater weight to repeated records, fresh sign, camera detections and animals using shelter or movement routes than to a single incidental observation.

Consider seasonal conditions when interpreting results because local population sizes can fluctuate widely with rainfall, drought, food availability and animal movement.

Use additional survey effort where rugged terrain, dense cover, changing survey methods or limited access could reduce detection.

  • Record survey limitations clearly, including inaccessible cliffs, private land, dense vegetation, weather, lighting conditions and any areas not searched.
  • Have a qualified ecologist assess whether a proposed clearing footprint could affect a local population even where detection is low.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a daytime habitat and sign assessment before finalising the clearing footprint.
  • Undertake spotlighting and camera trapping where rocky shelter, feeding habitat or fresh signs indicate that wallaroos may use the site.
  • Do not state that the species is absent solely because no animal was detected during one daytime inspection or one night search.
  • Use a survey effort that is proportionate to the area, habitat quality, detection limitations and proposed impact, and record the basis for that decision.
  • Submit confirmed records, including coordinates, date, evidence type and photographs where available, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database.
  • Report threatened species records and any unexpected mortality, injury or disease observations to the relevant state or territory authority.
  • Check the current survey guideline, permit conditions and project approval requirements before fieldwork because the supplied documents do not provide a single national effort standard for common wallaroo.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the project around the species' shelter and feeding requirements. Retain rocky refuge, nearby forage and movement links wherever practicable, and confirm the legal status and approval pathway before disturbance.

  • Redesign the disturbance footprint to retain caves, overhangs, escarpments, rocky hills, boulder piles, dense refuge vegetation and grassy feeding areas.
  • Retain links between rocky shelter, watercourses, shrubland, woodland and open feeding areas so mostly sedentary animals can continue to move within their home ranges.
  • Avoid isolating small rocky habitat patches with roads, fencing, stock barriers or construction compounds.
  • Keep works away from active shelter sites wherever practicable, particularly during late afternoon, evening and night when animals leave shelter to feed.
  • Avoid unnecessary clearing of vegetation near rocky habitat and watercourses, because common wallaroos may use these areas for cover and feeding.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Breeding: Year round, with breeding reduced or ceasing during drought

Young: One young, about 8 to 8.5 months in the pouch and weaned at about 15 to 17 months

  • Confirm the current Commonwealth and state conservation status for the relevant taxon, subspecies and project location before works begin.
  • If the species or relevant population is nationally listed, assess whether the action requires an EPBC Act referral or approval before disturbance.
  • Obtain the relevant state or territory permits for clearing, taking, handling, relocating or rescuing native fauna, and comply with licence conditions.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to retain, pre-clearance survey methods, exclusion areas, spotter catcher roles, stop-work triggers, release sites, injury response and reporting.
  • Stage clearing so retained habitat remains connected and animals have an available route to nearby suitable habitat before machinery enters the work area.
  • Schedule the most disruptive works outside the period of highest local shelter use where site surveys or the relevant authority identify a seasonal risk; the species can breed throughout the year, so do not assume there is a safe breeding season.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection shortly before works, including rocky shelters, caves, overhangs, boulder piles, dense vegetation, tracks, scats and feeding areas.
  • Mark no-go areas, shelter sites, movement routes, retained vegetation and buffers on plans and on the ground before machinery mobilisation.
  • Install exclusion fencing only where it will not block movement between retained rocky shelter and feeding habitat, and inspect fencing for trapped or displaced animals.
  • Remove construction materials, spoil, open pits and other hazards from retained habitat and secure trenches or provide fauna escape points.
  • Brief all machinery operators and crew on the species' appearance, nocturnal activity, shelter use, stop-work procedure and the spotter catcher's authority.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of clearing and maintain direct communication with the operator. Work must stop when an animal, occupied shelter or unassessed habitat feature is found.

  • Inspect the work area each day before machinery starts, including retained rocky habitat, exclusion fencing, open trenches, spoil piles and access routes.
  • Keep a suitably authorised fauna spotter catcher present during clearing and other activities that may injure or trap wallaroos.
  • Use a slow, staged clearing sequence directed by the spotter catcher, with machinery stopping whenever the spotter catcher signals or loses a safe view of the work area.
  • Clear vegetation towards retained habitat only where the fauna management plan confirms that this provides a safe escape route and does not drive animals towards roads, fences, machinery or active works.
  • Prevent night works near known shelter sites and feeding routes unless specifically assessed, approved and supervised.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and unexpected finds

  • Stop work before disturbing caves, overhangs, boulder piles, rock crevices, dense refuge vegetation, logs, burrows or other potential shelter features.
  • Do not enter caves or confined rocky shelters to chase or capture an animal.
  • Treat a wallaroo seen in the clearing area, beside machinery, in a trench or in a shelter feature as a stop-work event until the spotter catcher has assessed the risk.
  • Do not move rocks, logs or other shelter material unless the approved method has been assessed by the ecologist and authorised under the relevant permit.
  • Inspect any open excavation, pipe, culvert or trench at the start and end of each shift and provide escape ramps or cover where required by the fauna management plan.

During habitat disturbance: Animal handling, relocation and injury response

  • Keep people, dogs and machinery away from the animal and allow it to leave without pursuit where a safe route to nearby retained habitat is available.
  • Only an appropriately licensed and trained person may capture, handle or relocate a wallaroo, and handling must follow the relevant state or territory permit and wildlife welfare requirements.
  • Relocate an animal only when the ecologist or authorised wildlife professional determines that it cannot safely leave the work area, and release it into nearby retained habitat that provides rocky shelter, cover and food.
  • Do not relocate a wallaroo across roads, fences, unsuitable open ground or beyond the local area without specific authorisation and ecological advice.
  • Place an injured animal in a quiet, secure container only if the authorised handler considers this safe, and transfer it promptly to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
  • Do not handle a pouch young or separate a dependent young from its mother unless directed by a licensed wildlife professional or veterinarian.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work immediately for any wallaroo in the disturbance area, injured or dead fauna, an occupied shelter, a trapped animal, a failed exclusion fence or a loss of safe visibility.
  • Stop work if clearing reveals fresh signs or shelter use that was not covered by the approved fauna management plan.
  • Record the species, number, age or sex if known, location, time, condition, action taken, release location, permit details, photographs and people involved.
  • Record all fauna mortalities, injuries, captures, relocations, refusals to leave, equipment incidents and corrective actions.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and relevant authority where required by the approval, permit or fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no animal remains trapped and that retained habitat is still usable. Continue controls until the site is stable and all approval conditions are closed out.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained rocky habitat, fence lines, trenches, drains, culverts, stockpiles and construction compounds after each clearing stage.
  • Search for live, injured or dead wallaroos and fresh tracks or scats that indicate continued use of the site.
  • Check that all approved shelter areas, feeding areas, water access and movement links remain intact and are not blocked by spoil, fencing, lighting or vehicles.
  • Remove temporary fauna exclusion fencing only when the environmental officer confirms that it will not expose animals to active hazards.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Use repeat spotlighting, camera traps and sign searches where retained habitat is close to the works or where pre-clearance surveys recorded wallaroo use.
  • Compare post-work detections with pre-work records, while allowing for changes caused by rainfall, drought, food availability and animal movement.
  • Report all records, injuries, deaths, captures, relocations, complaints and corrective actions in the project fauna log.
  • Submit required records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and authority.
  • Review monitoring results against approval conditions and implement additional controls if animals continue to enter hazardous work areas.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Assess residual impacts on rocky shelter, feeding habitat, connectivity and local populations after avoidance and mitigation measures are applied.
  • Apply any Commonwealth or state offset requirements only where the relevant approval determines that offsets are required.
  • Document the area and condition of habitat retained, cleared, restored or protected, and link this information to the approval reporting record.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore shelter and feeding habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the combination of rocky refuge, cover and nearby grassy feeding habitat used by common wallaroos. The design should be based on retained local habitat and monitored for use over time.

Core habitat: Rocky hills, escarpments, caves, overhangs, boulder piles, shrubland, woodland and grassy feeding areas

Diet: Primarily grasses, with some forbs and browse

  • Reinstate stable rock piles, boulders, ledges, caves or overhang-like shelter where these features were removed and the approved design can be made safe.
  • Retain or replant local native grasses, shrubs and woodland species suited to the project site, with emphasis on restoring cover near rocky shelter and feeding areas.
  • Reinstate logs and coarse woody material where they form part of local shelter habitat, without creating unstable piles or blocking movement routes.
  • Restore drainage lines and watercourse margins with native vegetation and safe access to water where these features were affected by the works.
  • Do not create isolated shelter patches surrounded by bare ground, hardstand or fencing.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats during recovery

  • Control weeds so native grasses, shrubs and shelter vegetation can regenerate around retained rocky habitat.
  • Manage introduced predators and avoid leaving carcass waste or other food sources that could attract foxes or other predators to rehabilitation areas.
  • Use fencing that permits movement between shelter and feeding habitat, and inspect it regularly for entanglement, trapped animals and blocked routes.
  • Plan fire management with the relevant land manager so refuge vegetation and rocky shelter are retained and fuel reduction does not remove the species' cover.
  • Keep vehicle access, lighting and construction activity away from restored shelter and feeding areas as vegetation establishes.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect restored areas after rain and at regular project-defined intervals for erosion, unstable rocks, weed invasion, fence faults and loss of vegetation cover.
  • Use camera traps, spotlighting and daytime searches for tracks and scats to check whether wallaroos use restored shelter, feeding areas and movement routes.
  • Set success measures before works begin, including survival of planted native vegetation, stable shelter structures, functional movement links, absence of fauna hazards and confirmed wallaroo use where habitat restoration is intended to attract the species.
  • Continue monitoring until the environmental officer and relevant approval authority accept that the rehabilitation area is stable and the required performance measures have been met.
  • Record monitoring dates, methods, effort, weather, detections, photographs, maintenance actions and any changes to the rehabilitation design.

Sources