Better than a TV drama! Observations from a permanent water source in the bush and other Kurrawonga news

Kurrawonga has been my home since I moved in as caretaker at Easter 2018 and I still have to pinch myself when I wake up in the mornings thinking I might still be dreaming. Every day and every night is different out here. Different bird calls wake me up every morning and one night I hear the southern boobooks calling, the next night I hear the sugar gliders chattering high up in the trees. Same goes for the world of plants: every evening walk is different with new species to discover.

Tiger snake, a regular visitor at the waterhole

This is my first summer at the property and the birdbath near the front door of the house has proven better entertainment than any TV-series! Hundreds of birds visit every day and particularly during the really hot days the water source seems the place to be. It seems that every creature in the area knows of this permanent water source.

The hot weather we’ve been having lately has resulted in quite an increase in the number of visitors observed at the waterhole. In the evenings echidnas, wallabies, kangaroos – and lately – snakes have come to join the party. It is fascinating to watch the order and the behaviour which different species exhibit, as there appears to be a natural hierarchy that determines who gets to drink when. The silence when the snakes are drinking seems like a nearly deafening break in the otherwise constant birdsong!

On the topic of hot weather, fire safety is a concern on any rural property including our reserves, and as such slashing was recently carried out on all tracks on the property.

All tracks have been slashed for fire season.

Over the summer school holidays we opened up Kurrawonga to three guided spotlighting night walks as part of DELWP’s Summer by the Sea program (check out this previous article to see what we found). As with every other event we have held at the property, it was wonderful to see how people react to this oasis.

Come visit! The bell tent is ready for visitors who would like to experience Kurrawonga over night (Photo: Ockert le Roux)

Speaking of visitor reactions, after recent repairs, our bell tent is set up once again and you are welcome to visit and stay overnight at Kurrawonga! Whether you are a keen bird watcher and would like to spend a bit of time expanding our ever growing avian species list, or are interested in doing some flora, invertebrate or fungi surveys, or if you just feel like spending a night in the bush, please get in touch! Give us a call (08 8797 8596) or send us an email and we’ll find the right Kurrawonga experience for you.

Nicole Mojonnier