The astounding recovery of the Eastern Barred Bandicoots is a model of what can be achieved in species conservation. Photo: Dave Newman.
By Catherine Watson
ONE evening a couple of weeks ago my naturalist friends Dave and Jackie Newman headed to Phillip Island to see if they could spot some Eastern Barred Bandicoots in the wild. They’d been told a couple of quiet spots where they might see them, but had no luck.
They tried a few other places before striking the bonanza in a most unexpected spot: central Newhaven. In less than an hour, they spotted six bandicoots running around in people’s front yards. As Dave said, “Unbelievable!”
ONE evening a couple of weeks ago my naturalist friends Dave and Jackie Newman headed to Phillip Island to see if they could spot some Eastern Barred Bandicoots in the wild. They’d been told a couple of quiet spots where they might see them, but had no luck.
They tried a few other places before striking the bonanza in a most unexpected spot: central Newhaven. In less than an hour, they spotted six bandicoots running around in people’s front yards. As Dave said, “Unbelievable!”
Thirty-five years ago the Victorian subspecies of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot was headed for extinction, a result of predation by foxes and cats and land clearing. Despite the best efforts, nothing was working. In October 2019, in a last ditch effort, 56 of the remaining 100 animals were translocated from Hamilton to French Island.
Within months, the trajectory towards extinction changed. The bandicoots flourished on this fox-free island. They were introduced next to Churchill Island and then to Phillip Island as part of a multi-agency recovery effort headed by Phillip Island Nature Parks (PINP) researchers. Within a couple of years, there were an estimated 1500 animals in the wild.
In 2021 Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced the species status had changed from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered”, the first time this had ever been achieved in Australia.
Three years later the bandicoots have moved into many parts of the island and Phillip Islanders regularly report seeing them in their own backyards.
Their remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction makes me think about the potential of the former Holden Proving Ground as a predator-proofed sanctuary for endangered species.
Within months, the trajectory towards extinction changed. The bandicoots flourished on this fox-free island. They were introduced next to Churchill Island and then to Phillip Island as part of a multi-agency recovery effort headed by Phillip Island Nature Parks (PINP) researchers. Within a couple of years, there were an estimated 1500 animals in the wild.
In 2021 Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced the species status had changed from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered”, the first time this had ever been achieved in Australia.
Three years later the bandicoots have moved into many parts of the island and Phillip Islanders regularly report seeing them in their own backyards.
Their remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction makes me think about the potential of the former Holden Proving Ground as a predator-proofed sanctuary for endangered species.
Watch Terry Melvin’s short film of the Holden Proving Ground
As the Post has reported, there is a rare opportunity to partner with an entrepreneur to secure the back half of the proving ground for conservation purposes. (Holden plan wins support, January 25, 2024)
This is around 400 hectares of high-quality remnant forest snap bang in the middle of the Western Port Woodlands. Secrecy was paramount at the proving ground during the 60-plus years Holden operated it. The entire site is surrounded by 18 kilometres of three-metre security fencing to keep out prying photographers seeking unauthorised previews of the latest Holden model.
This is around 400 hectares of high-quality remnant forest snap bang in the middle of the Western Port Woodlands. Secrecy was paramount at the proving ground during the 60-plus years Holden operated it. The entire site is surrounded by 18 kilometres of three-metre security fencing to keep out prying photographers seeking unauthorised previews of the latest Holden model.
Over the decades, that security fence also kept out predators. The proving ground is now a virtual ark for species including Powerful Owls, Swift Parrots, White Footed Dunnarts, Southern Toadlets, Mountain Brush-Tailed Possums and Eastern Pygmy Possums.
Former proving ground employees report that Koalas were once common and they may still be present, although now very rare in the rest of the woodland.
The site has been largely inaccessible for many decades. It’s now being surveyed by a team of botanists, zoologists and ecologists and who knows what they will find.
It’s the perfect place to re-introduce endangered species such as Southern Brown Bandicoots and Leadbeater’s Possums (our state emblem) that once inhabited the length of these woodlands.
The astounding recovery of the Eastern Barred Bandicoots is a model of what can be achieved if we put our minds to it. Let’s hope the State Government sees it that way too.
Catherine Watson is a member of Save Western Port Woodlands, one of a coalition of 20-plus groups urging the State Government to secure the Holden Proving Ground for conservation purposes.
Former proving ground employees report that Koalas were once common and they may still be present, although now very rare in the rest of the woodland.
The site has been largely inaccessible for many decades. It’s now being surveyed by a team of botanists, zoologists and ecologists and who knows what they will find.
It’s the perfect place to re-introduce endangered species such as Southern Brown Bandicoots and Leadbeater’s Possums (our state emblem) that once inhabited the length of these woodlands.
The astounding recovery of the Eastern Barred Bandicoots is a model of what can be achieved if we put our minds to it. Let’s hope the State Government sees it that way too.
Catherine Watson is a member of Save Western Port Woodlands, one of a coalition of 20-plus groups urging the State Government to secure the Holden Proving Ground for conservation purposes.
Bandicoot tours
Phillip Island Nature Parks is running spotlight tours on Churchill Island over Easter to see Eastern Barred Bandicoots in the wild.
The spotlight tours are a rare opportunity to observe the bandicoots foraging at dark and going about their nightly adventures in the wild. Some may have young at foot.
Tour groups won’t approach closer than 10 metres but bandicoots often delight visitors by scampering and hopping around, and sometimes approach people up close.
Book at Phillip Island Nature Parks.
The spotlight tours are a rare opportunity to observe the bandicoots foraging at dark and going about their nightly adventures in the wild. Some may have young at foot.
Tour groups won’t approach closer than 10 metres but bandicoots often delight visitors by scampering and hopping around, and sometimes approach people up close.
Book at Phillip Island Nature Parks.