Watching Wildlife

The mallee holds a rich variety of wildlife from a myriad of insects through to the large Emus and Western Grey Kangaroos.

While much of the wildlife can be hard to see there are a few techniques that will assist you to view some of these elusive animals:

Always remember to:

• stay on the trail
• put the animals’ welfare first
• move slowly and quietly
• observe from a distance
• use binoculars for a close-up view.

Home of the Malleefowl

Malleefowl, as the name suggests, live in the mallee areas of Australia and are rated as nationally endangered. Large patches of unburnt mallee in South Australian parks provide important habitat for these unique birds.

Unlike most birds, Malleefowl do not spend several weeks at a time sitting on eggs. Instead the eggs are buried in a sand and compost mound that produces enough heat to incubate the eggs. They dedicate up to eleven months a year caring for the nest, yet take no interest in their young once they have hatched.

Given that it’s such a long and intensive process to create the right conditions for the eggs to hatch, it would be reasonable to expect that the workload is shared between the male and female. In fact, this is not the case. The male digs and builds the mound, which is around one metre high and three metres wide. This is a complex and exhausting task. The right amount of compost has to be incorporated at the right depth. The male must wait for enough rain to wet the compost before building the upper layers of the nest. The female lays one large egg each week until she has laid 1520 eggs.

The male opens up the mound to receive each egg, then buries it to the right depth. He then regularly monitors and adjusts the nest temperature. This involves regularly ‘testing’ the sand at different depths, and scraping sand on and off the mound to keep it at a constant temperature.

The Department for Environment and Heritage in conjunction with community groups, monitors Malleefowl numbers and nest activity each year in parks and on private land. DEH also undertakes baiting programs to control foxes that prey upon Malleefowl and their eggs. Rabbit control is also conducted to remove competition for food.

If you would like to assist in protecting this very special Australian bird, please contact your nearest DEH office.

Learn more about the Mallee

The Honeydrippers

The banksias that grow throughout much of Ngarkat Conservation Park produce large amounts of nectar.

For many years the area has been the winter home of honeybees. A number of apiarists (beekeepers) place hives among the banksias for a few months each year.

As you travel around Ngarkat you may notice numerous unmarked tracks. These tracks are for servicing the beehives, and are not for public access.

The network of tracks is complex, and it is very easy to become disorientated. Apart from becoming lost you will probably disturb the bees and damage vegetation as you try to find your way out.

Play it safe, stay on the marked tracks.

For Access Conditions, times and permits

Department of Environment and Heritage Information
(08) 8204 1910 ~ website