Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / NSW / Tallowwood

Matthew Nimbs, Daniel Proh and family are the owners of Tallowwood, a property located approximately 20km north of Coffs Harbour. The property is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary, and it is the owners’ intent to improve habitat trees and increase connectivity in an attempt to provide refuge for species displaced by logging in the adjoining state forestry compartments.

The property covers 1 hectare of partly cleared rural land adjoining state forest. Formerly a bougainvillea nursery, the predominant vegetation type is tall wet sclerophyll open forest, with dominant species including tallowwood (Eucalyptus microcorys), blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis), brush box (Lophostemon confertus), and turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera). A vegetation complex adjoins a forest stream.

A wide range of wildlife species are known to occur on Tallowwood, with examples including short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), feather-tailed gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus), grey-headed flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus), red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufrogriseus), three-toed skinks (Saiphos equalis), red-bellied black snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus), and a variety of native bird species such as wompoo fruit doves (Ptilinopus magnificus), yellow-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus newtoniana), superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus), zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), green catbirds (Ailuroedus crassiriostris), white-bellied sea-eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster), and New Holland honeyeaters (Phylionyris novaehollandiae).