Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / NSW / Sleepy Burrows

Sleepy Burrows is an 80.94 hectare property located just 3 kilometres from the Lake George escarpment near Canberra. Donna Stepan moved to this property to facilitate the release and assist in the rehabilitation process of native animals that she rescues through her volunteer work.  She specializes in the care and release of bare-nosed wombats, hence her interest in developing a sanctuary to continue her “wombat centric” voluntary activities.  Donna would like to ensure that her property is not developed outside the designated house site or subdivided, with the creation of a wildlife sanctuary her immediate wish.

Wildlife found on the property includes eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), red-necked (Macropus rufogriseus) and swamp (Wallabia bicolor) wallabies, bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus), brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums, short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), hopping mice (Notomys spp.), shingleback lizards (Tiliqua rugosa), eastern blue-tounged lizards (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides), eastern bearded dragons (Pogona barbata), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) and many unidentified frog species.

A wide variety of birds are also present including scarlet robins (Petroica boodang), noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala), white-winged choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos), superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), silvereyes (Osterops lateralis), gang-gang (Callocephalon fimbriatum), black (Calyptorhynchus spp.) and sulphur-crested (Cacatua galerita) cockatoos, crimson (Platycercus elegans) and eastern (Platycercus eximius) rosellas, galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla), crested (Ocyphaps lophotes) and common bronze-winged (Phaps chalcoptera) pigeons, wood ducks (Chenonetta jubata), various cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.) and herons (Egretta spp.), straw necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis), masked lapwings (Vanellus miles), southern boobooks (Ninox boobook), tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides), barn owls (Tyto alba), wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), falcons, red wattle birds (Anthochaera carunculata) and eastern spinebills (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris), to name but a few.