Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary, Kulnura

Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kulnura on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It is a privately owned non-profit organisation that works in association with various zoos, Government wildlife services and local community groups in the conservation of endangered species, with a particular focus on saving the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby.

The Sanctuary is set on 13 hectares of Australian bushland and home to over sixty wallabies including three populations of Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby - the Kawau Island Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, the Victorian Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (southern form) and the New South Wales Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (central form).

Waterfall Springs was acquired in 1990 by Lloyd Oldfield for conservation purposes. In 2001, the first Rock-wallaby facility was completed. In 2003, thirty three Rock wallabies from Kawau Island in New Zealand were rescued and brought to the Sanctuary. In the same year, the captive breeding program for the Victorian Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 'southern form' commenced. In 2004, the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 'central form' from Jenolan Caves population arrived. Waterfall Springs releases mature animals to the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Victorian Recovery Team as they come of age at 18 to 24 months.

The Sanctuary has 30 specially designed enclosures that aim to replicate the natural environment of the rock-wallabies. These habitats have been constructed with large mounds with tunnels, dens and caves, built from concrete and rock.



In April 2009, a group of twenty three Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies, including eight with pouch young), were flown by helicopter from Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary and released on a mountain in the Warrumbungle National Park. This was the biggest ever translocation of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby in Australia. This was a major achievement for the Sanctuary working in conjunction with the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. The released Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies will be tracked with radio collars and infrared cameras will record images of the wallabies in their new home in the rugged Warrumbungle National Park.

Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary is located on Kyola Road in Kulnura, about 85km north of Sydney.

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