Mongolurring is our most recently acquired nature reserve east of Mount Bryan, South Australia, on Ngadjuri Country. It is home to various native flora and fauna, with almost 200 native plant species recorded in the area and 16 reptile and 64 bird species. The 1,200-hectare nature reserve traverses multiple vegetation types, including mallee woodland, low woodland, low shrubland, senna species and grassland. Native bird species recorded in the area include the Southern Whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis) and Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata), both listed as threatened under the National Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) act, and the White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos) listed as Rare under the National Parks and Wildlife (NPW) Act.
A generous benefactor gifted the property to the Nature Foundation in June 2024, and our recently concluded Mongolurring Conservation Management Appeal raised vital funds towards initial essential tasks to ensure the land's conservation, restoration, and protection.
Your donations—including a generous major gift of $10,000 by Jason from EASYFLOWERS—combined with a Friends of Parks invasive weeds grant won by our Volunteer program, will enable us to achieve critical initial reserve management actions:
- essential fencing works
- feral species control (goat and deer)
- initial weed control
- and establishing baseline biodiversity monitoring sites.
This baseline monitoring is necessary to help us to understand the landscape's intricacies and use this to inform evidence-based conservation planning and further actions.
The diversity of habitat types across Mongolurring requires multiple monitoring sites to assess the different ecosystems and achieve a foundational understanding of the local landscape and its inhabitants. We are currently undertaking biodiversity monitoring on the 203-hectare Bullock Bridge Nature Reserve in South Australia's southeast. The findings from this reserve are proving invaluable to our ability to manage this precious parcel of land effectively, as they are guiding our monitoring strategy at Mongolurring.
Earlier this month, our Reserve Management team, including recent addition Kelsey Bennett, Conservation Land Manager, visited Mongolurring to scope and plan the initial reserve management tasks and review the baseline monitoring site locations. They provided feedback and recommendations to the Science and Knowledge team, to assist with preparing for this survey, which is likely to commence in September/October 2025.
With the low rainfall across much of South Australia over the past months, the understorey vegetation was notably dry and showing some drought stress. However, the variety of native vegetation across the nature reserve indicates it will respond well to the weed and feral species control actions and the much-needed rain when it finally comes.
We look forward to bringing you further updates on the management and monitoring progress at Mongolurring.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Mongolurring Conservation Management Appeal. Your support—in any amount—is deeply appreciated and vital for achieving our goal of conserving, restoring, and protecting more land for future generations.
If you are interested in registering for our Volunteer program, you can learn more and register your interest here.
Photos of Mongolurring Nature Reserve by Kelsey Bennett.
