This reserve is named after the most common eucalypt here – the Red Stringybark (E. macrorhyncha). The local Aboriginal people used the fibrous bark for making coarse string for bindings and fishing nets. These people have a proud history and still live on their country today.

While you are here, look out for over 45 species of native plants (from delicate orchids to grand old eucalypts) and around 60 species of native birds (including the threatened Speckled Warbler and Diamond Firetail Finch). You may be lucky enough to spot a threatened mammal such as the Tuan and Squirrel Glider on dusk.

A nature legacy

Thanks to the outstanding legacy of the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation, partner agencies and community efforts, you stand today in one of 50 bushland conservation reserves in the region, designed to protect nature in urbanising areas.

These reserves are part of the Wodonga Retained Environment Network (WREN), designed to preserve precious native habitats and to help wildlife be more resilient to climate change.

Continuing the legacy

You may notice planted trees amongst the indigenous vegetation – these are part of the biggest urban reforestation program in Australia. Between 1972 and 2006 the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation planted over 3 million trees and shrubs throughout the region (much on cleared farmland) – part of their Greening the Growth Centre project.

Today Parklands and our partners continue this legacy by planting corridors connecting the hills to the waterways in our region.

Treasure trove of biodiversity

Did you know over 45 species of native plants have been recorded here? That’s why this reserve is so valuable for nature conservation.  Particularly in spring you will notice a diverse range of native plants, from below knee height to the canopy overhead…a treasure trove of biodiversity!

Look out for

• Delicate wildflowers in spring (lilies, orchids, daisies)
• Tussocky native grasses (kangaroo, wallaby, spear)
• Hardy shrubs (bush peas, parrot peas, wattles)
• Trees – the canopy (Red Stringybark, Red Box, White Box, Blakley’s Red Gum, plus other planted eucalypts like the distinctive Mugga Ironbark)

Home is where the habitat is

And habitat is more like a town than a house – containing food, water, shelter, a place to raise young, corridors of trees and bushland through which to safely travel in search of food, mates, and nest sites.

• Look out for special habitat features
• Prickly shrubs that provide small birds with safe refuge from cats and foxes (e.g. Juniper wattle)
• Hollow-bearing trees (homes for many birds and mammals)
• Logs and natural litter on the ground (it may look messy but it is valuable food and shelter for wildlife)
• Pollen and nectar from flowering plants (food for many birds and insects)

Meet the locals

Did you know that over 60 species of native birds and four species of mammals have been recorded here? Their home is the threatened Box Gum Grassy Woodland that you see around you – one of the few better-quality patches left in the district, due to clearing for farmland, development, and other uses. Look out for:

Threatened species

• Tuan (Brush-tailed phascogale)
• Squirrel Glider
• Speckled Warbler
• Diamond Firetail Finch

And more common species

• Grey Shrike Thrush
• Rufous Whistler
• Dusky Woodswallow
• Restless Flycatcher

Do you know the threats to this reserve?

• Weeds (including those spread by dumping garden refuse and rubbish) crowd out the local native plants and damage the bushland.
• Cats and dogs not under control predate upon the native wildlife, particularly at night.
• Tidying up the bushland – it may look messy to us but to the wildlife that live here, it is a land of opportunity. We need to leave the habitat and resist tidying!
• Pest animals such as rabbits reduce the plant diversity – especially lower growing species.

Management objectives

We are managing this reserve to:

• Conserve biodiversity.
• Maintain and enhance the diversity of flora including threatened orchids, valuable grassland, indigenous shrubs, and large trees.
• Retain and enhance threatened species habitat.
• Retain the woodland character.
• Reintroduce missing lifeforms especially small native plants and shrubs.
• Manage the perimeter fuel loads and the potential for fire to impact on the reserve and surrounds.
• Allow passive use of the reserve by the public while minimising impacts to biodiversity and habitat values.

Can you lend a hand?

Would you like to learn more about this reserve and join others to make a difference?  You can join Baranduda Landcare Group (barandudalandcare@gmail.com) or volunteer with Parklands (details below) and help with bird and mammal surveys, weed control, and other management activities.

Other ways you can help

• Compost or ‘green bin” your garden waste or use the tip to dispose waste, soil or rubbish.   No dumping in this reserve.
• Keep your cat inside, particularly at night and your dog under control when walking, to keep the local wildlife safe.  No cats are permitted in this reserve.
• Collect firewood from other authorised places. No firewood collection is permitted in this reserve – remember wood is habitat for the local wildlife.
• Enjoy the beautiful native plants but please don’t pick the wildflowers or remove any native plants – they need to seed and grow their future generations!
• Keep to designated trails and please don’t make new tracks or disturb soil.
• Management vehicles only.  No motor bikes.
• Appreciate nature as it is.