Precious cargo - cliff dwelling wallabies carried to their new vertical home

With only two colonies of 80 individuals left in the wild in Victoria, Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies are incredibly special and critically endangered.

These golden-tinged wallabies are not much bigger than a domestic cat and live their lives amongst the sheer vertical cliffs of rocky ranges. They are the kangaroo equivalent of mountain goats.

On the brink of collapse due to inbreeding, the Little River Gorge colony living amongst the steep cliffs of the Snowy River National Park, urgently needed new genetics from captive-bred animals.

Enter a skilled team of Wildlife Unlimited field ecologists, Parks Victoria rangers, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) conservation leads, Traditional Owners and wildlife sanctuary partners, who have once again pulled off a remarkable feat.

For the sixth time in a decade, a surefooted team of specialists backpacked Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies in and out of remote steep river gorges in eastern Victoria to provide the isolated colony fresh genetics.

A team of specialists’ capture and weigh the captive-bred wallabies at Mount Rothwell. Photo: Peter Bire

50 km from Melbourne is Victoria’s largest predator-free sanctuary at Mount Rothwell, managed by the Odonata Foundation. The sanctuary is home to a captive-bred population of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies who will bring the necessary genetic diversity to the Little River Gorge colony.

Hand-picking three females and two males, a team of specialists captured, weighed and vetted the wallabies before transporting them overnight 500 kms to their new home.

The precious cargo was then carried in backpacks by three separate crews over two days many kilometres into the most remote areas of the Snowy River National Park.

After carefully descending almost half a kilometre down the sheer cliffs of Little River Gorge, the crew successfully released their precious cargo into their new home in existing colony of around 55 wallabies.

Special credits to Willow Bourke and team from Wildlife Unlimited/Rendere for their long-term lead roles in the recovery of these critically important rock wallaby colonies and expert herding of both wallabies and people. And to all staff who assisted from Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Parks Victoria, Mt Rothwell - Biodiversity Interpretation Centre, Odonata Foundation, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, Moogji Aboriginal Council, and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

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