One year after the fires, we have adapted out tour format to help our guests learn about bushfire ecology as-well-as how & why some unique animals survived the fires.
During December 2019 the fire seemed to burn everything. Yet deep in the gullies small pockets of rainforest were too wet or damp to burn completely. During and after the fire these unburnt areas became sanctuaries for species like Glow Worms, Greater Gliders, Wombats & Lyrebirds and many other lucky wildlife. Watching this process of fire recovery over the last year has allowed us to refocus the message in our tours to incorporate a wider perspective on the plants and animals living in and around the Glow Worm colony.
The seemingly "against-the-odds" survival of wildlife like the Greater Gliders inspired us to develop a more diverse & interactive tour program that looks more closely at the post-fire recovery of wildlife within the Glow Worm Tour.
In consultation with Tom Covell from Hooked on Nature our new tours include spotlighting, insect lighttraps and other detection instruments which help guests learn about a variety nocturnal wildlife on the property. These activities help identify the post-fire recovery of some species and also help guests learn about the importance of habitat protection (from both natural and man-made threats) and the principles of ecology.
One species that has been spotted often since the fire is the threatened Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) - the largest gliding mammal in Australia which can soar for up to 100m between trees.
"Finding unique nocturnal wildlife like the Greater Glider during a Glow Worm Tour is really exciting for our guests. But it also helps people understand why habitat protection is so important for saving threatened species."
Our new tour format is engaging, interactive and suitable for children, adults & anyone interested in the fascinating world of nature at night. Tours have been developed by ecologist Tom Covell from Hooked on Nature.