Rachel and Mark Nolde are the owners of a property situated in Georgica, approximately 25km northwest of Lismore, NSW. The property is a residence and dedicated wildlife sanctuary also used for recreation. Rachel and Mark maintain a small alpaca herd, pecan plantation and vegetable garden on the property, however their main focus is to regenerate and improve the native vegetation to provide habitat for wildlife.
The property covers approximately 10 hectares, with one half consisting of natural bush and the other half of gardens and paddocks. Rachel and Mark are currently in the process of improving the existing bush whilst revegetating the cleared areas with native species. Native vegetation mainly consists of subtropical rainforest mixed with eucalypt woodland.
Wildlife found on the property includes red-necked (Macropus rufogriseus) and swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), various microbats, flying foxes and fireflies. Reptiles such as brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis), diamond pythons (Morelia spilota), yellow-faced whip snakes (Demansia psammophis) and lace monitors (Varanus varius) also inhabit the sanctuary.
A vast array of birdlife is also present on the property including brush turkeys (Alectura lathami), little button quails (Turnix velox), emerald doves (Chalcophaps indica), grey butcherbirds (Cracticus torquatus), Torresian crows (Corvus orru), magpies (Cracticus tibicen), eastern whipbirds (Psophodes olivaceus), masked lapwings (Vanellus miles), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), red-whiskered bulbuls (Pycnonotus jocosus), red-backed (Malurus melanocephalus) and superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus), noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala), sacred ibises (Threskiornis aethiopicus), tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides), willie wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), white-eared (Lichenostomus leucotis) and blue-faced honeyeaters (Entomyzon cyanotis), Australasian figbirds (Sphecotheres vieilloti) and regent bowerbirds (Sericulus chrysocephalus). Various parrots such as galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla), yellow-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus) and scaly-breasted lorikeets (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) are also present on the sanctuary.
