Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / NSW / Five Figs Wildlife Sanctuary

Lina Svensson is the owner of Five Figs Wildlife Sanctuary, a property situated in Tuntable Creek, approximately 50km west of Byron Bay in New South Wales. Originally a dairy and cropping enterprise, the property is now a residence and wildlife sanctuary undergoing extensive restoration. The property is involved in several funded bush rehabilitation programs: Koala Habitat restoration with Lismore City Council; the Rural Landholder Initiative; and a BushConnect project. Lina is also involved with several self-funded regeneration projects. Her intent is to return as much of the property as possible to a healthy native habitat matrix, and she aims to establish a Conservation Agreement in the future to protect the land in-perpetuity.

Spanning approximately 60 hectares, the formerly agricultural land has a north-easterly aspect and is intersected by an access track. Regeneration works are in progress, with many focused on selected sites. Vegetation is characterized by dry/subtropical rainforest with eucalypt ridgetops and some native grassland. Emerging and mature native trees are present on the regeneration sites, where they compete with invasive camphor laurel, privet and lantana.

An abundance of native species are present on the property including koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus), ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and mountain  brushtail (Trichosurus cunninghami) possums, bandicoots, sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and various arthropods. Feral cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have also been spotted on the property.

A range of reptiles also inhabit the area including red-bellied black (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and eastern brown (Pseudonaja textilis) snakes, green tree snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulata), rough-scaled snakes (Tropidechis carinatus), common death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus), bandy-bandys (Vermicella annulata), pink-tongued (Cyclodomorphus gerrardii) and blue-tongued (Tiliqua scincoides) lizards and various skinks.

A vast array of birdlife is also found on the property including wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), kites, hawks, laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), magpie-larks (Grallina cyanoleuca), magpies (Cracticus tibicen), eastern whipbirds (Psophodes olivaceus), striated pardalotes (Pardalotus striatus) and a variety of pigeons.