Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / TAS / Fiona and Stephen’s Refuge

Fiona and Stephen Thollar are the owners of a property located in Pelverata, approximately 50km southwest of Hobart. The property is a residence and wildlife-friendly sanctuary, and it is Fiona and Stephen’s intent to continue to allow the growth of native vegetation suitable as habitat for local flora and fauna, as well as to utilise the property for wildlife rehabilitation. They have also recently applied for membership of the Land for Wildlife program.

The property covers approximately 13 hectares and adjoins the Snugs Tier Nature Recreation Area, with vegetation types including dry and wet sclerophyll, with small pockets of temperate rainforest in the valley.

Wildlife species known to inhabit the property include Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), red-bellied pademelons (Thylogale billardierii), brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums, Bennett’s wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus), superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus) eastern barred bandicoots (Perameles gunnii), platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), and a range of other native bird, reptile and frog species. A colony of bats, thought to be little forest bats (Vespadelus vulturnis), has also recently been discovered in one the pickers huts on the property.