Bernadene Sward is the owner of GalGalimay, a property situated in Rosebank, approximately 30km west of Byron Bay, New South Wales. GalGalimay is a lifestyle property, currently under development as a retreat and regenerated sanctuary for wildlife. Bernadene plans to revegetate the land to increase biodiversity and support existing wildlife, particularly around the riparian habitat corridors. The property is additionally registered with Land for Wildlife.
GalGalimay covers approximately 2.19 hectares featuring established legacy gardens, rainforest and eucalypt woodland, which forms a wildlife corridor for koalas. A natural spring and seasonal creek form several small riparian habitats across the property. A range of vegetation communities are present including bird-attracting native gardens, regenerated subtropical rainforest, eucalypt woodland and open grassland, which is gradually being converted to rainforest.
Wildlife is abundant, including koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums, feather gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), bandicoots and a wide variety of native frogs, including green tree frogs (Ranoidea caerulea) and barred frogs (Mixophyes spp.).
Approximately 65 native bird species are also present including regent bowerbirds (Sericulus chrysocephalus), spangled drongos (Dicrurus bracteatus) and wonga pigeons (Leucosarcia melanoleuca), along with a wide range of honeyeaters and granivorous birds.
