The Order of Discalced Carmelites Australia is the owner of Carmelite Monastery – Pro Patria Centre, a property situated in Wagga Wagga, approximately 130km north of Albury, New South Wales. The property is a monastery, community engagement and health facility, as well as a site for bush regeneration, education and agriculture. The Order plans to cultivate bush food and native flora on the property, while providing Indigenous cultural education, therapeutic and community engagement programs in the centre. They also have plans to progressively introduce vulnerable and endemic native species for the conservation and regeneration of the natural grounds around the monastery.
The Pro Patria Centre is a fenced monastery on a raised site within a suburban area, spanning 3 hectares. It is home to a mixture of native and introduced flora and fauna, and projects are underway to reestablish native species to enhance the existing ecosystem. Vegetation is comprised of a variety of dry native species including eucalypts, acacia and bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.) with some introduced fruit trees, hedges and gardens.
A range of wildlife is present on the property including eastern blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), geckos, hawks, wattlebirds (Anthochaera spp.), flycatchers, crested pigeons (Ocyphaps lophotes) and various parrots. The Order is also considering the procurement of vulnerable macropods as part of their conservation and community engagement programs.
