Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / QLD / Casuarina

Paul and Susan O’Brien are the owners of Casuarina, a property located approximately 50km north of Toowoomba. The property is a residence and wildlife-friendly sanctuary also used for the agistment of horses, and it is Paul and Susan’s intent for the property to continue in these purposes with the possible establishment of an orchard. Casuarina is also a member of the Land for Wildlife program.

The property covers 36 hectares of partially cleared land with approximately a third consisting of native eucalypt forest unlogged for at least 100 years. Vegetation includes a diverse range of native grasses, shrubs, vines and trees, with casuarinas being particularly abundant.

Wildlife species known to inhabit Casuarina include lace monitors (Varanus varius), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums, swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), rufous bettongs (Aepyprymnus rufescens), yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), pobblebonks (Limnodynastes dumerilii), green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea), carpet pythons (Morelia spilota), red-bellied black (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and eastern brown (Pseudonaja textilis) snakes, native geckos, microbats and bird species such as glossy black- cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus lathami), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), Australian magpies (Cracticus tibicen), wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) and spangled drongos (Dicrurus bracteatus).