Steve and Jill Coombe are the owners of a property located in Murray Bridge, approximately 75km southeast of Adelaide, South Australia. The property is a residence and dedicated wildlife sanctuary, and it is Steve and Jill’s intent for it to remain for these purposes. Portions of the property are subject to a Land Management Agreement with the Rural City of Murray Bridge, and it features a low-energy house and feral-proof fence.
The 5.4 hectare property features 3 hectares of remnant ridge fruited mallee (Eucalyptus incrassata) forest, with a mid-storey dominated by Acacia pycnantha, Babingtonia behrii, and Olearia passerinoides, and an understorey of Lomandra spp. and associated shrubs and forbs. Extensive revegetation has occurred over the past 14 years.
Wildlife species known to inhabit the sanctuary include sand goannas (Varanus gouldii), shingleback lizards (Trachydosaurus rugosus), eastern bearded dragons (Pogona barbata), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), blind snakes (Typhlopidae spp.), and a variety of bird species such as Australian magpies (Cracticus tibicen), magpie larks (Grallina cyanoleuca), willie wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), grey fantails (Rhipidura albiscapa), grey shrike thrushes (Colluricincla harmonica), red wattle birds (Anthochaera carunculata), yellow-rumped thornbills (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa), white-browed babblers (Pomatostomus superciliosus), Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa), striated pardalotes (Pardalotus striatus) and Australian ravens (Corvus coronoides).
