Anthony O’Malley is the owner of 7.8.1d, a property situated in Mission Beach, approximately 140km south of Cairns, Queensland. The property is a residence and wildlife-friendly sanctuary. Anthony plans to maintain the block for these purposes while conserving native wildlife and their habitat.
The property spans 0.6 hectares and features a house, garden and orchard, along with native vegetation. The block is adjacent to Clump Mountain National Park and is situated within a federally recognised Cassowary Corridor mapped in “Significant impact guidelines for the endangered southern cassowary”. Southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) have been spotted on the property.
Over half of the property is comprised of remnant, regrowth and regenerated native vegetation. All vegetation species are indigenous to the region, and the block is actively managed to minimize invasive weeds.
The property’s vegetation type is Regional Ecosystem 7.8.1d, comprised of complex mesophyll to mesophyll vine forest on well-drained basalt lowlands and foothills in the very wet and wet rainfall zone. The vegetation is only found on basalt soils around Clump Point and has an Endangered Biodiversity status due to extensive clearing in the region. This vegetation type is also a significant component of Lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics Bioregion, an Endangered Ecological Community.
Native floral species include white sirus (Ailanthus integrifolia), candlenut (Aleurites rockinghamensis), scholar tree (Alstonia scholaris), Australian Arenga palm (Arenga australasica), screw pine (Benstonea monticola), Canarium vitiense, Moreton Bay chestnut (Castanospermum austral), white cinnamon orchid (Corymborkis veratrifolia), wild tamarind (Diploglottis diphyllostegia), Cape York cedar (Dysoxylum alliaceum), Mossman mahogany (Dysoxylum arborescens), spur mahogany (Dysoxylum pettigrewianum), centipede tongavine (Epipremnum pinnatum), October vine (Faradaya splendida), figwood (Ficus albipila), red-stem fig (Ficus variegata), buff beech (Gomphandra Australiana), guest tree (Kleinhovia hospita), Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Queensland nutmeg (Myristica globosa), birdlime tree (Pisonia umbellifera), native dracaena (Pleomele angustifolia), dogbone aralia (Polyscias nodosa), solitaire palm (Ptychosperma elegans), bumpy satinash (Syzygium cormiflorum), Wilkiea longipes and white cheesewood (Wrightia laevis).
