Hayley Hurley is the owner of Archontophoenix Grove Nature Refuge, which is located 3km from Yeppoon, Queensland. The 7.06 hectare property is protected through a Nature Refuge Agreement with the Queensland government, established in 1997 to conserve a locally significant remnant of Archontophoenix alexandrae palm forest, which acts as an important source of propagules, and food and shelter for fauna.
The property contains 136 identified plant species including blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), blue (Elaeocarpus angustifolius) and hard (Elaeocarpus obovatus) quandong, two species of macaranga, tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), celery wood (Polyscias elegans), scrub bloodwood (Baloghia inophylla), sandpaper fig (Ficus coronata) and several vine species just to name a few.
The forest is a haven for birdlife and to date 55 different birds have been identified. The forest is also home to swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), lizards, microbats, possums, sugar gliders, snakes and many other little creatures.
