Graham and Gill Harrington are the owners of Barnes Pikle, a property located in Malanda, approximately 25km southeast of Atherton, Queensland. The property’s primary uses are as a wildlife sanctuary, home and for ecological research, and it is Graham and Gill’s intention for this to continue being the case.
Barnes Pikle has a Nature Refuge Agreement with the Queensland Government since 1998, which prevents any interference with vegetation, fauna or water flow. No tracks, recreational vehicles or trade are allowed on the entire sanctuary, while pets and exotic animals or plants are only permitted in the 1 hectare exclusion zone surrounding the house.
The sanctuary covers 64 hectares and is part of a 1,000 hectare block of rainforest, much of which is protected by Nature Refuge Agreements. The predominant vegetation type on Barnes Pikle is Regional Ecosystem 7.8.4 (simple to complex notophyll vine forest of cloudy wet highlands on basalt).
A comprehensive list of fauna occurrences on the property has been compiled in conjunction with the Nature Refuge Agreement, with notable common occurrences including the Lumholtz tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), 6 species of possum, and southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius). Thirteen species of birds endemic to the Queensland Wet Tropics, including golden (Prionodura newtoniana) and tooth-billed (Scenopoeetes dentirostris) bowerbirds, are known to breed on the property.