Martin and Renate Cooper are the owners of Bimbimbie Wildlife Sanctuary a wildlife sanctuary situated in Bimbimbie approximately 13kms southwest of Bateman’s Bay, New South Wales. The property operates as a sanctuary for the rehabilitation and release of injured Australian wildlife. The injured wildlife come to the shelter from road accidents or due to weather conditions. The property also backs on to the large-scale Mogo State Forest. The owners’ future intentions are to continue rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing local Australian wildlife.
Bimbimbie Wildlife Sanctuary spans 2 hectares across predominantly South East Dry Sclerophyll Forest of the plant community type South Coast Lowland Blackbutt Forest as well as southern lowland Wet Sclerophyll Forest of the plant community type South Coast Spotted Gum Cycad Dry Forest. The vegetation is generally dominated by a diverse range of native eucalypts forming an open to moderately dense canopy, with a well-developed shrub and understorey layer. Common canopy trees in the broader Mogo/Bimbimbie forest landscape include various stringybarks, gums and other eucalypt species, with species composition varying according to local soil, elevation, slope and drainage. The understorey typically comprises native shrubs, wattles (Acacia spp.), Banksia spp. and other sclerophyllous species, together with native grasses, sedges, ferns and groundcovers. The area supports a diverse range of native wildlife associated with the surrounding forest and adjoining Mogo State Forest. Common fauna includes kangaroos and wallabies, possums, gliders, bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) and a variety of native birds. The forest also provides habitat for reptiles, frogs, bats and numerous native insects and other invertebrates. The continuous forested landscape provides important habitat, shelter and movement of corridors for local wildlife.
