Ian Beale is the owner of Gillies Ridge, a property situated in Barney View, approximately 80km southwest of Gold Coast, Queensland. The property is a house and studio also used for recreation, and it is Ian’s intention to gain a Nature Refuge status to preserve the natural values of the property in the future.
Situated on the north-eastern ridge of Mt Gillies, the property covers approximately 20 hectares and borders Mt Barney National Park, part of Australia’s World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests. Vegetation is characterized by remnant dry sclerophyll forest with vine scrub undergrowth and features casuarinas, staghorns (Platycerium superbum) elkhorns (Platycerium bifurcatum) and native orchids.
Due to its proximity to the National Park, a wide range of wildlife is found on the property including threatened brush-tailed rock wallabies (Petrogale penicillata), koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), bandicoots, brush-tailed phascogales (Phascogale tapoatafa) and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). An abundance of birdlife is also present including brush turkeys (Alectura lathami), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), eastern rosellas (Platycercus eximus) and a variety of finches.
