Raelene and Carl Narraway are the owners of Little Trilby, a property situated in Grattai, approximately 30km southwest of Mudgee, New South Wales. The property is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary, also used for wildlife rehabilitation and recreational purposes. Raelene and Carl plan to focus on regenerating the property for the benefit of wildlife in the future.
Little Trilby covers 12 hectares of sub-alpine sclerophyll forest, with a mixture of wooded and open areas. The property is set adjacent to Avisford Nature Reserve and features a seasonal creek. Vegetation is characterized by blue-leaved stringybark (Eucalyptus agglomerata), kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora), scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma) and she oak (Casuarina spp.). A wide range of native wildflowers, shrubs, grasses and fungi comprise the lower strata. The owners are beginning to regenerate some previously cleared areas with local native species.
Wildlife is abundant and features bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus), eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus), swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums, sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), blue-bellied (Pseudechis guttatus) and red-bellied (Pseudechis porphyriacus) black snakes, lace (Varanus varius) and Rosenberg’s (Varanus rosenbergi) monitors and central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). A wide range of native insects and spiders are also present.
The perennial creek provides habitat for eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis), yabbies, broad-palmed rocket frogs (Litoria latopalmata), green (Litoria caerulea) and Peron’s (Litoria peronii) tree frogs, eastern banjo frogs (Limnodynastes dumerilii) and common eastern froglets (Crinia signifera).
Birdlife is abundant and includes wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), collared sparrowhawks (Accipiter cirrocephalus), whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), black-faced cuckoo-shrikes (Coracina novaehollandiae), striated (Acanthiza lineata) and buff-rumped (Acanthiza reguloides) thornbills, wood ducks (Chenonetta jubata), superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), shining bronze cuckoos (Chrysococcyx lucidus), eastern spinebills (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris), rainbow bee-eaters (Merops ornatus), rufous whistlers (Pachycephala rufiventris) and many more.
