Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / QLD / Ravenswood

Peter and Denise Ravenscroft are the owners of Ravenswood, a property situated in Closeburn, approximately 25km northwest of Brisbane, Queensland. The property is a home and dedicated wildlife sanctuary, and is also used for education. For 32 years, Peter and Denise have maintained the property with bush regeneration, wildlife conservation and zero pesticide or herbicide use. It is Peter and Denise’s intent to continue maintaining the sanctuary by planting more trees, documenting local wildlife and recruiting volunteers to assist with weeding and replanting efforts.

The property covers approximately 4.78 hectares and is bounded by Cedar Creek on the eastern side and another small creek to the south. The property features sloping hills, a riparian paddock and two dams. Vegetation consists of partially regenerated remnant riparian subtropical rainforest interspersed with fruit trees and tall grasses on the floodplain.

Peter and Denise have documented the wildlife on the property extensively, recording 145 bird species. Among these are tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), various honeyeaters, wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), white-bellied sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster), whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus) and goshawks.

Wildlife found on the property also includes short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster), antechinus (Antechinus spp.), common (Trichosurus vulpecula) and mountain (Trichosurus cunninghami) brushtail possums, microbats, northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), eels and freshwater catfish. Evidence of phascogales living on the property has also been found. A wide array of reptiles are also present including carpet pythons (Morelia spilota), lace monitors (Varanus varius), eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), yellow-faced whip snakes (Demansia psammophis), keelbacks (Xenochrophis piscator) and green tree snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulata).