Sylvia Walker is the owner of a property located in Kuranda, approximately 30km Northwest of Cairns. The property is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary and home, and is also used for native wildlife rehabilitation. It is Sylvia’s intent to continue rehabilitating wildlife on the sanctuary while providing habitat for local wildlife.
The sanctuary covers 0.81 steeply sloped hectares featuring rainforest and riparian vegetation types and a permanent creek which is home to platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Other known wildlife inhabitants on the sanctuary include southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius), red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus), striped possums (Dactylopsila trivirgata), Boyd’s forest dragons (Hypsilurus boydii), water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), paradise riflebirds (Ptiloris paradiseus), Wompoo fruit doves (Ptilinopus magnificus), double-eyed fig parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma), orange footed scrubfowls (Megapodius reinwardt), brush turkeys (Alectura lathami), carpet pythons (Morelia spilota), water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster), dusky rat kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) and sacred kingfishers (Todiramphus sanctus), as well as Ulysses (Papilio ulysses) and Richmond’s birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia) butterflies.