Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / WA / Tippaburra Valley

Buddy Kent is the owner of Tippaburra Valley, a rural property located in Bodallin, approximately 250km West of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.  The property’s primary purpose is as a working wheat, sheep and cattle farm, however approximately 30% remains as native vegetation and for conservation purposes.  The majority of paddocks are surrounded by vegetated shelter belts, which are fenced to keep stock out.  These bush and wind breaks are covenanted to the National Trust, as well as being under a Land for Wildlife agreement.  It is Buddy’s intention to improve the property as an environment for wildlife through revegetation works.

The sanctuary covers approximately 2470 hectares, of which 30% is remnant native bushland with predominant vegetation species including Eucalyptus varieties such as salmon gum (E. salmonophloia), gimlet gum (E. salubris), York gum (E. loxophleba), tammin mallee (E. leptopoda) and sand mallee (E. eremophila). The property also features Acacia varieties including raspberry jam tree (A.  acuminate) and tan wattle (A. hemiteles), as well as many Melaleuca and Hakea species.  The covenant in place over this vegetation allows Buddy to collect seed, however stock, clearing and fires are not permitted.

Wildlife species known to be present on Tippaburra Valley include western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus), Mitchell’s hopping mice (Notomys mitchellii), emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), Australian shelducks (Tadorna tadornoides), Australian wood ducks (Chenonetta jubata), and at least 40 other bird varieties.  Buddy intends to encourage more wildlife species onto the property through further tree and shrub planting