Sarah Thompson and John Gilmore are the owners of Wildside Sanctuary, a property situated in Mountain Lagoon, approximately 12km northeast of Bilpin, New South Wales. Sarah and John recently purchased the property, and plan to establish a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation site on the land. The owners intend to construct feral predator-proof fencing on the property to facilitate the reintroduction of threatened species such as bandicoots, bettongs, rock wallabies and parma wallabies. In the future, the property may become a site for community education and conservation efforts. The property is registered with Land For Wildlife.
Sarah is an experienced veterinarian, and both Sarah and John are registered wildlife rehabilitators. They are also members the Hawkesbury Nepean Landcare Group, Hawkesbury Environment Network, Mountains for Wildlife, Blue Mountains Koala Project, UWS Platypus Project and Odonata Sanctuary Academy Program.
Wildside Sanctuary spans 6 hectares of undulating land bordering Wollemi National Park. The property is comprised of well-established eucalypt and turpentine woodland, with Angophora, Xanthorrhoea and banksias on exposed slopes. The land grades steeply into Cora Creek, which houses waterfalls and gullies lined with native ferns.
A wide range of wildlife is present including koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) and sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps). Birdlife is abundant, and includes superb lyrebirds, powerful owls (Ninox strenua), yellow-tailed black cockatoos (Zanda funerea), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), eastern (Platycercus eximius) and crimson (P. elegans) rosellas, satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus), Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen), pied currawongs (Strepera graculina), native pigeons and ducks.
Learn more at www.wildsidesanctuary.com.au
