Emma Bradshaw is the owner of Zena’s Refuge, a rural property located in Guanaba, approximately 65km South of Brisbane, Queensland. The property is a residence and dedicated wildlife sanctuary, and it is Emma’s intention to continue to clear weed species and maintain remnant native vegetation to improve its ability to accommodate native wildlife species. The sanctuary is also registered with Land for Wildlife through the Gold Coast City Council.
The sanctuary covers approximately 4.95 hectares, of which approximately 4.5 hectares has been retained as regenerating eucalypt forest (between 20 and 30 years old) in good condition with an intact native grassy understory. Native vegetation species include spotted gum (Corymbia maculata), ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata), tallow-wood (Eucalyptus microcorys), stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) and brush box (Lophostemon confertus), alongside a narrow fringing community of river oak (Casuarina glauca) and rainforest species.
Wildlife species known to be present include carpet pythons (Morelia spilota), common tree snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulata), blind snakes (Ramphotyphlops braminus), lace monitors (Varanus varius), whiptail wallabies (Macropus parryi), bush rats (Rattus fuscipes), northern bettongs (Bettongia tropica), grey headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) and microbats, brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums and numerous frog species, as well as a wide range of bird life such as sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla), magpies (Cracticus tibicen), butcherbirds, laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), kingfishers, rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) and king parrots (Alisterus scapularis).
