Where do they live?
In the past, the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby was abundant and widespread across the rocky country of south eastern Australia from southern Queensland to Victoria, roughly following the Great Dividing Range. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was considered a pest and shot for bounties and hunted for their fur. Around half a million Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies were killed in during this time.
Past and present range of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby.(DECC 2008 – NSW Recovery plan for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby – Petrogale penicillate)
The decline in numbers of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby continues today, with the decline being greatest in Victoria, and then in western and southern NSW. The populations are now fragmented, meaning they are no longer connected by suitable corridors for them to move through, particularly in the south where the wallabies are now mostly found as small isolated populations dotted across where they used to live. The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby also survives in northern NSW and south eastern Queensland where there is more continuous habitat along a number of the major river system gorges.
Distribution of records of Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby.(Australian Government DEH 2004 – Draft National Recovery Plan for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 2004/05 – 2008/09)
The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is currently listed as vulnerable to extinction in NSW, Queensland and nationally, and is considered to be critically endangered in Victoria and extinct in the ACT.
| Jurisdiction | Threatened Category | Legislation |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth | Vunerable | Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 |
| QLD | Vunerable | Nature Conservation Act 1992 |
| NSW | Endangered | Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 |
| VIC | Threatened (Critically Endangered) |
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (DSE Advisory List of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, 2007) |
| ACT | Endangered | Nature Conservation Act 1980 |
State Information
What you can do!
An important aspect of Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby recovery is the active involvement of local landholders and the community overall. See what you can do!
Resources
- Vortex Project Brief
- The Shadow – Newsletter of Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby conservation in Victoria
Did you know?
Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies live in areas where they can thermo-regulate (control) their temperatures by basking in the sunshine when the weather is cool or moving into caves or shady canopy to avoid the heat of the day.
