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Bents Basin wombat program

Bents Basin State Conservation Area

Closed due to current alerts 

Overview

Wombats aren’t just cute – they’re also 'nature's bulldozers' and the most intelligent marsupial. In Bents Basin State Conservation Area they're threatened by mange. Help us treat them to ensure their ongoing presence in this area.

Work
Specific threatened species (plants or animals)
When

Volunteering dates under review.

Accessibility
No wheelchair access
Grade
Medium. Suitable for adults and teens 18 years and over, with medium fitness. You'll walk along creek lines, riverbanks, cliff edges and in steep and sometimes thickly vegetated rough terrain, in all weather.
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply

Left untreated, wombats with sarcoptic mange die a slow and painful death. Early treatment resolves the disease, and treated wombats aren't likely to be reinfested.

This pilot program for treating wombats with mange relies on volunteers. You’ll help us monitor wombat health and understand the treatment's effectiveness. Wombats with mange are treated in their own environment and administer their own treatment when they brush under a burrow flap that releases ointment as they enter and leave their warrens.

Volunteer work includes:

  • Making burrow flaps
  • Trialling the flaps on wombat warrens and monitoring wombats’ reactions and burrows using remote sensing cameras
  • Putting the treatment on burrow flaps
  • Uploading camera data and tagging photos to identify wombats with mange, healthy animals and other wildlife.

Great things you’ll learn include using GPS and remote sensing cameras. All training is provided. It's a good idea to bring lunch, camera, insect repellant and change of shoes to travel home in.

Find out more about volunteering with us

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

 

Volunteer for bushfire recovery

Following this season's unprecedented bushfires, you can register your interest to help the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Saving our Species program rehabilitate and protect our threatened animals and plants.

Volunteers planting in Tomaree National Park. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE

 

Saving Our Species program

Australia is home to more than 500,000 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Saving our Species is a statewide conservation program that addresses the growing number of Australian animals and Australian native plants facing extinction.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a tree. Photo: Courtesy of Taronga Zoo/OEH

Park info

  • in Bents Basin State Conservation Area in the Sydney and surrounds region
  • Bents Basin State Conservation Area is open 8am to 6pm from May to August and 8am to 8pm from September to April. The park may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

  • Park entry fees:

    $8 per vehicle per day. Day passes are available from on-park pay machines that accept coins and credit cards, and you can also pay for your visit via the Park’nPay app.

    Buy annual pass
See more visitor info

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