35-513: Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve is a protected area managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Albany, Western Australia . The area is accessible by 2WD vehicles. The bay itself, including two small secluded beaches, faces due east and is protected from the Southern Ocean by a headland formed by the granite massif of Mount Gardner . The nature reserve
70-772: A boat ramp, toilets, rubbish bins at the picnic area, gas barbecues, a water tap near the barbecue area and toilets, and seating. There is no drinking water available elsewhere. There is an entry fee for the reserve. The biggest attraction in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve is Little Beach, which is popular with tourists, and consistently appears in TripAdvisor 's top three attractions of the Albany area. Australia's beach expert Brad Farmer named Little Beach as #12 on his 2018 list of Australia's top 101 beaches. Protected areas of Western Australia Western Australia
105-470: A fire burnt through 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) of the reserve, destroying an estimated 90% of the Gilbert's potoroo habitat, and killing an around 15 of the estimated 20 Gilbert's potoroos living within the reserve. The department's chief research scientist said that it would be about 20 years before the habitat had recovered enough to support another population of the small marsupial. The total area enclosed by
140-432: A stocky body with a short snout and short, rounded ears. They show sexual dimorphism , with females being smaller than males. On average, males measure 50 cm (20 in) in total length, and weigh up to 1.2 kg (2.6 lb), while females measure 40 cm (16 in) and weigh no more than 1 kg (2.2 lb). They have coarse, bristly hair that is grizzled and coloured a dark greyish to yellowish brown, with
175-631: A wide variety of purposes, but are normally related to recreation, wildlife conservation, infrastructure and historical features. As of 2022, 44 5(1)(g) Reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 220,824 hectares (545,670 acres) or 0.09 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 0.29 percent of all protected areas in the state. As of 2022, 129 5(1)(h) Reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 786,924 hectares (1,944,530 acres) or 0.31 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 1.03 percent of all protected areas in
210-631: Is a short-nosed bandicoot , a type of marsupial , found mostly in southern Australia. A subspecies in Western Australia was also known as the quenda in South Western Australia (from the Noongar word ' kwinda '). This subspecies was elevated to species in 2018. George Shaw described the species as Didelphis obesula in 1797. While some authorities list as few as two subspecies ( I. o. obesulus and I. o. nauticus ), there are currently five recognised species: Southern brown bandicoots have
245-595: Is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Australiformis semoni . Reproduction is closely linked to local rainfall pattern, and many brown bandicoots breed all year around, giving birth to up to four litters a year. Gestation lasts less than fifteen days, and perhaps as few as twelve, and typically results in the birth of two or three young, although litters of up to five have been reported; larger mothers tend to give birth to larger litters. The young weigh just 350 mg (5.4 gr) at birth, remain in
280-465: Is extensive ground cover by shrubs or mat-rushes . I. o. obesulus has shown a preference for the margins of artificial waterways over drier habitats. Southern brown bandicoots are nocturnal and omnivorous, feeding on insects, spiders, worms, plant roots, ferns, and fungi. They spend very little time drinking, being able to obtain sufficient water from their diet alone. Although their native predators include barn owls , tiger snakes , and quolls ,
315-435: Is found north of Moates Lake, the wetland margins and close to the reserve offices. The trees reach 15 m in height and are dominated by Eucalyptus species including coast gum , jarrah and yate as well as other species such as marri and juniper myrtle . The understorey of the low forest includes species such as swamp banksia , pea-flowered narrow-leaved water bush and the porungurup wattle . Low woodlands in
350-464: Is the second largest country subdivision in the world. As of 2022, based on the latest Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database report, it contains 1857 separate land-based protected areas with a total area of 76,142,710 hectares (188,152,700 acres), accounting for just over 30 percent of the state's land mass. By area, Indigenous Protected Areas account for the largest part of this, almost 67 percent while, by number, nature reserves hold
385-661: The Eyre and Fleurieu peninsulas, the extreme southeast, and Kangaroo Island . Isolated and increasingly restricted populations are known from south-western Western Australia . However, southern brown bandicoots are most common in Tasmania , where they are found across almost the entire island. They are also currently found on Inner Sister Island but have been extirpated from many other small Tasmanian islands where they once lived. Within these regions, southern brown bandicoots inhabit open forest, scrub, and heathland, especially where there
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#1732876810853420-498: The Two Peoples Bay and Mount Manypeaks Important Bird Area , identified as such by BirdLife International because of its significance in the conservation of several rare and threatened bird species. It supports a population of noisy scrub-birds, a species that was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1961. The population then was estimated at less than 100, while in 1994 it was thought to be around 1100 (of which 450 occur in
455-412: The great-winged petrel and flesh-footed shearwater . Two Peoples Bay boasts unspoilt coastal scenery and is a vital area for threatened animal species. There are beaches with path access that are suitable for fishing, swimming and snorkelling . Facilities within the reserve include a visitors centre with information and audiovisual presentations, car parking on and off the beach near the barbecue area,
490-465: The area include the southern brown bandicoot , western ringtail possum , Australian sea lion and the New Zealand fur seal . Quokkas are also known to inhabit the park and Two Peoples Bay is thought to be near the eastern limit of their range. Several reptiles can be found in the park including little brown snake , carpet python , beautiful skink and mournful skink . The reserve forms part of
525-428: The bandicoots do not avoid the odour of these animals, which may make them vulnerable to predation. They do, however, typically avoid one another, living solitary lives in non-overlapping home ranges that typically vary from 1 to 5 hectares (2.5 to 12.4 acres), depending on the local conditions. If males encounter one another, the more dominant individual leaps onto the back of the other, scratching with its claws. Because
560-430: The bay during the middle of the 19th century. Two Peoples Bay was declared a nature reserve in 1967. A bush fire broke out on private land near the reserve on 12 October 2012. Following a sudden change in wind direction a truck carrying two of the fire crew was engulfed in flames; they were badly burned. Over 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of bushland were burnt, and one of the firefighters later died. In late November 2015
595-467: The broad valleys north of Moates Lake mainly consist of Albany blackbutt and the area between Moates Lake and Gardiner Lake is mostly populated with swamp banksia . Dieback has eradicated a population of the threatened granite banksia . Two Peoples Bay is home to Australia's most threatened mammal and one of the rarest animals in the world, the Gilbert's potoroo ( Potorous gilbertii ). This potoroo
630-582: The first digits of the fore feet and the fifth digits of the hind feet, which are tiny are vestigial. The pouch in females opens to the rear, and contains eight teats arranged in a partial circle. Once common throughout many parts of coastal Australia, today southern brown bandicoots have a more limited distribution. An isolated population exists at the north-eastern part of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland , but all other surviving animals are found in
665-405: The maintenance of the ecosystems in which they live. It is estimated that a single bandicoot displaces around 3.9 tonnes of soil each year. They spend the day sleeping in well-concealed nests of shredded vegetation. Both sexes possess scent glands between the ears that are apparently used in intra-species communication and become enlarged during the breeding season. The Southern brown bandicoot
700-458: The majority with two-third of all land-based protected areas being nature reserves. Marine-based protected areas in Western Australia, as of 2022, covered 4,751,462 hectares (11,741,120 acres) or 41.05 percent of the state's waters. 41 individual Marine Protected Areas existed in the state of which the largest amount, 20, were Marine Parks, followed by Marine Reserves with 15. Marine Parks accounted for 92.25 percent of all Marine Protected Areas in
735-609: The marine register, consisting exclusively of offshore islands, covering 9,912 hectares (24,490 acres) or 0.09 percent of Western Australia's waters, and accounting for 0.21 percent of all marine protected areas in the state. Under the CALM Act, land designated as 5(1)(g) Reserve and 5(1)(h) Reserve is land vested in the Conservation and Parks Commission of Western Australia that is not a National Park, Conservation Park, Nature Reserve, Marine Park or Marine Nature Reserve. Such land may have
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#1732876810853770-463: The nature reserve is 4,744.7 hectares (11,724 acres). It may be divided into three areas: Angove Lake is part of the Moates Lake System, along with Moates Lake and Lake Gardner. All of these lakes were linked to form a large estuarine system during the last interglacial period approximately 120,000 years ago. The vegetation that is found in the park can be classified as follows: low forest
805-523: The pouch for about the first 53 days of life, and are fully weaned at around 60 days. Growth and maturation is relatively rapid among marsupials, with females becoming sexually mature at four to five months of age, and males at six or seven months. Lifespan in the wild is probably no more than four years. The southern brown bandicoot is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN . However, populations have declined markedly and become much more fragmented in
840-408: The reserve). Other threatened birds inhabiting the reserve are the western ground parrot , western bristlebird , western whipbird and Australasian bittern . Other threatened bird species that have been observed within the park include Carnaby's black cockatoo , peregrine falcon , hooded plover , little bittern and red-eared firetail . Seabirds nesting on the islands around the bay include
875-485: The sheltered waters to lay anchor at the same time as a French vessel that was exploring the coastline east of Albany. It was named Baie Des Deux Peuples , or Bay of Two Nations, by a French expedition led by Nicholas Baudin in celebration of meeting the American whaler at this point. John Gilbert , a naturalist, surveyed the area in the 1840s giving his name to the Gilbert's potoroo . Whaling activities were conducted in
910-417: The skin of bandicoots is unusually thick, this results in hair loss, but little permanent injury to the defeated male. They spend much of the night searching for food, which the detect primarily by scent, sniffing the ground before digging into with their claws. They pursue any prey that escapes, holding it down with their forepaws as they consume it. The digging behaviour is considered a critical component in
945-453: The southern half of the country. In New South Wales they are considered rare, and are primarily restricted to the extreme south-east of the state and to two national parks north of Sydney . In Victoria , they are more common, being found along the whole length of the coast and at up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the Grampian and Dandenong mountains. In South Australia , they inhabit
980-492: The state. As of 2022, the following 1,233 nature reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 10,074,297 hectares (24,894,130 acres) or 3.99 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 13.23 percent of all protected areas in the state. As of 2022, 826 named nature reserves exist in Western Australia. As of 2022, 407 unnamed nature reserves exist in Western Australia. As of 2022, an additional 15 nature reserves exist in Western Australia which are listed on
1015-809: The state. As of 2022, the following 18 Indigenous Protected Areas exist in Western Australia, covering 50,915,811 hectares (125,815,710 acres) or 20.15 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 66.87 percent of all protected areas in the state. Additionally to the protected areas listed above, Western Australia, as of 2022, also has two Botanic Gardens ( Kings Park and Bold Park ), 172 Conservation Covenants, ten Conservation Reserves, six Management Areas, eight Private Nature Reserves, one State Reserve ( Rottnest Island ) and two unclassified areas (one of those being Perth Zoo ). Additionally, another 50 protected areas existed in 2022 which were waiting to be gazetted. Southern brown bandicoot The southern brown bandicoot ( Isoodon obesulus )
1050-559: The state. Western Australia has had national parks or protected areas under legislation since the early 20th century. National Parks (and the earlier forms of reserve) in Western Australia came under a range of agencies: As of 2023, Western Australia has 112 national parks. At the time of the 2022 Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database report, the 110 then-registered national parks covered 6,511,458 hectares (16,090,160 acres) or 2.58 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 8.55 percent of all protected areas in
1085-546: The state. As of 2022, the following 72 conservation parks exist in Western Australia, covering 1,262,139 hectares (3,118,810 acres) or 0.5 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 1.66 percent of all protected areas in the state. As of 2022, just Marine Nature Reserves exists in Western Australia. As of 2022, 20 Marine parks exist in Western Australia, covering 4,385,783 hectares (10,837,510 acres) or 37.88 percent of Western Australia's waters, and accounting for 92.25 percent of all marine protected areas in
Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-464: The time since European expansion on the Australian mainland. In many areas of its range the species is threatened locally, while it may be common where rainfall is high enough and vegetation cover is thick enough. Apart from habitat fragmentation , the species is under pressure from introduced predators such as the red fox and feral cats. It has been reintroduced to some lower rainfall areas where there
1155-401: The undersides a creamy-white or yellowish grey. The tail is relatively short, measuring about 13 cm (5.1 in) in length, and is brown above and white below. There are five toes on each foot, although, as in many other marsupials, they are syndactylous , with the second and third toes of the hind foot are fused along almost their entire length. The toes end in sturdy claws, except for
1190-452: Was established in 1967 to protect the threatened noisy scrub-bird and its habitat. It is known for being the site of the discovery and naming of Gilbert's potoroo , but in 2015 a huge fire destroyed 90% of the tiny marsupial 's habitat, as well as killing three-quarters of the remaining small population. Little Beach is a popular tourist attraction. The name "Two Peoples Bay" is from an incident in 1803 when an American whaling ship used
1225-541: Was thought to be extinct (having not been spotted for a century) until the population at Two Peoples Bay was discovered in 1994. It was estimated in 2007 that there were fewer than 40 individuals left in the wild. There had been around 20 individuals living within the reserve in November 2015, when a huge fire swept through the reserve, killing 15 of the animals and destroying most of its habitat, which would take an estimated 20 years to rejuvenate. Other threatened mammals in
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