Hindmarsh Island Forest

The Hindmarsh Island Forest is situated on Hindmarsh Island which is an island in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia. The Hindmarsh Island forest covers up to 11% of the island. The forest is spread out over different parts of the Island. There is a West Forest and an East Forest.

West Forest

West Forest (35°30'28.32"S, 138°48'59.26"E) is located on the west side of the Island. The top part of the West Forest is the Hindmarsh Island Caravan Park (-35.503767"S, 138.814702"E). Next to the Caravan Park is Karinga Park Homestead (35°30'14.35"S, 138°49'10.57"E), which also is a part of the West Forest. Other parts of the West Forest collide with people's properties. Some parts of the forest are used for wood, some of it is private land. There is also a Telstra Telephone Tower (35°30'32.10"S,138°49'0.57"E) that is no longer in use. The West Forest increases on hill towards in the centre of the forest. In the centre of the West Forest it's the tallest point on Hindmarsh Island, which is reason why the Telephone Tower was built there, to send out a clear signal to Hindmarsh Island. The West forest mainly consists of Aleppo Pines, which were planted in the 1970s. The West Forest has trees ranging from 25m - 50m tall.

East Forest

East Forest (35°30'28.00"S, 138°54'28.43"E) is located on the east side of the island. The Forest mainly collides with residents properties. It was originally planted in the late 1980s to keep the sound away and to provide protection from the wind. The East Forest has smaller trees than the west forest, because the trees where planted later than the trees in the West Forest. The trees in the East Forest are mostly the same trees that are in the West Forest which are Aleppo Pines (Pinus halepensis). The East Forest trees range from 10m - 30m tall.

Animals

There are a wide range of animals living in the Hindmarsh Island Forest.

Blue Tongue Lizards

A Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua adelaidens) is a large lizard with a blue tongue that can be bared as a bluff-warning to potential enemies. They feed on a wide variety of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and berries. The Lizards often hide below the pine needles in the forest.

Australian White Ibis

The Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus), is a wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and black legs. There have been many reported sightings of the bird by the public in the forest. They often seek shade as much as they can. They are sometimes found alone but they are mostly reported in a group.

European Rabbits

European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a rabbit native to southwestern Europe (Spain and Portugal) and northwest Africa (Morocco and Algeria). It has been widely introduced elsewhere, often with devastating effects on local biodiversity. It has mainly been introduced to Australia, which then caused them to breed profusely. They are often found on the forest floor. They are very shy animals and tend not to interfere with humans.

Red Bellied Black Snake

The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a species of elapid snake native to eastern Australia. Though its venom is capable of causing significant morbidity, a bite from it is not generally fatal and is less venomous than other deadly Australian snakes. It is common in woodlands, forests and swamplands of eastern Australia. It is one of Australia's best-known snakes. It has an average total length of 1.5 to 2 metres.

Australian Magpies

The Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia. The adult Australian Magpie is a fairly robust bird ranging from 37 to 43 cm (14.5–17 in) in length, with distinctive black and white plumage, gold brown eyes and a solid wedge-shaped bluish-white and black bill.

Australian Masked Owl

The Australian Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) a relatively large barn owl with large powerful feet, a rounded head and no ear-tufts. The Australian Masked Owl is a nocturnal, secretive bird. It roosts by day in dense foliage of tall trees or in hollow tree trunks, or sometimes in caves and holes between rocks. At night time people have reported the sound of an Australian Masked Owl.

Wagyu Bull

A Wagyu Bull is a Japanese cow. The Bull was imported to Australia in the 19th and 20th century for farming, and meat. After time they bred in Australia, and now the population lies in the tens of thousands. Some of the Bulls were brought into forests and into farm planes. In this case the Bulls were brought into the Hindmarsh Island Forest. Bulls in the forest are normally sighted sitting in the shade or eating grass amongst the trees. People are warned not to interfere with the Bulls in the forest, because they could become aggressive. The Bulls where brought onto the island in the late 20th Century for farming.

External links

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