INTRODUCTION TO BILLYACATTING HILL NATURE RESERVE

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Introduction: The biological survey of this reserve is part of a programme evaluating the relationship between vertebrate fauna and vegetation on reserves in the Western Australian wheatbelt. Kitchener (1976) gives the background to this study and Dell (1979a) and Chapman (1979) list reports published.

Billyacatting Hill Nature Reserve (No. 17746) is in the eastern wheatbelt, 16 km north-east of the town of Kununoppin (118°00'E, 31°03'S) which is ca 220 km north-east of Perth. The reserve has an area of 2075 ha of which 66% is granite outcrop (Muir, this report). Billyacatting Hill, the highest point on the reserve, is 417 'm above mean sea level. This reserve and the wheatbelt generally are situated on the granites and granitic gneisses of the Yilgarn Block of the Precambrian Shield.

The original purpose of the reserve was as a water catchment. This purpose was amended to include conservation of flora and fauna on 24 July 1970 and it is currently vested in the Minister for Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage. On 18 June 1970 two mineral claims located on the south-east corner of the reserve were lodged for 'quartz, lithium, palladium, molybdenum and all rare earth metals'. The Shire of Trayning and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife lodged protests against the claims and one was withdrawn in 1972. The remaining claim was refused in a Warden's Court hearing on 5 June 1974.

Prior to this survey the only information on the biota of the reserve was from fauna wardens' inspections. An inspection on 19 June 1969 recorded 'Grey Kangaroos, Echidna, Mallee Fowl nest, dragon lizards' and several birds.