Bents Basin wombat program
Bents Basin State Conservation Area
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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
What's nearby:
Things to do (15)
- Birdwatching and wildlife encounters (2)
- Canoeing/paddling (2)
- Environmental appreciation/study (2)
- Fishing (1)
- Historic heritage (1)
- Other experiences (2)
- Picnics and barbecues (3)
- Road trips and car/bus tours (1)
- Sightseeing (5)
- Swimming (3)
- Walking (5)