Wildlife Sanctuary

ROO GULLY WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Roo Gully is not a commercial wildlife park.
It is a working wildlife sanctuary, specialising in the care of injured and orphaned marsupials,
but also cares for many other species of Australian wildlife.
Living with the wildlife at Roo Gully is a privilege we appreciate.
Sharing their lives, and passing on the information we glean from our studies,
is all part of the Roo Gully dream.

Our Work

What You Might See

How to get to Roo Gully

Admission Charges

Future Plans

OUR WORK AT ROO GULLY


Baby Unfurred Western Grey kangaroo joey	Boris the 'Woylie' Brush Tailed bettong	Roly Western Grey kangaroo joey

Every year Roo Gully becomes home to many species of orphaned and injured wildlife. Some only stay until they are able to survive in the wild, and are then released back into their home territory or into the bush by our creek, but many have to make Roo Gully their permanent home and have daily contact with us, enjoying the best of both worlds.
We care for birds, amphibians and even lizards, but specialising in marsupials, such as kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, bettongs and possums, means we have gained experience caring for unfurred pouched young. Successfully rearing these vulnerable youngsters is something we work on continually. Conquering the problems of skin care, constant heat and humidity, and nutrition is paramount.
It might not seem important to be able to raise a young Western Grey kangaroo joey, because currently their numbers are secure in the wild, but who knows what the future holds for any species, and if we perfect a technique with these then perhaps we can raise others that are threatened with extinction - and sadly there are too many of those.

We do not normally offer a home to kangaroos raised by other people. This is because there is no way we will ever compromise the lives of the kangaroos who have made Roo Gully their home by admitting vast numbers. We also have an established mob where all the roos here know their position, and role, within the mob. Allowing older roos into the mob could cause problems, and disrupt the established ranking. Young joeys, we raise, are introduced gently and gradually, and are not allowed to run freely with the older roos until they learn to respect the ranking at Roo Gully, and know they are firmly at the bottom of the pecking order ladder.
However there have been special cases, and in the last few years Roo Gully has gained valuable experience caring for the older joey. It can be very difficult moving joeys to a new territory and bonding them to a new carer, and it is equally challenging caring for an older joey that has been orphaned just before it is ready to care for itself in the wild.
Even though each one came to Roo Gully under different circumstances Roopert, Hoppy, Max, Yanni, Randy, Maisy, Freckle, Stuey, Roly and Buster all presented us with problems of caring for the older kangaroo, or one that was used to another human carer, problems we overcame with understanding and patience, and those that have since passed on lived happy lives as accepted members of the Roo Gully mob, and the others still do.

Roo Gully also undertakes serious studies into Australian wildlife behaviour, their development, their care and the treatment of wildlife diseases and injuries.

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WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE AT ROO GULLY

Because Roo Gully is not a zoo,
you will NOT see a variety of animals in cages for the sole purpose of public display.
What you WILL see is wildlife in its natural environment.

The birds and animals in aviaries and specially built compounds
are either recovering from injuries before rehabilitation
or have to live with us because they are unsuitable for release.

Because we are a working wildlife sanctuary your visit could coincide with one of our busier periods, and you could be here to witness, first hand, how we deal with sick or injured wildlife.
This lizard received facial injuries from a garden whipper snipper.
Thankfully it recovered fully, and after 10 days of treatment at Roo Gully was released back into the wild.

You might even get the chance to see
a newly orphaned joey receive its a bottle of milk.

Or you could get to meet one or our vets and see them working with wildlife.
Dr. Jules Vandenbergh and Dr. Graham Calley come to Roo Gully
to treat the wildlife in our care.
And, if they are not too busy, both are willing to discuss wildlife care and treatment with visitors.

However you could also visit during one of our quieter times, when all our residents are healthy, and those we have been caring for have gone bush. We then invite you to walk around our beautiful property, mingle with the roos of Roo Gully, discuss our work, learn about Australia's unique wildlife and maybe even watch one of our films.

Walking around Roo Gully, and exploring the bush, is a great adventure for young and old. Wildlife surrounds you. Take your time, open your eyes and your ears, and you will see countless species of insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles, marsupials and mammals.

Even the nocturnal creatures leave their mark for the diurnal visitor to spot. While possums sleep soundly in their home trees search for their feeding trees. Glance at the ground and see their droppings from the night before, then look for newly scratched bark and follow the possum's route to the tree top.

Birdlife abounds and their songs accompany you. All year the kookaburras cackle, the magpies carol and the parrots squawk. Depending on the season you will also see a variety of other birds as they make Roo Gully their temporary home.

In spring ibis settle eerily in the trees, gazing down at the creek, watching the dwindling waterholes for signs of food, as other birds swoop into the undergrowth collecting material for their nests.

As summer approaches chicks hatch, and parents work frantically to fill the ever gaping mouths of their offspring. Soon both Black Red Tailed and White Tailed cockatoos feast from the bottlebrush bushes and other native plants, competing with honeyeaters that hover at the entrance of flowers, their long tongues scooping out the sweet nectar.

Summer brings with it long hot, dry, dusty days and hundreds of birds fluff their wings under the cooling spray of our garden sprinklers.
Look into the clear blue sky and you might even see a lone wedgetail eagle soaring on the warm thermals.

When the heat begins to subside the robins get their chance to dazzle you with their scarlet breasts, throngs of silvereyes dart on the ground and fantails display their skills catching insects in flight, swooping low over cormorants drying their wings after diving in to rob the dam of yabbies.

Then the rains begin, and as winter descends the creek fills.
Soon it is a raging torrent teeming with new life attracting other birds to replace those that have moved on.

Roo Gully is also home to many species of flora. Walking through the bush flanking the creek gigantic gum trees tower above you and paperbark trees lean awkwardly, some shedding slender strips of paper thin bark which gently flap in the breeze.

After the rains wild flowers bloom forming carpets of colour, their fragrance mingling with the scent of eucalyptus

So you see Roo Gully is not just about being with kangaroos.

Although somewhere along the way you will no doubt meet members of our Bush Gang and they will give your sense of touch the opportunity to join in your adventure too, because they are more than willing to let you run your fingers through their soft coats, stroke their whiskers and feel their leathery paws.

You never know one or two might even hop along beside you becoming your official guide -
pity they cannot tell you how they see the flora and fauna at Roo Gully!

WARNING!!

We love sharing our lives and our special family with everyone,
but please remember Roo Gully is not a commercial wildlife park.
It is a working wildlife sanctuary.
Because it is their home the animals have the freedom of the property.
Their well being and happiness must come first,
and so we do not allow unaccompanied tours.

Although many have been raised by humans, and are used to people,
never forget they are still wild creatures.
Joeys love to play and all kangaroos can frighten easily.
Remember this and we are sure you, and they, will enjoy your visit.

On arrival at Roo Gully
please call at the house and someone will be delighted
to take you to meet our special family
and share their unique Tales.

ADMISSION

What is the admission charge to visit Roo Gully?
Please remember we do not own the animals at Roo Gully.
They belong to everyone, but more than anything they belong to themselves.
We are just their caretakers.
And so for the visitors who just want to look around Roo Gully, the answer is nothing!
This is because we feel strongly it would be wrong to charge anyone for the privilege
we experience every day of our lives.

However we do have donation boxes, and every donation, large or small is greatly appreciated.
Your donation will help provide the animals at Roo Gully with their special diets, bedding, veterinary care,
equipment and drugs, and help us progress with the many building projects
that are ongoing in the hope we can make the lives of the wildlife at Roo Gully better and safer.
And if you would like to support our 'adoption' programme
you can be a part of our Roo Gully dream for a year or even longer.

For organised visits to Roo Gully by schools and groups
we request $5 a person.
This is because we need many people to help supervise your visit,
which could last at least 2 hours.
Organised visits include wildlife lectures and films, as well as a guided tour to meet the wildlife at Roo Gully.
For more information please visit our Wildlife Education page.

The Wildlife at Roo Gully thank you for caring

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HOW TO GET TO ROO GULLY

BY CAR

Boyup Brook is on the highway linking
Donnybrook (South West Highway) and Kojonup (Albany Highway)

Roo Gully is located 1 km from Boyup Brook and is signposted in town.
Take the Arthur River/Dinninup road and just as you cross the small bridge leaving town turn left up Doust St.
Drive to the end of the bitumen and the main gates are 100 metres along the gravel track on the left.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Boyup Brook has good public transport connections to Perth and many other cities.
Train and bus services time tables.

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FUTURE PLANS FOR ROO GULLY

Our dream is to continually strive to make Roo Gully a better and safer sanctuary for the wildlife in our care.
In the last few years we have improved the facilities beyond what we ever thought possible,
but we still have plans to do so much more.
Plans to begin the third stage of our perimeter fence, to erect our new Black cockatoo flight aviary,
and to build more feral and bird proof compounds for smaller marsupials,
plus we have the desire to equip our veterinary clinic,
and to improve our education centre with better media equipment.
We have also realised that we cannot do this from our own personal bank account,
and we have had to face the fact that, because we are now in our fifties,
we are also running out of '10 year plans'!

For a few years we considered applying for Roo Gully to become a charity.
It never seemed to be the right time, but then we were able to form a committee of like minded people,
who all share our Roo Gully dream.
The first meeting was held on September 19th 2002.
A memorable date because Sadie, our very first joey, arrived to live with us on September 19th 1996.
At our first meeting the management committee worked out a constitution that will, we hope,
ensure the best way for Roo Gully Wildlife Sanctuary to move forward,
and to secure the future of all the wildlife here.
On the 22nd October 2002 Roo Gully Wildlife Sanctuary became incorporated
under the Associations Incorporation Act 1987, Western Australia,
and therefore gained its charity status.

We thank every single person
who has supported our work and shared in our Roo Gully dream.

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