Qualla: Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary: Introduction

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:05:37 GMT

Two brothers working a cattle station in the Kimberley made a discovery that changed everything. Matt and Russell Barrett, sons of the family that acquired Beverley Springs Station in 1981, found a pitcher plant species unknown to science on their property — then tracked down a species of Auranticarpa that botanist Philip Parker King had collected in 1821 and everyone assumed had been extinct ever since. The discovery sent both young men into careers as botanists specialising in the Kimberley region. Their childhood home, it turned out, was sitting on something extraordinary.

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary: From Cattle Country to Conservation Stronghold

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:05:37 GMT

The land that is now the Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary spent most of the 20th century as a pastoral lease. The Nixon family bought it in 1969 when it was run-down, rebuilt it, and made it the first property along the Gibb River Road to offer tourist accommodati...

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary: What Hides in the Ranges

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:05:37 GMT

The numbers tell part of the story: 11 threatened animal species, and another 29 endemic or isolated-population species found only in the Kimberley. The monjon, a tiny rock-wallaby barely larger than a rabbit, picks its way through the boulder-strewn escarpments. The Wyulda — the...

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary: The Work Behind the Wildness

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:05:37 GMT

Keeping 3,000 square kilometres of Kimberley country in good health is not passive. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy conducts ongoing research into fire management — controlled burns that mimic the land management practices of Aboriginal Australians for tens of thousands of ye...

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary: Ancient Country, Living Memory

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:05:37 GMT

Before it was a cattle station or a wildlife sanctuary, this country belonged to the Aboriginal peoples of the Kimberley. Just to the east of Walcott Inlet, within the Artesian Range, lies land associated with the Munja Aboriginal Reserve — known also as the Avon Valley Cattle St...