Caloola

Caloola Station is an 18,100 hectare property just 10km to the southwest of Cooktown on Cape York Peninsula. It has a 20km frontage to the Annan River and, at its nearest, is just 5km from the coast. The property is 98% undisturbed savanna and rainforest in exceptional condition with remarkably few weeds.  Survey work that we have conducted suggests that it supports the largest remaining population of the endangered Northern Quoll ( Dacyurus hallucatus) on Cape York.

Caloola occupies a key position in the landscape sitting at the junction of three bioregions: the Wet Tropics, Cape York and the Einasleigh Uplands.  This means that its flora is exceptionally diverse. It contains 28 regional ecosystems, 20 of which have low or no representation in the reserve system and 5 of which are rainforest based.

Two wildlife corridors of State significance join on Caloola and it is a key linkage between the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the proposed Cape York World Heritage Area. In fact, one of the major features of the property is the interfingering of Wet Tropics type rainforests with Cape York savannas. In aggregate it is estimated that there is 2000 hectares of rainforest on the reserve.

Caloola occupies a significant part of the catchment of the Annan River.  The Annan has two inshore reefs and many near-inshore reefs within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. These Reefs are threatened by poor water quality with catchment protection being the best means of managing this threat. Protecting Caloola is likely to provide a significant benefit to the Reef, although much more needs to be done in the Annan catchment if the reefs that are impacted by it are not to suffer further decline.

Based on survey work done on adjoining reserves and the work that has been done on Caloola to date the reserve  Is expected to support at least 11 threatened or near threatened plant species and 10 threatened or near threatened fauna species.

The following species of high significance have been confirmed as present on Caloola:

• Northern Quoll, Dacyurus hallucatus, is listed under the EOBC as Endangered
• Semon's Leaf Nosed Bat, Hipposideros semoni,  EPBC vulnerable, Queensland Endangered,

The following species have been recorded in close proximity to the proposed PA and most likely will be found

there:

• Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas, EPBC vulnerable
• Black Footed Tree Rat, Mesembriomys gouldii EPBC vulnerable
• Bennett's Tree Kangaroo, Dendrolagus bennettianus, IUCN NearThreatened
• Red Goshawk,Erythrotriorchis radiatus, IUCN Near Threatened

The following species is very cryptic and very difficult to find in surveys. Advice from Queensland EHP is that it is likely to be found on Caloola

• Buff-breasted button-quail, Turnix olivia, IUCN Endangered.  It has been recorded in the general area.