Table Of ContentContributions
Are kangaroos indigenous to
Wilsons Promontory National Park?
Jim Whelan
formerRanger-In-Charge,WilsonsPromontoryNationalPark
Currentaddress:RMB3637,Yanakie,Victoria3960
Abstract
The current population ofEastern Grey Kangaroos Macropus giganteus on Wilsons Promontory
National Parkare descendants ofnine animals released in the park in 1910 and 1912. Immediately
prior to that there were no kangaroos in the park. There is much historic evidence to suggest that
there have never been kangaroos on the Prom, but there is also one piece ofinformation that indi-
catesthattherewerekangaroostherein thesecondhalfofthe 19thcentury. Thispaperdrawstogeth-
er historic records and discusses the evidence for and against kangaroos being indigenous to the
Prom. Although not conclusive, the evidence is compelling in the negative. {The VictorianNaturalist
125(6)2008, 172-177)
Keywords: kangaroos,YanakieIsthmus,WilsonsPromontoryhistory,YanakieRun
Introduction
Wilsons Promontory National Park (the The promontory is connected to the main-
Prom) is located in South Gippsland, land by a narrow neck ofland called the
approximately 200 kilometres south-east Yanakie Isthmus. Formed around 6000
of Melbourne. The Prom from south of years ago by drifting sand, the isthmus
Darby Riverwas temporarily reserved as a separates Corner Inlet from Waratah
national park in 1898 followingnearly two Bay/Shallow Inlet. Within the Park it rep-
decades of intense lobbying, led by the r2e.sentsanareaof6500 habetweenthe cur-
FieldNaturalists ClubofVictoria(FNCV). rent Park boundary in the north and Darby
The park has been the subject of much R3i.ver in the south. This is the country that
research and study by field naturalists and the kangaroos now inhabit. A further 6880
scientists sincethattime. ha of farmed country to the north of the
The current population ofEastern Grey Park completes what is known as the
Kangaroos Macropus giganteus are Yanakie Isthmus(Fig.l).
descendants ofnine animals released in the Three distinct geological zones on the
park in 1910 and 1912. The fact that there isthmus collectively form an area that in
were no kangaroos on the Prom when it the 19th century constituted ‘The Yanakie
was first reserved is not in question Run.’ Thesezones are:
(Meagher and Kohout 2001). All historical 1.The acid sands airstrip area in the south
records, surveys and oral histories ofthe (Darby River to Five-Mile Road),
time are unequivocal on this point which the vast majority ofkangaroos
(Kershaw 1906). Earlier naturalists, currentlyoccupy;
explorers and archaeological records sug- The calcareous dune country between
gest that there have never been kangaroos Five-Mile Road and the current park
on the Prom but one suggests the contrary. entrance;
An article in the Medical Journal of The farmland between the current park
Australia recounts a walking expedition boundaryandan east-westlineapprox-
undertaken by Fred Bird to the Prom in imately 10 km north of the current
1879 (Bird 1926) where he remarked on park boundary, w'hich formed the
kangaroos around the Yanakie Homestead northern extremityofthe isthmus.
nearthe currentparkentrance. Although the Prom was first temporarily
reserved in 1898, the Yanakie Isthmus sec-
History tion (southern end ofthe Run) was added
To understand the history ofkangaroos on to the Park only in 1969. From the mid-
the Prom we first need to understand the 1800s the isthmus was managed as a graz-
geomorphologyand history oflanduse.
172 The Victorian Naturalist
Contributions
YANAKIE ISTHMUS
Fig. 1.YanakieIsthmus.
ing lease, and cattle grazing continued in but did include some ofthe Airstrip area.
theparkuntil 1992. The 1905/06 FNCV excursion passed
Early references by FNCV members and through this area. A biological survey map
other visitors predominantly relate to land showed the route ofthe 1905/06 expedi-
within the park, i.e. the country south of tion down the middle of the Isthmus
the old park fence, which spanned a dis- (Hardy 1906). Hardy’s report stated 'We
jointed line between Millers Landing and saw nothing and could hear nothing ofthe
Darby River (Fig.l). Most of the grassy Kangaroo ...’ and Kershaw (1906) wrote
woodland country was outside this fence 'Kangaroos do not seem to exist on the
Vol. 125 (6) 2008 173
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Contributions
promontory Their records are very clear in the early part of last century. The fol-
that there were no kangaroos in the park at lowing was recorded in the FNCV Club
thattime. excursion leader’s report on a walk
There were othergrassy areas in the park between Millers Landing and Darby River
that were suitable for kangaroos at that December 1914:
time, butwere alsodevoid ofthem: About two Miles and a halffrom the Darby
In a few places there is good grass land, the track enters what was at one time a
notably at Derby River and easterly from thickly-timbered flat, extending across the
Oberon Bay; the parts suitable forkangaroo tea-tree covered sand-dunes which margin
and emu amount to about 2000 acres ... the ocean beach. Most ofthe timber, which
The total amount ofgrazing land, [on the consisted ofprincipally fair-sized eucalypts,
Prom] ofgood and mediumquality, such as with a few scattered Blackwoods, has been
would support kangaroos ....would be per- ringed,onlytheirwhitened skeletonsremain
haps 10,000acres ... ’ (Hardy 1906: 195). toshowwhatoncehadbeen.
The initial reservation of the Prom in Only a few years ago the Koala, orNative
1898 provided sanctuary for Australian Bears were numerous, and could be seen
animals, even those not indigenous to the hereatanytime.Wallabies, Dingoesandthe
area (Gillbank 1998a). In 1910 a pair of introduced Hog Deer, [Axisporcinus] were
kangaroos was introduced into the park by alsocommon...(Kershaw 1913: 171)
the Victorian Acclimatisation Society
(Seebeck and Mansergh 1998), followed in The evidence for kangaroos being
1912 with a further seven animals from indigenous to the Prom
Woodside (Kershaw 1915; Meagher and The only evidence located that refers to
Kohout 2001; Wescott 1998). These ani- kangaroos on the Prom priorto 1910 is that
mals remained captive behind fences at ofFred D Bird, in a paper that he read at a
Darby River: meeting of the Melbourne Medical
In October 1936 another kind donor pre- Association on September20 1928, about a
sented a Major Mitchell Cockatoo and this walking trip he made to the Prom 50 years
gift seems to have started the Committee earlier (1879), as a third year medical stu-
toying with the idea ofhaving an aviary dent. During his walk Bird stayed at the
built as a companion to its kangaroo pad- Yanakie Homestead which was situated
dock. (Garnett 1971) near the current Park entrance. In reference
The kangaroos remained behind wire until to the sand-dune country around the
the fencewasburntdown around 1938 and Homesteadhestatesboldly:
they escaped (I Park, P Gilbert, pers. The country, not much ofwhich could be
comm. 2005)'. From such low numbers, seen at a time, looked as ifit would carry
and subject to dingo attack and hunting by minus somethingofa sheeptothe acre, but
humans, theywould havetaken someyears there were many sheep and a startling
to establish a viable population. Even superfluity ofKangaroos. They ranged in
when the NationalParks (Amendment)Act their hundreds, even in their thousands.
1969 added part ofthe Yanakie Isthmus to Each subsequent visit showed us fewer
the park, kangaroos were apparently not Kangaroos and now I believe they are
well established. Frankenberg (1971) extinctintheseparts(Bird 1926: 681).
recordsthat:
Although grazing is still permitted, the There are four points that can be made
native vegetation is ofgreat interest, and aboutthis statement byBird:
Yanakie may in timebecome a useful habi- 1.The paper runs to some 6500 words
tatforKangarooand Emu. and throughout, the only mention of
Casual observers ofthe current high pop- wildlife is the one Bird makes about
ulation of kangaroos around the airstrip kangaroos and wallabies. From that,
area may find it hard to imagine why there one could deduce that natural history
would not have always been a resident was not one of his strong interests.
population. This country was once heavily Bird could have been referring to
timbered and not suitable for kangaroos Swamp Wallabies Wallabia bicolor
until the trees were ringbarked and cleared which are prevalent on the Isthmus,
174 The Victorian Naturalist
Contributions
2.though he does also refer to wallabies and has made the following points (pers.
in hispaper. comm.).
Given the time between the trip and • In its early days the Run carried 17000
writing the article (50 years), his mem- head of sheep, which produced more
ory may have let him down and he than 100 bales of wool annually. The
could have been recalling other coun- country could not have supported that
3.
try he had travelled through. His route numberofsheep as well as a largekan-
did take him through Andersons Inlet garoopopulation.
and Tarwin Lower, which would have • William Miller was an avid hunter and
been similarcountry in those days. owned a number of fine firearms. To
Bird says that he walked from the shoot many kangaroos would have
Yanakie Homestead to the Prom light- required a lot of ammunition. There
house via the coast and Oberon Bay in are no entries in the daybooks oflarge
one (very hot), day where he stayed purchases of ammunition or discus-
with the lighthouse keeper. Given that sions in the diaries regarding extermi-
this is a distance ofsome 50 km, much nation ofanynative animals.
ofit withouttracks, one could question • Even ifthere had been extensive hunt-
4.his recollection. Also, that particular ing of kangaroos at that time, it is
expedition was in 1879 yet the FNCV unlikely that every single one ofthem
visit, five years later, was heralded as would have been shot (Jim Millarpers.
the first overland visit to the comm. 2004)
Lighthouse (Gregory 1885). A tele- In the 1960s, Peter Coutts undertook
graph line was completed from Foster extensive archaeological research on the
to the Lighthouse in 1873 (Sparkes Yanakie Isthmus (Coutts 1970). He con-
1997), so the associated access track cluded that kangaroos were not part ofthe
would have facilitated the journey for diet of Aborigines who visited the Prom
both Bird andthe FNCV. and he found no evidence ofkangaroos in
His recall may be perfect and there the excavations of middens. He did find
were many kangaroos on the isthmus Swamp Wallaby and Common Wombat
in 1879 but, according to an old agister Vombatus ursimis.
from the area, ‘there were never any A number oforal histories and historical
kangaroos on the Isthmus or the coun- journals discuss life on the Yanakie Run. T
try back to Fish Creek’. (Meeme Musgrave was the son ofCaptain Thomas
Farrell pers.comm). Meeme settled in Musgrave who was the Prom Lighthouse
Fish Creek in 1899 and agisted cattle Keeper, appointed in 1869. As a 12-year-
on the Prom and the Yanakie Run until old, T Musgrave junior recalls travelling
his death in theearly 1980s. through Yanakie Station, ‘which then car-
ried around 17 000 head of sheep.’
The evidence against kangaroos being Musgrave joined the Yanakie Station in
indigenous to the Prom 1874 and worked there for about 20 years.
At the time of Bird’s visit, William Millar He talks of the excitement of musters on
managed the Yanakie Run. Bird mentions the Yanakie Run and how one ofhisjobs
staying with William Millar at the Yanakie was to take the mail etc. down to the
Homestead on a number of occasions. Lighthouse once a week. This is around
Millar came to the run in 1867 as a book- the same time as Bird’s first visit. There is
keeperforthethen manager, John McHaffie no mention of kangaroos throughout his
(Clemson 1983). A short time later he took memoirs(Musgrave 1940).
over the run and managed it until 1893. He William Clemson was a Crown Land
was a meticulous bookkeeper (Crawford Bailiffand was responsible for administer-
1984). ing the Yanakie Run from 1909. William's
Jim Millar, a direct descendant of son, Ken, documented an oral history of
William, has William’s diaries and day- the Yanakie Run and there is no mention
books from the homestead in his posses- of Kangaroos in the document (Clemson
sion. He hasreadthedocumentsextensively 1983).
Vol. 125 (6) 2008 175
Contributions
These unpublished documents are avail- Possible reasons why kangaroos did not
able in the Wilsons Promontory Park existonthe Prom
Library. Neither ofthem mentions kanga- As indicated above, a close examination of
roos as being present on the Prom. Whilst the landforms and land use may provide
this is notconclusive evidence in itselfit is clues to why kangaroos were not present
at least indicative that kangaroos were not onthePrompriorto 1910.
on the isthmus in the latter halfofthe 19th The country north of the current park
century. boundary was deeply transected bythickly
Baron Ferdinand von Mueller was the vegetated Melaleuca sp and wet heath
Victorian Government Botanistforthe sec- swamps. The limited higher ground was
ond halfofthe 19th century. Mueller visit- covered in dense heathland. This sort of
ed Wilsons Promontory in the 1850s and habitatwas ideal for Swamp Wallabies but
knew ofthe cattle station at Yanakie (The of no value to kangaroos until it was
Yanakie Run) in 1853 (Gillbank 1998b). cleared by graziers and later drained and
Many visitors of the time stayed at the cleared for soldier settlement in the 1950s
Yanakie Homestead during their trips to (Crawford 1984).
the park. There is no evidence to suggest The sand dune country between the park
Muelleractuallyvisitedthe Run buthe did entranceandaround 5-mile Roadwas theo-
explore other parts ofthe Prom, including retically suitable for kangaroos, with many
Sealers Cove where he stayed with the open grassy areas. However, as early as
saw-millers. In 1874 he is recorded as 1880 itwas recognisedthatcalcareous soils
stayingatthe Lighthouse(Gillbank 1998b) are highly alkaline. Alkalinity reduces the
In 1887, as president of the Royal availability ofmicronutrients such as iron,
Geographical Society, he was invited to copper, zinc and manganese (Chesterfield
lend supporttotheFNCVtolobbythegov- 1998; Parsons and Specht 1967). This leads
ernment to reserve Wilsons Promontory as to a nutritional problem termed ‘Coasty
a national park. Although Mueller was a Disease’ orenzootic ataxia, which causes a
botanist, he would have been heavily wasting condition in ruminants such as
involved in developing the argument for sheep and deer. Ruminants have a higher
this reservation with other members ofthe requirement for cobalt than non-ruminant
FNCV, including Arthur Lucas, George species, such as horses and rabbits. Studies
Robinson, and John Gregory. These three of calcareous, coastal sand dunes of
men undertook a walking trip to Wilsons Kangaroo Island, South Australia, found
Promontory in 1885 (Ducker 1998). They that both copper and cobalt are deficient in
also stayed with Millar at the Yanakie the pastures ofaffected areas, and sheep
Homestead on this expedition to explore required mineral supplements to survive
and report on the natural historyofthe pro- (Underwood 1967). Kangaroos have a
posedNational Park. ‘pseudo-ruminant’ digestive system, and
Muellervisited the Prom 26 years before may alsobe limited bymineral deficiencies
Bird, and on a number ofoccasions after- in these alkaline coastal soils. An extensive
wards. Many other naturalists visited dur- literature search has failed to reveal any
ing that period, and the Lucas expedition supportive scientific evidence for this
was there only five years after Bird’s first hypothesis (Davis pers. comm. 2007).
visit (Gillbank 1998a). Despite all ofthat, Some anecdotal evidence exists for kanga-
there were no records ofkangaroos on the roos being susceptible to Coasty Disease
Prom and many references to the fact that (Pers comm. Gilbert2005, 1 Park2005)but
kangaroos were absent. Surely, with all of theseobservationshavenotbeentested.
those naturalists discussing the importance With this in mind it is possible that the
ofpreserving the Prom at that time, some sand dune country of the isthmus is not
mention would have been made ofthe rea- suitable to support kangaroos for any
sons forthe demise ofthe kangaroos ifany length oftime. This argument is supported
hadbeenthereoriginally? by the current situation where we have a
176 The Victorian Naturalist
. 7
Contributions
large kangaroo population on the acid soil References
airstrip area and only sparse numbers on Bird Fred D (December 1926) MedicalJournal of
Australia 24,681
thealkalinecalcareous dunecountry. Chesterfield EA (1998) The vegetation ofWilsons
The airstrip area was heavily timbered Promontory National Park. The Victorian Naturalist
until the early 1900s (Kershaw 1914), so Cl1e1m5s,o3n10K-32(11.983) OralHistory ofthe YanakieRuns
was not suitable for kangaroos until it was 1850- 1949.
cleared. Coutts P (1970) The Archaeology Of Wilsons
In essence, the only land on the Prom PPrroemhiosnttoorryy.aAnudstrMaaltiearniaAlborCiuglitnuarleStSuedriieessNNoo..28
suitable for Kangaroos prior to 1910 was (Australian Institute Of Aboriginal Studies:
Darby River, Norman Bay, Oberon Bay Canberra)
and Entrance Point (Hardy 1906). The CrawfordR(1984) Yanakie,StationtoSettlement1850-
1983.(YanakieHallCommittee:Yanakie,Vic)
nature of the country flanked by Corner Ducker SC (1998) An early overland expedition to
Inlet and Waratah Bay/Shallow Inlet Wilsons Promontory. The Victorian Naturalist 115.
292-295.
formed a natural barrier to kangaroos FrankenbergJ(1971)NatureConservationIn Victoria;
accessingthis country. ASurvey.(VNPA:PascoeVale,Vic)
GarnettJRos(1971)TheProm.Anaccountofthehis-
Conclusion tory and natural history ofWilsons Promontory
Ifthere were kangaroos on the Prom in the NRaetsioounracleCPoalrlke,ctiDonC:NSReriHeiss0t0o1r.ic Places Section -
1800s we have to consider what could Gillbank L(1998a)Oflandandgame: Theroleofthe
have led to their local extinction by 1910? FieldNaturalistClubofVictoriaintheestablishment
ofWilsonsPromontoryNational Park. The Victorian
tFhierepoispuulnaltiikoenl.yEtvoenhaivfeittohtaadl,lythdeeystwroouyledd GiNlaltburaanlkistL1(115,99286b6)-.273T.he wood and the trees. A
have recolonised relatively quickly from Muellarian Memoir ofWilsons Promontory. The
areas outside the park, assuming there was GrVeigcotroyriJanBN(a1t8u8ra5l)isTto1W15i,ls2o8n6s-2P9r1omontory Overland.
a local population to recolonise from. The VictorianNaturalist2.43-48,54-59,87-90, ISO-
Disease is another possibility, but, again Ha1r5d4y. AD (1906) Excursion to Wilsons Promontory.
unlikely to cause local extinction. The TheVictorianNaturalist,22, 191-197.
same can be said for shooting orpoisoning KershawJA(1906)ExcursiontoWilsons Promontory,
as acauseofextinction. general zoology report. The VictorianNaturalist22.
197-207
The evidence (factual and circumstantial) Kershaw JA (1913) Excursion to National Park,
against kangaroos being indigenous to the Wilson’s Promontory. The Victorian Naturalist 29.
163-174.
park is strong and consists ofarchaeologi- Kershaw JA (1915) Excursion to National Park,
cal reports, FNCV surveys, nature writings, Wilson’s Promontory. The Victorian Naturalist, 31,
oral histories and other historic records. 143-152.
Only one obscure reference indicates that MePargohmeornatnodrKyoh(oOuxtf(o2r0d01U)nAivFeirelsditGyuidPreesTso:WiSlosuotnhs
kangaroos may have been indigenous. In Melbourne)
the absence ofcorroborating evidence for Musgrave TM (1940) Oral History, The History of
Yanakie.
that single reference, it can be concluded Parsons R and Specht R (1967) Lime chlorosis and
that kangaroos are probably not indigenous otherfactorsaffectingthedistribution ofEucalyptus
toWilsons PromontoryNational Park. on coastal sands in Southern Australia. Australian
JournalofBotany15,95-105.
Acknowledgements SeebeckJandManserghI(1998)Mammalsintroduced
to Wilsons Promontory. The Victorian Naturalist
I gratefully acknowledge Graeme Coulson, 115,350-356.
Naomi Davis and Linden Gillbank for their SparkesN (1997) How TheyKeptIn Touch, Wilsons
valuable input and comment, and Jo Drury for Promontory Telecommunications; A BriefHistory,
theartwork. (SouthGippslandHistoricalSociety:Foster,Vic)
Underwood EJ (1967) Records ofthe Australian
Note Academy ofScience, vol. 1, no. 2, Canberra,
' Ian Park is a farmer from Hoddle in South WeAsucstortaltiaG. (1998) The Scientific Importance of
Gippsland, and a long time agister on the Wilsons Promontory. The Victorian Naturalist 115,
Yanakie Isthmus. Perce Gilbert was caretaker 296-299.
ofthe Yanakie Airstrip following the second
world war, and a former Agistment Ranger
and Ranger-in-Charge at Wilsons Promontory
National Park. Received18January>2007;accepted12June2008
Vol. 125 (6) 2008 177
