Clackline Nature Reserve facts for kids

Clackline Nature Reserve is the biggest nature reserve in the Shire of Northam, a local government area in Western Australia. It's about 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) north of a small town called Clackline. This special area is found in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region.

The reserve stretches out quite a bit! To the east, it reaches the Clackline–Toodyay Road. To the south, it goes almost 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) before the Great Eastern Highway. And to the west, it's bordered by a road that heads north-west from Refractory Road.

In 2005, Clackline Nature Reserve was about 693.7 hectares (1,714 acres) in size. Later, in 2008/09, another 45 hectares (110 acres) were added, making it even larger. This reserve is listed on the Australian Register of the National Estate, which means it's recognized as an important natural place.

What Clackline Nature Reserve Looks Like

Clackline Nature Reserve has two main types of land. On the western side, the land gently rolls up and down. But in the east, the land is cut into steep valleys and ridges.

Most of the reserve is covered in woodland, which means it has many trees. The types of trees change depending on the soil. You can find trees like jarrah, marri wandoo, powderbark wandoo, brown mallet, rock sheoak, Christmas tree, and bull banksia. There's also a very rare type of orchid called caladenia triangularis that grows here and nowhere else in any other reserve.

Plants and Trees in the Reserve

The soil in Clackline Nature Reserve is very varied. You'll find clays, sandy clays, and loamy soils in the lower areas. On the slopes, there are exposed pallid zone clays, and at the top of steep drops, you'll find gravelly soils.

Because of the different soils, there's also a wide variety of plants. For example, wandoo trees grow in the lowest spots. Powderbark trees are found on the slopes. And jarrah or marri woodland grows on the tops of the steep drops.

Here are some of the main plant groups you can find:

• Wandoo Woodland: These trees are 15-18 metres (49-59 feet) tall. You might also see some marri and jarrah trees, and patches of sheoak. The ground underneath is usually open, with plants like blackboys (Xanthorrhoea preissii) and parrot bush.
• Powderbark Forest/Woodland: These trees are also 15-18 metres (49-59 feet) tall. They often mix with wandoo, marri, and jarrah. The plants on the ground can be very sparse or very dense. Common plants include blackboys, parrot bush, and bullock poison.
• Jarrah/Marri Woodland: These trees can be 1.5-20 metres (5-66 feet) tall. The plants underneath are very diverse because the soil changes a lot, from gravelly to sandy. On gravelly areas, you'll find thickets of pingle and Hakea trifurcata. On sandy areas, the plants vary from dense thickets of Eremaea pauciflora and mountain kunzea to thickets of Leptospermum and Hakea trifurcata.
• Marri Woodland: These trees are 15-17 metres (49-56 feet) tall. Below them, you'll find jam (Acacia acuminata) and sheoak trees, with low grass.
• Sheoak Low Woodland/Low Forest: These trees are 6-8 metres (20-26 feet) tall, with an open area underneath. You might also see some jam trees.

The reserve is also home to two rare plant species: acacia aphylla, also known as Leafless Rock Wattle, and stenanthemum grandiflorum, which is a priority two flora species.

Animals in the Reserve

Clackline Nature Reserve is a home for many different animals.

You might see mammals like:

• Western grey kangaroos
• Western brush wallabies
• Euros (a type of kangaroo)
• Echidnas (spiny anteaters)
• Rabbits

The reserve also has many reptiles, including:

• At least five types of frogs
• Four types of geckos
• Three types of legless lizards
• One type of dragon lizard
• Two types of goannas
• Five types of skinks
• Five types of snakes

More than fifty different kinds of birds live here too! Some notable birds are the Wedge-tailed Eagle and Dusky Woodswallows.

History of the Reserve

How it Started

The Clackline area has a natural gap where Clackline Brook, the Great Eastern Highway, and an old railway line pass through. This made it easy to access for many years. While the southern part of the area was used for farming and homes, the northern part was too rough, so it wasn't developed as quickly.

In 1928, someone wanted to buy land in this area. However, the Conservator of Forests (who looks after forests) said the land had "good stands of Wandoo" trees. So, on January 6, 1929, a special timber reserve was created to protect these trees. It was about 544 acres (220 hectares) at first. Over the next 44 years, its size decreased to about 130 hectares (320 acres).

Creating the Reserve

In the 1960s and 70s, a local resident and botanist named Ray Paynter worked hard to protect the Clackline area for nature conservation. Even though the Department of Mines was against the idea, the company that mined in the area (Clackline Refractory) supported it.

Ray Paynter and the Clackline community kept pushing for the reserve to be created. On March 3, 1973, she wrote to Ken McIver, a local politician, explaining how important the area was for birds, orchids, and kangaroos. Nine months later, on December 21, 1973, a reserve was officially "set aside for the Conservation of Flora and Fauna." This means it was protected to save its plants and animals.

Making it Bigger

In 1983, the Department of Environment and Conservation suggested making Clackline Nature Reserve even larger by adding about 278 hectares (687 acres).

Later, when the Fiona Stanley Hospital was being built, one of the conditions for environmental approval was that about 41.2 hectares (102 acres) of land, which was important for Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, had to be bought and added to Clackline Nature Reserve.

Around 2008/09, about 45 hectares (110 acres) of suitable land was purchased to be included in the reserve. By May 2009, the process of officially adding this land to the reserve had begun.