Jeraboam Eco-Lodge
Local Fauna and Flora
Jeraboam Eco-Lodge is situated on 37 Hectares (90 Acres) and shares its southern and western boundaries with the Grampians National Park. The cottage is in a cleared area of approximately 15 Acres (7 Hectares). The following pictures provide a very small sample of the wildlife and wild flowers that can be seen on the property. Birdlife is abundant and just a partial list would include Emus, Eastern Rosellas, Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Superb Fairy Wrens, Gang-gang, Yellow-tailed Black, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Corellas, Magpies, Currawongs, Wedge-tailed Eagles, etc. Seasonal visitors include Red-breasted Robins, Grey Shrike Thrushes, Yellow-cheeked Honeyeaters, Masked Lapwings, Wood ducks, and White-necked and Blue Herons.
Eastern grey kangaroos, Red-neck and Swamp wallabies are regular visitors to the cleared area, as are Emu families, sometimes a female and male pair and at others, a male and his brood.
Kangaroos tend to feed in family groups, while wallabies are more solitary. The Red-necks do feed as a single, nuclear family but often will feed separately (like the female and joey above) while black swamp wallabies almost always feed alone.
In spring the property hosts many wildflowers and native, terrestrial orchids. Some examples include Pink Fairy Orchids and Chocolate Fringe Lillies. The Chocolate Fringe Lillies really do smell like chocolate!
Red Beak orchids can be spotted, flowering profusely after a fire. Creamy Candles abound also during spring and colonies of Tiger Orchids can be seen later in the Spring, while Mantis orchids, a variety of spider orchid, are very common. In the early spring, the variety and number of green-hood orchids flowering is dazzling.
There are many grasstrees on the block and, after a fire, they all flower. Fire helps to stimulate mass flowering of Flying Duck Orchids as well, though smaller numbers will flower even without being encouraged by fire. Musky Caladenia are also common on the property and in the surrounding national park.