About

Mount Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre, a 400 hectare property, is the largest predator free ecosystem in Victoria.

Mount Rothwell has been established for the management of high conservation value species, which involves breeding and research programs.

Management and research is conducted in consultation with a number of government wildlife agencies and research organisations including the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Zoos Victoria, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team, Monash University and the University of Melbourne.

The property consists of the only surviving old growth woodland in the area, beautifully intact granite hills, grassy open woodland and surviving Victorian Volcanic Plains grassland, forming a significant portion of the states most threatened ecosystems. The remnant grasslands contain numerous examples of critically endangered flora, some of which are the largest surviving populations in the state of Victoria.

The property is exclusively managed for the conservation of some of Australia’s most threatened faunal species, including the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Brush tailed Rock Wallaby and Eastern Quoll. Indeed some of the species surviving on the property form the largest population of free ranging specimens at both a state and national level.

The entire property is enclosed by an eleven kilometre electrified predator proof fence, which is visually inspected daily and monitored by a computer controlled telemetry system.

Located on the northern end of the You Yangs, Mount Rothwell is 45 km southwest of Melbourne.

Mt Rothwell, its volunteers and partners are dedicated to the ongoing protection of this remnant habitat, the continued restoration of surrounding areas and the return of a healthy, self sustaining ecosystem, protecting Australia’s most threatened native wildlife.