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Flora, Fauna & Livestock Eldee Station is located in the Australian Outback where our nearest neighbour is 20 kilometers away and the nearest village is 31 kilometers away. This means that we have not only sheep and cattle but wild goats the occasional wild boar and many types of kangaroos, wallabies, lizards and snakes, Emus and many other species of birds, and Echidnas. We also have our working dogs which are black and tan kelpies called Jessica, BIll and Oscar. A pet sheep called Ted and many other pets as well. Livestock Our sheep that water nearby are Merinos which have proven to be resilient and able to survive the harsh droughts in outback Australia. We raise this stock for the wool and meat values. We also have Hereford and Murray Grey Cattle who have also proven to be as resilient as our merino stock. These two type of cattle are known to be docile and easy to work with in the paddock and in the yards. We ask that visitors not approach the large livestock because they can be unpredictable if they have young calves at foot or if the bull believes he has to protect the herd. We also have two old grey horses that visit the homestead complex regularly because they are old and need to be hand fed from time to time. Kangaroos and wallabies We have Western Grey and Red Kangaroos that tend to congregate in very small pods of two and upwards. The eastern Grey and the Red Kangaroo inhabit the Mundi Mundi Plains and only venture into the ranges up along creek beds to get a drink of water from natural springs. However the Euro is a fatter, shorter wallaby with hair on its skin rather than fur like the Red Kangaroos. The Euro is far more territorial and only inhabits the foothills, the Barrier Ranges and the creek beds. This animal does not migrate like the grey and red kangaroos and will often die where it is born if the season are bad. Bird Life We have many large flocks of Pink and Grey Galahs, White Corellas and Laughing Jacks. We also have Ring Necked Parrots, Magpies, Honey Easter, Robins, Finches, native Doves and Top Notch Pigeons. We also have flocks of Emus passing. We have many magnificent raptors that glide overhead on thermals and the most magnificent is the Wedge Tail Eagle. Other raptors include hawks and kites. Vegetation These paddocks have never been farmed using ploughs or seeded to sow crops. Eldee is located in a region that receives less than 250mm a year and for many years there has been little rain recorded although we have received some rain just lately. Most of the vegetation is xerophytic meaning that it is drought tolerant and Mulga Trees for instance drop their leaves and don't flower in dry areas plus the leaves grow in such a way that when it does rain the water drops immediately into the root zone of the tree. Ephemeral Creek beds and springs We have two major creeks dissecting our station and they are the Mundi Mundi Creek and Eldee House Creek. Both of these creeks originate in the Barrier Ranges and flood out onto the Mundi Mundi Plains. The creeks are ephemeral because they only rain if we receive over 1/2 an inch of rain. The banks of the creek are lined with magnificent Silverton Gum trees and in the creek beds there is an array of wattle trees, flowering daisy bushes and large permanent water holes called springs.
We have several books that we allow our guests to borrow so that you can identify the birds or reptiles or plants.
Website and photography by Eldee Station.
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