This Country Getaway is the Perfect Escape for Wildlife Lovers
Not all charming cottages in NSW come with the guarantee of encountering some of Australia’s most iconic native fauna. Nestled in the Barrington Tops, three hours drive north-west of Newcastle, Aussie Ark is one of the country’s largest conservation centres committed to protecting and preserving Australia’s unique wildlife from the impact of invasive predators, shrinking habitats and disease. Just outside of the main Aussie Ark premises, you’ll find two idyllic cottages available for overnight stays. Best of all, every booking includes a private in-depth two-and-a-half-hour walking tour and the chance to meet the park’s wild residents up close.
Led by an expert ranger, your tour will lead you through the Species Recovery Unit, where you’ll learn about the day-to-day running of the sanctuary before heading to the Eastern Quoll facility, where you’ll have the chance to meet some animals up close before watching Tasmanian Devils feed in the ‘Devils in the Wild’ enclosure. Then, you’ll wander along to Aussie Ark’s Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby enclosures, where Rufous Bettongs, Parma Wallabies, Long-nosed Potoroos and Southern Brown Bandicoots are housed. At the end of the tour, you might be lucky enough to get your hands on some of Aussie Ark’s cutest residents – the adorable joeys being raised by the facility’s dedicated staff.
Once you return to your lodgings, guests are free to enjoy the serenity of the Barrington Tops with a stroll around the small dam or a ramble through the bush. The self-catering two-night stay, set on tree-dotted farmland, includes lodgings at either Quoll’s Cottage or Devil’s Retreat, both located just 11 kilometres from the main Aussie Ark facility. Quoll’s Cottage sleeps up to eight guests in two bedrooms and comes with a full kitchen, a cosy fireplace and BBQ facilities, while Devil’s Retreat can house 10 guests across four bedrooms.
Founded in 2011 as Devil Ark by the Director of Australian Reptile Park, John Weigel AM, Aussie Ark’s original mission was to save the Tasmanian Devil from extinction. An aggressive and usually fatal outbreak of an infectious facial tumour disease had decimated populations in Tasmania, pushing the species to the brink. In the 12 years since, the original 500-hectare footprint of the park has expanded to create a feral-proof habitat, the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2020, Aussie Ark successfully released 26 Tasmanian Devils into the Sanctuary – the first time these marsupials had been returned to the ‘wild’ on mainland Australia in more than 3000 years.
Aussie Ark is now considered a world leader in breeding and rewilding Australian endangered wildlife, with a focus on 20 keystone species as well as the hundreds of beneficiary species that call the Barrington Tops home. The organisation mainly works with 12 mammals, 4 reptiles and 4 amphibians building up insurance populations in preparation for returns to the wild. Aussie Ark also supports the largest insurance population in the world of Tasmanian Devils and Eastern Quolls, both known as extinct on mainland Australia.
Not only will you get to enjoy this beautifully unspoilt slice of NSW countryside, but your stay will also help support the important work of Aussie Ark, conserving Australia’s diverse wildlife for generations to come.
