Friends of Blackwood Forest

21/10/2026

Bandicoot news!!

After having regular reports from some of our volunteers and community members about Bandicoot sightings in the Blackwood Forest, our National Parks rangers and their regional ecologist organised 4 temporary wildlife cameras in the Blackwood forest to try and capture evidence of their existence. And, as expected, the cameras captured many photos of at least a couple bandicoots utilising the blackberry thicket.

The Southern Brown Bandicoots are the last species of the Bilby and Bandicoot marsupial group in the Mount Lofty Ranges, which is a major biodiversity hotspot.

With a Nationally Endangered conservation status, they’re at risk of extinction. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats facing our furry friends, making their conservation a priority for everyone.

Currently, they are known to live in limited pockets of vegetation throughout the Mount Lofty Ranges and Blackwood Forest RP can now be added to that list as an additional site.

Here’s some interesting Bandicoot facts for you all!

Bandicoots can dig up to 13kg of soil each day/night – this is about 14 times their body weight.

They have the shortest pregnancy of any marsupial (about 2 weeks).

Their pouch faces backwards, so dirt doesn’t enter their pouch when they are digging.

Their tail is distinctly different from a rat’s tail as it is short and hairy.

Have a look at these cute photos of our local bandicoots enjoying their peanut butter in a tea strainer amongst the thick protection of the blackberry bushes.

If you come across a bandicoot in the forest please supervise your dog and try to keep some distance.

Thank you!!

15/10/2026

Our working bee last Sunday was extra special! We teamed up with Monarto Safari Park with the approval and supervision of our National Parks rangers, to remove two huge trailer loads of invasive plants from Blackwood Forest — and they went straight to feed Monarto’s animals. How great is that!

Plants like desert ash help feed a whole range of animals, from primates to hoofed animals and even elephants. Acacia saligna and the WA native wattle are also food for the hoofed animals, while nasturtium goes to the primates.

And how lovely are these photos, sent through by Monarto Safari Park’s Browse Coordinator, showing the animals enjoying their delicious feast straight from our forest!

11/10/2026

What a fantastic working bee session we had this morning. Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us today and helped us with a lot of weeding around our native plantings.

With the beautiful rain we have been getting, our group is always in need of extra hands to keep on top of the fast growing weeds.

Our last working bee for the year will be on the second Sunday of the month, 8th November, please join us if you can.

And...Please keep an eye for a follow up post on what we got up to today during our working bee. It was really extra special and we can't wait to share it with you 🦒

01/10/2026

If you haven't yet responded to this survey, now it's the time! This survey is only open for another few days. This is to help a group of TAFE students understand how our forest is used.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/8xYEM46iSv

We really appreciate the help of our community in participating and providing invaluable insights.

Thank you!

Good afternoon everyone!

We would love your help in supporting a group of keen TAFE students by completing a survey they created as part of their course, to understand how our Blackwood forest recreation park is used by the community.

Please help them if you can by answering this short survey or sharing the link to other groups.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/8xYEM46iSv

The students hope that by learning more about Blackwood Forest visitors it will help guide future planning, management and grant funding applications.

Note - No personal data will be gathered and your responses are anonymous.

Thank you so much for your support!

26/09/2026

Good afternoon everyone!

We would love your help in supporting a group of keen TAFE students by completing a survey they created as part of their course, to understand how our Blackwood forest recreation park is used by the community.

Please help them if you can by answering this short survey or sharing the link to other groups.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/8xYEM46iSv

The students hope that by learning more about Blackwood Forest visitors it will help guide future planning, management and grant funding applications.

Note - No personal data will be gathered and your responses are anonymous.

Thank you so much for your support!

13/09/2026

Thank you so much for all the help we received today from our regular volunteers and from the lovely new people who have come to assist us with all the weeding along the Avenue of trees. We are so grateful for all the help! We can't do what we do without all your support.

If you couldn't come today but are interested in joining future working bees please note they take place every second Sunday of every month. No experience necessary 😊

11/09/2026

Our monthly working bee is happening tomorrow! As usual we are always on the lookout for any help we can get from our wonderful community members! See you tomorrow 9.30am?

10/09/2026

Don't forget to look up! You never know what you might spot climbing a pine tree at the Blackwood Forest! This gorgeous pair was spotted yesterday morning by one of our volunteers. 🐨

10/09/2026

Good morning! We have had a few reports of a couple of swooping magpies in a small section of the pine forest. Best to avoid the area below for the next few weeks.