Clackline Nature Reserve is the largest

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the

Shire of Northam The Shire of Northam is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the northeastern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area centred on the town of Northam itself. The Shire covers an area of . In 2007, it merg ...

. It is located approximately north of Clackline, in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

's Wheatbelt region. The reserve is extends east to Clackline–Toodyay Road, south to before

Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link ...

, and west to an unnamed road that runs north-west from Refractory Road. In March 2005, the reserve was in size, with an additional added in 2008/09. It is listed on the non-statutory Register of the National Estate.

Description

Clackline Nature Reserve has two distinct landforms. To the west is a gently undulating terrain and in the east the land is dissected into steep sided valleys and ridges. Vegetation is chiefly woodland with variation in trees with soil type. They include

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

, marri wandoo, powderbark wandoo, brown mallet,

rock sheoak ''Allocasuarina huegeliana'', commonly known as rock sheoak or sighing sheoak, is a tree in the family Casuarinaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs mostly throughout the Wheatbelt region. It is now especially common on road verges, w ...

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

and bull banksia. A rare species of orchid not known in any other reserve occurs, ''Caladenia'' × ''triangularis'' .

Vegetation

There are a range of soil types across Clackline Nature Reserve, with clays, sandy clays and loamy soils in the lower sections of the topography, while pallid zone clays are exposed on erosional slopes, and gravely soils occur at the top of breakaways. There is a similar diversity of vegetation, with

wandoo Wandoo is the common name for a number of Western Australian ''Eucalyptus'' species, all of which have smooth white bark. The original "wandoo" is ''Eucalyptus wandoo''. Additional species have been given this name because of a perceived likeness w ...

at the low points, powderbark on the slopes, and jarrah or marri woodland on the breakaway tops. There are five general patterns of vegetation based around these species: The reserve contains the rare plant species ''

Acacia aphylla ''Acacia aphylla'', commonly known as the leafless rock wattle, twisted desert wattle or live wire, is a species of '' Acacia'' which is endemic to an area around Perth in Western Australia Description ''A. aphylla'' is spiny and leafless ere ...

'' (leafless rock wattle) and the priority two flora species '' Papistylus grandiflorus'' (also known as ''Stenanthemum grandiflorum'').

Fauna

Clackline Nature Reserve is home to a variety of different species. Typical mammals in the reserve are the western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), western brush wallaby ('' M. irma''), euro ('' M. robustus''), echidna (''

Tachyglossus aculeatus The short-beaked echidna (''Tachyglossus aculeatus''), also called the short-nosed echidna, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus ''Tachyglossus''. It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout ...

'') and rabbit. A variety of reptiles are present, including at least five frogs, four geckos, three legless lizards, one dragon, two goarina, five skink, and five snake species; and there are more than fifty species of bird, notably the wedge-tailed eagle and dusky woodswallows.

History

Background

Though part of a north-south ridge system, the Clackline area has been easily accessed for many years due to the gap through which

Clackline Brook Clackline Brook is an waterway in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. From near Clackline, it runs east-south-easterly towards Mokine, before turning north and ending near Mokine Hill. Clackline Brook joins onto Spencers Brook, with ...

, and the former Eastern Railway passed. While the southern area was released for agriculture and settlement, the area to the north was too rugged, postponing its release. In 1928, an application was made to purchase land in the area. However, as the block was "carrying good stands of Wandoo" according to the Conservator of Forests, on 6 January 1929 a timber reserve was created, with an area of . Over the next 44 years, however, the area decreased to .

Establishment

A nearby resident, botanist Ray Paynter, coordinated an effort to protect the Clackline area for conservation purposes in the 1960s and 70s. The Department of Mines opposed the idea, even though the operators of

Clackline Refractory The Clackline Refractory, also known as Clackline Clay and Brick, is a heritage listed brickworks site in Clackline, Western Australia. Description Clackline Refractory is located on Refractory Road, Clackline, Western Australia in a valley near ...

, which mined in the area, were supportive. Paynter and the Clackline community continued to push for the creation of a reserve. On 3 March 1973, she wrote to Northam MLA

Ken McIver Kenneth Finlay McIver (26 October 1928 – 23 September 1988) was an Australian politician who served in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1968 and 1988. He represented Northam and Avon for the Labor Party. Prior to entering politics ...

, citing the species of birds, orchids, and kangaroos that would benefit. Nine months later, on 21 December 1973, a reserve "was set aside for the Conservation of Flora and Fauna".

Expansion

Recommendations from the Department of Environment and Conservation in 1983 proposed increasing the area of Clackline Nature Reserve by . One of the conditions for environmental approval for clearing for construction of

Fiona Stanley Hospital Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is a state government hospital and teaching facility in Murdoch, Western Australia. Completed in December 2013, the hospital is the largest building project ever undertaken for the Government of Western Australia. ...

was that " ... of breeding and limited foraging habitat for Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo has been secured for purchase as is to be included in the Clackline Nature Reserve". Approximately of suitable vegetation was purchased in 2008/09 for inclusion into the reserve. The process of including the purchased land in the reserve had commenced by May 2009.