Dryandra Woodland

Dryandra Woodland National Park, declared in 2022, is Western Australia's first national park in the Wheatbelt region and home to one of the most significant wildlife communities remaining in the otherwise heavily cleared agricultural zone. The 28,000-hectare park protects wandoo and York gum woodland that provides critical habitat for over 50% of the known numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) population — the numbat being Western Australia's faunal emblem. Barna Mia Animal Sanctuary within the park offers nocturnal tours to view rare marsupials including woylies, chuditch, bilbies, and malleefowl in a secure predator-free enclosure. The woodland's wildflower displays and abundant wildlife make it one of WA's most ecologically significant and visitor-friendly parks.

Dryandra is internationally renowned for its wildlife, particularly its numbat population. The numbat (banded anteater) is a small marsupial that feeds exclusively on termites — up to 20,000 per day — and is listed as vulnerable with fewer than 1,000 individuals in the wild. Dryandra protects one of the few wild numbat populations on the Australian mainland. Woylies (brush-tailed bettongs), threatened marsupials once common across Australia, inhabit the woodland. Chuditch (western quoll), bilbies, and malleefowl are managed at Barna Mia sanctuary. Carnaby's black cockatoos feed extensively in the woodland's banksias and dryandras. Lizard diversity is exceptional, with numerous skink and dragon species.

The park's woodland is dominated by wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) — a smooth white-barked eucalypt — and York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba) on drier sites. The dryandra (Banksia subgenus Dryandra) species that give the former national park its name are characteristic shrubs, now classified within the genus Banksia. Various species of Banksia, Acacia, and Allocasuarina contribute to a diverse understorey. The ground flora includes orchids, trigger plants, and native grasses. Spring wildflower displays from August to October are impressive. The Wheatbelt woodland represents one of the most biodiverse woodland ecosystems remaining in a heavily cleared agricultural landscape.

Dryandra sits on the ancient Yilgarn Craton, the broad granite and greenstone terrane that underlies much of inland WA. Granite basement is overlain by a deep weathering profile, with laterite duricrust preserved on ridge crests and exposing saprolite on slopes. Granite outcrops (gnamma holes) are significant water sources for wildlife in this semi-arid environment. The broadly undulating Wheatbelt topography reflects ancient erosion surfaces rather than recent tectonic activity. The soils range from shallow lateritic soils on ridge crests (supporting heath) to deeper red earths in valleys (supporting woodland), creating micro-habitat diversity that underpins the park's exceptional fauna.

Dryandra experiences a continental Mediterranean climate with warm to hot summers and cool, wet winters. Annual rainfall averages 450–550 mm. Summers can reach 40°C+, with hot northerly winds creating fire weather conditions. Winters are cool with regular frosts on clear nights. Spring (August–November) is the optimal visiting season — wildflowers bloom, temperatures are mild, and the nocturnal wildlife tours at Barna Mia are particularly rewarding. Summer visits are possible but temperatures are uncomfortable. The Wheatbelt is renowned for extreme weather including fierce summer heat, severe thunderstorms, and occasional significant snowfall at higher elevations in winter.

The woodland country of the Wheatbelt is within the traditional territory of Ballardong and Whadjuk Noongar people. The wandoo woodland provided food resources including witchetty grubs, numbat (hunted seasonally), various plant foods, and water from granite rock holes. The landscape was actively managed through fire to maintain the open woodland character favourable for hunting. European settlers arrived in the 19th century, and agricultural clearing proceeded rapidly, reducing the original woodland cover to a fraction of its former extent. Dryandra survived clearing because its sandy soil was less suitable for cereal agriculture, inadvertently preserving the wildlife refuge it provides today.

Dryandra Woodland was managed as a nature reserve for many decades before its declaration as WA's first Wheatbelt national park in 2022. The area has long been recognised for its exceptional numbat population and broader wildlife significance. Barna Mia Animal Sanctuary, established in the 1990s, has provided a critical facility for breeding and maintaining threatened species in a predator-free enclosure within the woodland. The national park declaration acknowledges the international significance of the area for threatened species conservation and provides a higher level of protection and management commitment. Predator management — particularly fox control — is essential for maintaining numbat populations.

Barna Mia Animal Sanctuary's nocturnal tours are the park's most unique attraction, offering guaranteed encounters with numbats, woylies, and other rare marsupials in a natural bush setting (bookings essential). Self-guided walks through wandoo woodland provide opportunities to spot wild numbats during the day — mornings are best. Wildflower walks in spring reveal the woodland's botanical diversity. Birdwatching is excellent for Wheatbelt specialists including chestnut-rumped thornbill, hooded robin, and malleefowl. The Lion's Dryandra Village offers comfortable accommodation within the woodland.

Dryandra is approximately 170 km southeast of Perth, near the towns of Narrogin and Cuballing. Access is via sealed and unsealed roads. The Lion's Dryandra Village provides cabin accommodation within the park. Campgrounds with basic facilities are also available. Barna Mia nocturnal tours must be booked in advance through DBCA. Narrogin (25 km) offers accommodation and services. Parks entry fees apply. The park is best visited August through November for wildflowers and pleasant weather. Nocturnal tours run year-round.

Numbat conservation is the park's primary focus. Numbats are threatened by predation from foxes and cats — a single fox can eliminate an entire numbat family in a matter of days. Intensive predator control using 1080 baiting has maintained numbat populations at Dryandra, but the program requires sustained effort and funding. Climate change projections for the Wheatbelt indicate hotter, drier conditions that will further stress the woodland ecosystem. Prescribed burning maintains the open woodland structure favourable for numbats, which require logs and hollow tree bases as refuges. Community engagement through the wildlife tours and educational programs builds public support for conservation funding.