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Rewilding The Torr in the Northern Rivers NSW, Australia

The Torr is encompasses seven acres, located in the Northern Rivers of NSW, on Widjabul Wiabal peoples’ land, honored with totems of goanna and snake, on the country of the Bundjalung Nation. Restoring the highly compacted and degraded land from over grazing cattle, is a labor of love. The land itself ranges from riparian flats, grasslands, rising through sclerophyll woodlands, steep sheoak forest and Northern Lowland Subtropical Rainforest, Dry Subtropical Rainforest and Basalt Subtropical Rainforest. It is located on land once covered by The Big Scrub.

The Torr is an essential transient wildlife island, used by threatened and endangered species of both flora and fauna including but not limited, to koalas, glossy black cockatoos, the powerful owl and The Richmond Birdwing Butterfly. As a recognised Wild Life Sanctuary by Humain Society International and Land for Wild Life and Habitat for Wildlife property The Torr has committed to being 95% covered with native trees and vegetation by 2030. The property has also committed to no hooved animals returning to the land after the elderly, family herd of horses (Bucephallis 34, Miss Maggie 20+, Criss Cross 12) cross the rainbow bridge to the clover fields.

The property is grateful for receiving funded trees from Friends of the Koala, assisting in growing food trees for koalas in care as well as support wildlife carers with food and develop habitat for wildlife release with WIRES, Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers and support from Bexhill Coopers Creek Landcare. We are also very grateful for support from Koala Gardens, Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and WIRES, whose letters of support assisted us in a self funded legal battle, so we could keep and maintain wildlife friendly fencing as opposed to five rows of barb wire.

Rewilding

Threatened and Endangered

As the trees for koalas have grown, koalas have returned with fourteen koalas visiting in 2022, including three mums and joeys and a juvenile koala. The Torr is an essential transient mating island for koalas and will once again be closer to links with other nearby, replanted koala corridors in the Bexhill, Corndale and Numulgi regions thanks to the work of Bangalow Koalas.

The Torr is home and feeding island to many animals including threatened and endangered species. The Richmond Birdwing Butterfly, Glossy Black Cockatoos, Yellow Bellied Glider, Powerful Owls, Tawny frog mouths, Barn owls, bush rats, as well as echidnas, bent wing bats, micro bats, flying foxes, wedge tail eagles, black shouldered kites, gallahs, goannas, pheasants, quail, ring tail possums, brush tail possums, bandicoots, wallaby, kangaroo, green tree frogs, many native bee species, wasps, wrens, finches, honey-eaters, many species of snakes and many more.

First Nation Womens’ Healing & Birthing Sanctuary

Local Elders, have shared that the land of The Torr was an sacred space for women, for healing and birthing. It is a special place. Interestingly, all long term custodians of The Torr have been women. (Yes, there is an interesting story there.)

Custodian of The Torr – Connection to Country

On my first visit to The Torr, I saw a kestrel, a wedge tail eagle, and a raven. On my second visit I saw a Powerful Owl. All these birds I have as tattoo totems prior to connecting with the country here. My connection and deep love for the rainforest and the changing land, from the flats, up the steep hill has only grown. It wasn’t until I came here did I truly understand and experience connection to country, despite the Northern Rivers feeling like home on my first visit, thirty something years ago.

Keeping Story & Lore Alive

Originally, I set The Torr up as a sanctuary for writers, facilitating writing retreats for small groups. The energy here has allowed me to connect more with my creativity in art, and rewilding. Rewilding has become a major focus of my life now, calling on my university education (minor) in Environmental Studies, focusing on land degradation, soil erosion and demography, and developing my skills further through ongoing conservation management in Australia. I have been also studying rewilding efforts internationally with particular interest in the UK, New Orleans and Japan and the ways rewilding has already been established, proven to restore habitat following disaster. I enjoy sharing my knowledge by running Bexhill Coopers Creeks Landcare.

I believe an individual can make a difference, by planting trees, seeding action, sharing skills and understanding of what is possible. However, many hands make light work and reach further, creating greater impact.

Rewilding has seeded in me, and I am restoring The Torr mostly on a daily basis, depending on my disability. The Torr is a place of connecting community, smoking ceremonies with elders, a place where we can all connect to country and contribute and learn about first nation lore and the land, nurturing ourselves as individuals, as a community and tribe, and as custodians.

Your Support

Your support and donation allows the rewilding to continue. We are grateful for the support of individuals, local, national and international organisations in recognising the importance of the property, and the donation of trees and plants we have received. To give the plants their best chance, we support them with exclusion fencing, mulch, water, minerals, and natural boosters especially during root establishment. The largest expense is time, and manual labor to continue supporting the land restoration without the use of chemicals, by hand. We hope to run face to face and live online tours, workshops to raise awareness in our local and greater global community, to initiate conversations and facilitate change through rewilding and restoring degraded land. Stay tuned for the blog and video updates.

All contributions greatly appreciated.