General

As suggested by their name, rock-wallabies live in areas with rocky habitat. There are 16 species of rock-wallaby in Australia forming the largest group of macropods (kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives); but only one species, the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, occurs in Victoria.

The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Petrogale penicillata, weighs 6 to 8kg, making it one of the larger species of rock-wallabies; but one of the smaller species of wallaby. They are predominantly brown, with rufous colouring on the hindquarters. The face has a pale cheek stripe and the tail is long with a characteristic brushy end. They have heavily padded feet, making them agile bouncing across rock.

Once abundant and widespread throughout suitable habitat in south-eastern Australia; Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies are now restricted to fragmented populations in southern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Many factors are thought to have contributed to the continued decline of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies.  Amongst those regularly cited are hunting, predation by foxes, competition for food and shelter, weed invasion, changes in fire regimes, drought and disease.

Recent genetic research on Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies indicates that the current population in Australia can be divided into three distinct groups: a northern group encompassing south-eastern Queensland and north-east New South Wales; a central group extending south of the Hunter River to south-east New South Wales; and a southern or Victorian group comprising the Victorian animals. The northern group is the most numerous with a total of approximately 10 to 20,000 animals; in contrast the central group is perhaps less than 800-900 animals, and only 20 or so animals remaining in the wild in Victoria.

As a result the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is listed as "Critically Endangered" in Victoria, “Endangered” in New South Wales and "Vulnerable" in Queensland.

Victoria 

 It is estimated that there are less than 60 individuals of the Victorian species remaining, with only a third of these in the wild. In response to such low numbers a captive-breeding program was established in 1996 to increase their numbers and for future re-introductions into the wild.

In Victoria, the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is listed as “Critically Endangered” as defined by the IUCN guidelines. It is also listed on Schedule 2 of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG) and an Action Statement (No. 19) has been prepared that describes the actions that have been and will be taken to conserve them. It can be viewed on the DSE web site www.dse.vic.gov.au

Recent research on the DNA of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies has uncovered distinct differences in the genetic make up through their range; the East Gippsland rock-wallabies are genetically distinct and it has been recommended that they be managed separately as an Evolutionary Significant Unit