Flat Rock Reserve

The 455 ha Flat Rock Reserve, located east of Bagdad in Tasmania's southern midlands, links the historic Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary with the Alpha Pinnacle Conservation Area, creating a continuous protected area of over 1000 ha. It is managed under a cooperative management plan with Chauncy Vale.

The southern midlands region is part of an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot. As well as supporting a high overall species diversity, the region supports a large number of endemic species (found only in Tasmania) and a high concentration of threatened species.

Flat Rock Reserve is part of a range of rocky dolerite hills, supporting remnant areas of silver peppermint forest and grassy blue gum forest - both priority communities for conservation. Areas of important rock plate grasslands provide suitable habitat for threatened annual plant species and orchids.

Gunns Limited formerly owned the land and parts of it were logged until the mid 1980s. These sections are now regenerating well and providing useful wildlife habitat.

The Southern Midlands Council and the local community group Friends of Chauncy Vale worked with Gunns Limited for many years to bring about this purchase.

Prior to the TLC's involvement Gunns Limited offered the Southern Midlands Council a one third discount on the land to make the community purchase achievable. The TLC finalised the arrangements by accessing funds from a number of sources including:

• major funding from the Commonwealth Government's National Reserve System Program;
• major funding from the Tasmanian Private Forest Reserve Program, funded through the Commonwealth Government's Natural Heritage Trust and;
• funds from our loyal regular TLC donors.

The three linked reserves will now be managed jointly by Southern Midlands Council, Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, Friends of Chauncy Vale and TLC.