Fauna Water Dragon(2)-compressed

Native Fauna and Flora

Many of the early Europeans who forged their way across the Blue Mountains noted some of the animals they saw, and often ate. Kangaroos, wallabies, sugar gliders and possums were popular, as well as the abundance of bird and reptile life.

As Europeans moved across the mountains in greater numbers the local fauna was exploited for fur and sport with hunting exploits noted in diaries and journals.

Over the years, as appreciation of the unique flora and fauna of the region grew amongst the new Australians, naturalists began to document the fauna of the region.

Today we have formalised record keeping including that of research scientists and others working in the field of environmental assessment. Birdwatchers and citizen scientists keep records both informally and formally, and whilst the number of records collected each year is increasing, there is still a lot of untapped knowledge held by the people who live and work in the Blue Mountains.

Being on the edge of a national park, and with ten acres of natural bush on the property, Mount Booralee is home to many of the native animal and bird species that one would expect to find in this part of the Blue Mountains, including the big grey kangaroo and swamp wallaby, brushtail and ringtail possum, eastern blue-tongue and water dragon lizards, the yellow-tailed black cockatoo, gang gang cockatoo, rosellas, lyre birds and multiple varieties of finches, plus many more examples of native wildlife.

Because of the lily pond and the oriental garden water feature, Booralee is home to many varieties of local frog, including the common eastern froglet, the Blue Mountains tree frog and the broad-palmed frog.

Each spring, the chorus of frogs calling is one of the most joyful and heart-warming sounds in nature.

Waratah (1)-compressed

The Grose Wilderness is the only declared wilderness area in the Blue Mountains National Park. At the heart of the Grose Wilderness is the magnificent Blue Gum Forest. This closed forest of tall blue gum trees is one of the most secluded areas in the Blue Mountains.

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The story is told that Miss Boutcher complained to the authorities that a certain gentleman was sunbaking nude on the hills almost a mile away. And when it was said “you could not see a man in the nude so far away,” she replied, “but I can see him with my powerful glasses.” She also said that she could not sleep if there was a second person in the house and it is said that only one bedroom was built to achieve that end.

History (2)

Miss Boucher at Mount Booralee Circa 1940

In 1945, Miss Boutcher, now in ill-health, sold the house and it’s 20 acres to Mr Edward Hill, a leather merchant, and his wife Myie.

Ever since Mrs Hill was a small child her family had lived in houses called ‘Booralee’ (an Aboriginal word allegedly meaning a star), so ‘Toward’ was renamed ‘Mount Booralee’ in 1945.

While the Hills added significantly to the house, their principal attention was paid to the garden which was extensively landscaped and expanded by the introduction of massed planting of rhododendrons and azaleas and other ornamental cool climate plants under the established cover of eucalypts. Edward Hill’s philosophy was to create an informal ‘English/Australian’ garden. He created walks, a large pond, an orchard and an Oriental garden featuring four ponds and a small waterfall.

Following Mrs Hill’s death, Mr Hill sold the property in 1978 to Mr Thomas Falconer, a financial officer with BHP. The new owner extended the house by the addition of a second story. Being keen tennis players, they also added a tennis court.

History (3)

Although the original house (destroyed by fire) has been replaced and extended, the ethos of the mountain home has maintained throughout all seven ownerships since 1881. The current house is an attractive example of an inter-war bungalow.

Mr Alfred Milani and his wife Jenny, from Sydney, bought the house in 1994. The Milanis made one major addition to the established garden in the form of a rose ‘Pleasance’ planted with over 100 old and rare specimens. At his time, the gardens became a popular stop for tourists visiting Blackheath and a venue for weddings and other social events.

The current owners bought Mount Booralee in 2014. They have added significantly to the garden, and in doing so, have respected Edward Hill’s philosophy and planted within the botanical framework established by him.

Mount Booralee was severely affected by the devastating bushfires in December 2019, with the property totally surrounded by fire and over eighty percent of the property’s 20 acres lost to the flames. Fortunately, the house and outbuildings, and most of the formal garden areas were saved.

Since the fires, the owners have devoted their time to the restoration of areas damaged by the fire. This has involved extensive replanting of both native and exotic plant species.