Oakey Scrub

Oakey Scrub is a small 62 hectare reserve on a Oakey Creek just to the west of Cooktown on Cape York Peninsula.  It major significance lies in its lowland tropical rainforest which takes up just under half the area and which has recently been listed as nationally endangered.  Much of the rainforest on Oakey Scrub was partially cleared in the nineteenth century, but it has now recovered well with a canopy height of 22-30 meters and a diverse range of species.  While possibly not resident, recent surveys have found evidence of both Cassowary and Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo in the Scrub.

Besides the rainforest, a Oakey Scrub also protects an area of very healthy tropical savanna which is inhabited by the Endangered Northern Quoll.  The other listed species found on the reserve are Semons Leaf-nosed Bat and the Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat.

Oakey Scrub was purchase in 2022 with the assistance of Rainforest 4.

The major management issues are feral animals trampling the rainforest floor and damaging the ground layer.  While most of the damage has been done by pigs, other feral animals present are cattle, horses and a small number of deer.  We have a major program underway to along the rainforests of Oakey Creek and the Annan River seeking to very substantially reduce the populations of these feral animals.