Wildlife of Staughton Vale at risk from Bacchus Marsh Grammar Overdevelopment
Staughton Vale is a small locality, rich in wildlife and wonderful places to bushwalk and take photographs. The special combination of natural forest, grassy plains, farmland and house gardens is a lovely balance for wildlife and the people who live here. We've got it just right. But a large overdevelopment, like the one planned by Bacchus Marsh Grammar, will tip the balance.
Koalas
Koala Pete is well-known to locals around Staughton Vale. Part of his home range is right out the front of Bacchus Marsh Grammar’s proposed overdevelopment. Locals are often seen stopping to say hi to him, in his favourite Manna Gum tree.
He is attractive to the lady koalas too – several times we’ve seen a female come to visit him in breeding season! A good number of the koala joeys around the area would be his bubs.
Pete and his family are at the most risk from this overdevelopment. Just to live here, in this fragmented habitat, he needs to cross Staughton Vale Road every day. To get to him, his girlfriends need to cross the road as well. He’s smart, but his life depends on low traffic.
If this overdevelopment goes ahead, it's just a matter of time before we lose Pete.
Koala Pete in his favourite Manna Gum
Other Mammals
Birds
The area is a major hotspot for birds. People come to Staughton Vale and Anakie to see really special birds like Spotted Quail-thrush, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Diamond Firetail, Speckled Warbler and Purple-crowned Lorikeet. Some visit at night to hear Powerful Owls, Australian Owlet-nightjars and White-throated Nightjars.
Within 5km of the site there are 24 public birding hotspots on the global citizen science database eBird. Nearly 1600 checklists have been submitted, by 972 birders, over decades. This represents an enormous volunteer effort.
These birds are barely hanging on, and for some of them, this overdevelopment could mean they are made locally extinct.
Diamond Firetails are very likely to be using the site. They love the open grassy areas with a few old trees, and some fallen timber, and little disturbance from humans. This little population is the last remaining in the Greater Geelong area, and ours are breeding. Having a lot of people on this site, making lots of noise, removing fallen timber, will have a huge impact on this little population.
In the recent past, there was a population at the You Yangs, but they have disappeared. Sadly, another stronghold – Eynesbury – has recently seen big declines in this species due to the residential development of that site. From 56 sightings there in 2023, we are now down to just 4 so far in 2026.
Speckled Warblers are beautiful little birds that love open woodland sites where grasslands meet forest. The back boundary of this site, up against the national park, is habitat for this endangered species. Like the Diamond Firetails, they feed on the ground and won’t cope well with lots of people on the site every day.
Powerful Owls are one of the Brisbane Range’s most exciting birds. They are huge, and require enormous home ranges to support them.
The back boundary of the proposed overdevelopment abuts some of the best Chestnut-rumped Heathwren habitat in the entire Melbourne region. These little birds forage near the ground in thick undergrowth in eucalytpus forests. They also nest near the ground, which makes them especially vulnerable to cats, dogs and foxes. There is real danger that more activity on the site will open up the bush in a way that these little songbirds can't survive.
In May and June 2026, we had a special visitor to Staughton Vale - a pair of White-fronted Honeyeaters. These birds come from The Mallee, and are usually seen north of Bendigo. But our flowering Melbourne Yellow Gums on Staughton Vale Road were so abundant, that a pair of these beauties made the long trip. They were found by a visiting birder on 10 May (he came to see the Diamond Firetails), and stayed until 14 June.
Other birder highlights over the years have been a White-throated Gerygone, and breeding Satin Flycatchers in November 2025, Scarlet Honeyeaters in January 2024, Sahul Brush Cuckoo in November 2022 & 2025, Swift Parrots in May and September 2021, Blue-winged Parrots in September 2020.
What you can do - these actions make a difference
- One of the most effective actions to take is to call or email our local State Member, Ella George, and express your concerns:
Tel: 5275 3898 Email: ella.george@parliament.vic.gov.au - We have been told by the Department of Planning that the submissions can be made via email to development.assessment@transport.vic.gov.au
- Email Hon. Sonya Kilkenny, Minister for Planning email: sonya.kilkenny@parliament.vic.gov.au
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More Info
Please check out our About Us page for more information about the 11 year background to stop the over-development of the Bacchus Marsh Grammar campus on Staughton Vale Road
Thankyou everyone for your support!
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