Dryandra Woodland

Dryandra is a remnant of the woodland that once covered much of the Western Australian wheatbelt before clearing, around twenty-eight thousand hectares of wandoo and powderbark left in blocks among farmland. It holds the most significant remaining wild population of the numbat, a small termite-eating marsupial and the state's animal emblem, which is active by day and occasionally seen along the tracks by patient visitors. Woylies, tammar wallabies and echidnas also live here. Barna Mia, a fenced nocturnal sanctuary within the woodland, runs evening tours where visitors see bilbies, boodies, woylies and quenda under low light. Fox baiting since the 1980s allowed these populations to recover.

What you actually see

• The numbats - the wild population, day-active and occasionally seen on tracks.
• Barna Mia - guided evening tours in a fenced sanctuary with bilbies and boodies.
• The wandoo woodland - old-growth remnant in cleared farming country.
• The walking trails - marked routes through the woodland blocks.

When to go

April to October for comfortable conditions; numbats are most visible on mild sunny days in autumn and spring, when they forage in the open. Summer is hot and animals stay hidden. Barna Mia tours run on set evenings and must be booked.

Honest expectations

Numbat sightings require patience and luck; many visitors see none. Barna Mia is a booked, guided tour with limited places. Facilities are limited to basic accommodation in old forestry huts and a campground.

Nearby

Narrogin lies southeast; Wave Rock is further east.