High-tech research and monitoring approaches are allowing researchers to unravel the secret lives of one of the largest bat species in Australia, the ghost bat. GPS tags, autonomous ultrasonic sound recorders and DNA fingerprinting are allowing researchers to track, monitor and learn more about this unique species. 

First recognised half a world away in the mid-1800s, the Western Australian genus Geleznowia, commonly known as yellow bells, has a tumultuous history spanning the globe, with modern techniques revealing unexpected diversity in this stunning group. 

Once the site of Alcoa’s first bauxite mine in the 1960s, Langford Park is today a popular trail network where hikers and mountain bikers can weave their way through the rehabilitated forest. Recent trail and facility upgrades mean the park is providing an enriched experience for visitors. 

The concept of seasons and how they are defined in western culture includes indicators such as air temperature, rainfall or soil dryness. For Noongar Aboriginal peoples, it is a more nuanced and a more lived experience, noticing instead the movement and behaviours of animals or the reproduction of plants. These sensed phenomena play a key part in the seasonality of cultural burning practices.
 

The Wilderness Ocean Walk (WOW) Trail near Denmark has recently been extended, linking up with the Bibbulmun Track, Munda Biddi Trail and iconic Waterfall Beach to Elephant Rocks Trail, to create a 15-kilometre coastal adventure that takes full advantage of the picturesque landscape.

Ten-year-old Olivia Thomas enjoyed some unstructured play time at Kent Street Weir with her friend Edith as part of the Muddy Hands Festival. Each year, the City of Canning runs the festival, and Nature Play WA brings the muddy fun to help encourage children and families to enjoy playing outdoors and being in nature.

Josh Byrne grew up on the south coast of Western Australia, immersed in the stunning coastal landscapes, which carved a deep love and fascination with the natural environment. As his skills and knowledge grew, so did his sense of responsibility for our shared future, and he now spends his days sharing his love and passion for sustainability. 

Around 80 kilometres north of Albany lies Stirling Range National Park, so named after the rugged peaks of the Stirling Range that mark the landscape with their impressive size and jagged edges.

A new joint management agreement is enabling Nharnuwangga Wajarri Ngarlawangga people to work on Country, rediscover long-forgotten cultural sites and care for the land of their ancestors in Collier Range National Park (proposed Gulali National Park) and the soon to be created national park at the former Waldburg Station (proposed Jilgu National Park).

After a year of sampling the species in the Swan-Canning Estuary, it was an exciting moment for Masters student Emily Taljaard to see an albino southern eagle ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) in the Swan Estuary Marine Park at Alfred Cove.

After photographing Australian wildlife for more than 40 years, Jiri Lochman has had more interesting encounters than you can imagine. He is fascinated by the living natural world and has had the rare opportunity to view the incredible world of centipedes up close.
 

If you were lucky enough to visit Perth Zoo’s breed-for-release facility over the last few years, you probably saw many dibblers (Parantechinus apicalis) scurrying around in their leaf-litter filled enclosures. 

As the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Western Australia’s famed long-distance walk trail, the Bibbulmun Track, come to an end, volunteer Jim Baker ponders what motivates people to walk for weeks through the bush, what attracts people from all over the world, and who are the people who were instrumental in creating, developing and maintaining the beloved track.

Bushwalking novice and eternal optimist Ivy James tried her hand at walking nearly 70 kilometres from Brookton Highway to North Bannister along the Bibbulmun Track as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. With minimal training and an open mind, Ivy embraced the experience and was enveloped by the track and the warmth of her fellow walkers.

Environmental DNA is a new innovative technology being used to trace invasive cane toads in the Kimberley environment. Several Aboriginal ranger groups have been trained in the new sampling method and are detecting toads in previously undiscovered areas, including an offshore island.
 

Looking remarkably like matchsticks are the eye-catching flowers of Banksia cuneata or the matchstick banksia.
Concern was raised about the decline of matchstick banksia in the early 1980s and since being listed as threatened,
a large amount of work has been undertaken by the species’ recovery team.

Australian southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) feed across the Southern Ocean, which is vast and changing due to climate change. Researchers are addressing the question of how a changing climate affects the whales but first have to find out where exactly the whales are migrating.

Over the past three years the Dwellingup area has been developed as a world-class trail destination within a unique forested natural environment and a stunning river valley.