Western Ringtail Possums listed as 'rare or likely to become extinct'.

Phoebe - ready for release

Our beautiful Phoebe, a Western Ring Tail Possum who was orphaned when she fell of her Mummies back as she was branch hopping between the trees, is now ready to be a big girl in the wild. Joslyn hand reared Phoebe for several months until she had gained enough weight to be released. Phoebe has been out the the past several nights, racing across the deck, trying to climb windows and waking us up. We think she has ventured further a field now as we don't hear her, but every morning we find her fast asleep in her pouch. She is not eating the food we leave out for her, so she must be getting enough to eat during the night. Western Ring Tail Possums love Peppermint Tree leaves and we have plenty of those in our backyard.

There is little knowledge of the social behaviour of Western Ringtail Possums. They are said to be very solitary and mostly live on their own, but our Phoebe loves it when we spend time with her while she is in her pouch. We don't handle her anymore as she needs to learn to be a wild child, but she knows where she can be safe and warm.

The Western Ringtail Possum is listed as a threatened species. Their legal status under the EPBC Act (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) is "Vulnerable" and under the West Australian Wildlife Conservation Act (1950) they are listed as 'rare or likely to become extinct'. We are so blessed to have Phoebe here, she can join Polly who is our resident wild possum.

Phoebe came to us from licensed wildlife carers Pauline and Kevin at Dreamers Dream Wildlife Rehabilitation in Mount Barker. This is now our Sammie Jo's new home. We are guided by their expertise and knowledge during Phoebes release stage.

"It is such a privilege to share our backyard with a species that cannot be found anywhere else on this entire planet."

Albany has it all!!

Why the Albany Region is a compelling choice for a relaxing discovery break.

Dedicated Discoverer - Want to escape the daily grind? Looking for an authentic experience? Looking for adventure?

Aspirational Achievers - Do you view travel and holidays as a reward for your hard work and success in life? Are you looking for a wine, food and activity based holiday?

Experience Seekers (International) - Do you want to challenge yourself? Visit authentic destinations off the tourist route? Exposure to unique and compelling experiences? Grow as an individual and stay healthy?

Discover the Albany Region and enjoy a memorable experience in a nature based environment.
Make the change from Visiting to Discovering and Experiencing.

Albany and our surrounding region offer tourists an experience like no other.
Boasting seven National Parks and 49 pristine beaches, local attractions, beautiful natural surrounds and wildlife, farmers markets, events and festivals, restaurants, bars and shops — Albany has it all.

Add to this the surrounding offerings all within an easy drive— pristine beaches, national parks and a wonderful selection of regional wineries — Albany Region is a tourism destination which truly has something for everyone.

Autumn at HideAway Haven

Autumn in the Albany Region

Autumn at HideAway Haven - our favourite season

"bliss in the bush"

"Yet Autumn is here, like another Spring,
a ministering, kindly season, healing the wounds of that too ardent love
which Summer gave.  - C. J. Dennis

The mornings are cool and crisp with mist settling into the valleys. Watch the sun rise and mist lift as you sit on your deck, wrapped up in your cosy white gown with a warm cuppa in warming your hands.

With a huge variety of beautiful natural scenery and so many things to do and experience, Albany Region is a destination to discover and experience in autumn. 

Albany’s mild and mostly-sunny autumn weather is absolutely perfect for enjoying the outdoors on a picnic or a long hike in one of our many National Parks.  See our Walks and Hike guide.  Some days the weather is warm enough to spend the day at the beach and enjoy a swim in the crystal blue waters of the Southern Ocean.  

And to mix it up a little there will be some cool and rainy days to entice you to go for a scenic drive, wine tasting or maybe a long winery lunch at one of the many wineries in our region.

"Make the change from visiting to discovering and experiencing the Albany Region" 

I love seeing the open ocean stretching endlessing into the distance.

Albany Region for the Experience Seeker

In every out-thrust headland,

in every curving beach,

in every grain of sand

there is the story of the earth. 

- Rachel Carson

John will take you closer to the awesome coastline of Albany than any other boat trip and at an exciting and exhilarating pace with his Wave Rider. Leaving Discovery Bay John will take you on a adventure around Bald Head towards the new viewing platform at The Gap.

On your return John will take you to see Limestone Head, Bald Head, Isthmus, Salmon Holes, Peak Head, Jimmy Newells Harbour, Cable Beach and much more. John is working on plans to make this a regular trip.

I love seeing the open ocean stretching forth endlessly into the distance and riding the waves on that open ocean was just awesome.

SKYPRINTS was aboard the wave with their drone, so their is some awesome footage on their facebook page.

How to use egg shells

Convincing Reasons to Start Using Egg Shells In Your Garden

At HideAway Haven we use a lot of eggs when preparing delicious breakfasts for our guests. So what do we do with all the egg shells. Being environmentally aware we didn't want to just throw them away or put them all into the compost. 

Here are just some of our uses.

• We do have slugs and snails in our garden and we don't want to use chemicals to deter them. We sprinkle coarsely-crumbled baked eggshells (see note below why baked eggshells are safer) around the plants where the snails like to dine. The shells’ sharp edges deter snails and slugs by abrading the sensitive foot of any land mollusc that attempts to cross the barrier. Most snails and slugs quickly emigrate from our garden in search of easier pickings.

• The eggshells are also a great way for our birds to get extra calcium into their diets.

• While calcium is considered a secondary nutrient for plants, our garden certainly appreciates the added minerals, especially our tomatoes and peppers as these plants are the most easily affected by calcium-deficiency. We bake the eggshells and then grind them to a fine powder in the Thermomix.

Eggs are known carriers of salmonella, are not present in un-cracked eggs that have been well washed. If you want to store ground eggshells that are safe sterilize them in a 100°C oven for 30 minutes. You can then pulverize the dried eggshells using a mortar and pestle, Stored in an airtight container, crushed eggshells will probably last forever.

We keep our eggs shells and pop them in the oven when preheating for breakfast cooking.

Who Funds Wildlife Rehabilitation?

Caring for our wildlife is everyone's responsibility

Each year many tens of thousands of native animals are presented for care after being discovered sick, orphaned or injured by members of the community. The primary aim of rescue and treatment of wildlife should be to rehabilitate and release the animal as quickly and effectively as possible. Animal welfare is a recognition that animals, like us, deserve a life free of pain, discomfort, distress and hunger, and one that reasonably fulfils their physiological, psychological and social needs. Animals that we rescue are often sick, debilitated or suffering from serious injuries;

Who Funds Wildlife Rehabilitation?

Everyone thinks that some agency, probably a government funded one, protects and cares for wild animals in distress. But this is not the case. Wildlife carers are trained volunteers who give their time and care free of charge. They pay for the care of wildlife, including VET costs from their own pocket.

Burn out for wildlife carers seems to occur all too frequently these days and it should be everyone’s responsibility to help each other and provide support and finance when we recognise that someone is struggling.

Even just a thank you to our wildlife carers goes a long way to showing your appreciation.  You can do here at a Thank a Wildlife Carer Event
 

It's been fun to watch who pops in for a visit or an extended stay!

Our Eco Friendly Award Winning Garden

At HideAway Haven we use Eco-friendly gardening practices. Practices that do not cause harm to the environment, including our beautiful wildlife. There are many benefits to eco-friendly gardening practices -- from improved water quality to an improved wildlife habitat. Creating an attractive, eco healthy garden takes a bit of patience and understanding, but is so rewarding.

There were several things to consider when selecting plants to create our garden. Our top priority was to use native species from our region. These are well-adapted to local growing conditions, which mean they will need fewer resources to maintain (water, fertiliser, etc.). Native plants also provide habitat for our native birds, insects, and other wildlife. The majority of our plants are from Ardess Nursery, who have an amazing selection of native shrubs and trees.

There are many plants (not native) that can help create an eco-friendly garden.

• Tough, resilient drought tolerant species with wildlife value, such as, dense evergreen shrubs, that make good nesting sites for many birds and berry-producing shrubs provide a food source for many types of wildlife.
• Planting a wide selection of flowering shrubs for a continuous bloom through the seasons ensures that there is always nectar available for our native pollinators.

Most environmentally-friendly landscapes do not have a traditional, manicured look. Keeping with the idea of mimicking a natural ecosystem, we allow our garden to be a little overgrown and disorderly -- nature rarely occurs in straight lines or looks as neat and clean as the average front yard. Eco-friendly landscapes have a different form of beauty, one that is much more aligned to natural landscapes. Dense shrubbery, piles of brush, rocks, logs and other quasi-natural features are all part of the overall design of our garden.

It's been fun to watch who pops in for a visit or even an extended stay!