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Throsby and Kenny Broadacre Offset Areas

Associated Development: Gungahlin Urban Development

Commonwealth approval: Strategic assessment of urban development at Gungahlin, ACT

Length of Gungahlin Strategic Assessment approval: 1 January 2043. Following this date, the offset areas will be incorporated into the Canberra Nature Park.

Full Name: Throsby East, Throsby North and Kenny Broadacre

Associated Nature Reserves: Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve

Where are the Throsby and Kenny Broadacre Offset Areas?

The offset areas include Throsby North (172 Ha), Throsby East (104 Ha) and Kenny Broadacre (23 Ha). They extend both the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve in the northern part of the ACT. The offset areas adjoin the Throsby residential development area and are adjacent to the future Kenny residential development and Nadjung Mada Offset Area.

Why is it an offset?

Throsby East, Throsby North and Kenny Broadacre have complementary conservation objectives concerning Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES), protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Specifically:

Other MNES present on the sites include:

What else is special about the Throsby and Kenny Broadacre Offset Areas?

Connectivity

The offset areas adjoin to Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve, which has an additional 24 Ha managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service across the border. Combined with other woodlands within the ACT and NSW, the offset areas are part of one of the largest, best connected and most diverse patches of Box-Gum Grassy Woodland remaining in south-eastern Australia. They are also located in an area that is part of the Molonglo River to Barton Highway Woodland corridor, which has been nominated for provisional registration on the ACT Heritage Register for its natural heritage values.

The source of Sullivan's Creek is within the Throsby East Offset Area. The creek flows from within the reserve through to the Kenny Offset Area and is a tributary of the Lake Burley Griffin and the Molonglo River.

Threatened fauna

  • Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus)
  • Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata)
  • Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami)
  • Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)
  • Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii)
  • Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)
  • Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta)
  • Perunga Grasshopper (Perunga ochracea)
  • Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)
  • Speckled Warbler (Chthonicola sagittata)
  • Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)
  • Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera)
  • White-winged Triller (Lalage sueurii)

Threatened flora

  • Blue Grass Lily (Caesia calliantha)
  • Hairy Centrolepis (Centrolepis strigosa)
  • Narrow Plantain (Plantago gaudichaudii)

Find out about threatened flora and fauna. You can also find useful information through the NSW Government threatened biodiversity profile search and PlantNET.

Ngunnawal Country and People

The Throsby and Kenny Broadacre Offset Areas are located on Ngunnawal Country, an ancient and diverse landscape managed by Ngunnawal people for tens of thousands of years. For time immemorial Ngunnawal people have maintained a tangible and intangible cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to these lands and waters.

The offset areas support cultural heritage sites including sites of Aboriginal cultural and archaeological significance.

The Heritage Act 2004 makes particular provision for recognising, registering and conserving Aboriginal places and objects. Under the Act it is an offence to damage, disturb or destroy any Aboriginal place or object. Find out more about the protection of Aboriginal places and objects.

European heritage

The offset areas support cultural heritage sites including remnant huts/homesteads, woolsheds, trees indicating old roads and an abandoned horse ploughed field. The Old Coach Road and Mulligans Flat Ploughlands are listed on the ACT Heritage Register.

What can I do in this reserve?

Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve are used for walking, running and cycling. Bird watching is also very popular. Ranger guided activities are organised within the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary.

Access for recreation may be reduced at times when stock is present within the offset areas.

Dogs and horses are not permitted within the reserves.

Get involved and volunteer with Friends of Mulligans Flat.

Management

The long term management aim is to conserve and improve the extent and understorey condition of Box-Gum Grassy Woodland, the extent and condition of Golden Sun Moth habitat, the extent and condition of Striped Legless Lizard habitat; and to protect Superb Parrot breeding sites. Management will be in accordance with the offset management plan.

Monitoring and research reports

More information

Find associated publications on the Offsets Register.