Gooromon Grasslands Offset Areas

Associated Developments: Lawson South Residential Development, Macgregor West 2 Residential Estate Development and West Belconnen Urban Development (Ginninderry)

Commonwealth environmental approval (EPBC Act): Strategic assessment of urban development at West Belconnen, ACT and NSW (Ginninderry)

Three separate Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) approval decisions are linked through the consolidation of three offset areas within the Gooromon Grasslands. These are:

• Gooromon Grasslands (including Jarramlee, West Macgregor and Lot 2 Wallaroo Road): EPBC SA024
  Approval decision effective until 30 June 2067
• Jarramlee: EPBC 2010/5549
  Approval decision effective until 30 September 2032
  Associated development: Lawson South Residential Development
• West Macgregor: EPBC 2010/5520
  Approval decision effective until 31 August 2020
  Associated development: Macgregor West 2 Residential Estate Development

Length of West Belconnen Strategic Assessment approval: 30 June 2067. Following this date, the offset areas will be incorporated into the Canberra Nature Park.

Associated Nature Reserves: Jarramlee-West Macgregor Nature Reserve

Where are the Gooromon Grasslands Offset Areas?

The Gooromon Grasslands Offset Areas comprises Jarramlee (110.3 Ha) and West Macgregor (37.2 Ha) Nature Reserve and the adjacent future offset area in New South Wales currently known as Lot 2 Wallaroo Rd (86.7 Ha). The sites are located on the north western boundary of the ACT in the district of Belconnen. The reserves border rural grazing land within both the ACT (agisted and leased land) and NSW (freehold). It is also less than 200 m from the suburbs of Dunlop and West Macgregor.

Why is it an offset?

The Gooromon Grasslands Offset Areas is a commitment of the West Belconnen Strategic Assessment, to consolidate the three offset areas. This strategic assessment includes an extension of Ginninderra Drive, which when [if] developed, will directly impact the existing environmental offset sites, Jarramlee and West Macgregor. Lot 2 Wallaroo Road is the additional offset site to account for this impact and is yet to be establish as an offset site managed by the ACT Parks and Conservation Service (PCS).

Jarramlee, West Macgregor and Lot 2 Wallaroo Road have complementary conservation objectives concerning Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES), protected under the EPBC Act. Specifically:

• Golden Sun Moth (Synemon plana)

Other MNES present on the sites include:

• Natural Temperate Grassland (of the South Eastern Highlands)
• Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)

Recognising that the offset sites also support other natural and cultural conservation values, the secondary objectives for the offsets sites are to:

1. Maintain habitat connectivity for woodland birds
2. Contribute towards the persistence of a local population of the Canberra Raspy Cricket (Cooraboorama canberrae)
3. Manage potential Pink-tailed Worm-lizard (Aprasia parapulchella) habitat
4. Improve protection and restoration of ecological values throughout the riparian corridor
5. Respect and foster Aboriginal connection and management of Country
6. Facilitate the development of a Ngunnawal Cultural Landscape Framework.

What else is special about the Gooromon Grasslands Offset Areas?

Connectivity

Remnant patches of Natural Temperate Grassland and Golden Sun Moth habitat within the Gooromon Grasslands also extend into the Dunlop Grassland Nature Reserve (102.6 Ha) to the north-east.

Gooromon Grasslands is part of an extensive area of Natural Temperate Grassland that extends across the northern ACT. The area includes the Gooromon Ponds Creek and Ginninderra Creek, which converge within Jarramlee and are feeder creeks for the greater Murrumbidgee River Corridor. Gooromon Grasslands protects a relatively isolated patch of Golden Sun Moth habitat within Canberra's rural urban fringe. This Golden Sun Moth habitat supports one of the largest known populations of Golden Sun Moth in the ACT.

Threatened fauna

• Canberra Raspy Cricket (Cooraboorama canberrae)
• Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata)
• Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)
• Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea)
• Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)
• Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)
• Painted Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis)
• Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)
• Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)
• Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii)
• Spotted Grass Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis)
• White-browed Woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus)
• White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons)
• White-winged Triller (Lalage sueurii)

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 Gooromon Grasslands 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.

A large number of registered Aboriginal artefact scatters are recorded within Gooromon Grasslands.

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.

What can I do in this area?

The Bicentennial National Trail traverses Gooromon Grasslands. This trail is suitable for horse riders, walkers and mountain bike riders. Dogs are permitted along the trail on a leash.

There is currently no public access allowed on West Macgregor as it is maintained through a rural lease.

Get involved and volunteer with the Ginninderra Catchment Group.

Management

The long-term aim for the offset areas are to conserve and increase the extent of Golden Sun Moth habitat and the Natural Temperate Grassland community.

• Gooromon Grasslands Offset Management Plan [PDF 4.1 MB]

Monitoring and research reports

• Environmental Offsets Ecological Monitoring Program Report 2018-19 [PDF 8.0 MB]
• Environmental Offsets Ecological Monitoring Program Report 2019-20 [PDF 10.8 MB]
• Jarramlee Golden sun moth population monitoring and habitat mapping 2018 [PDF 2.5 MB]
• Jarramlee Offset - Natural Temperate Grassland and Golden Sun Moth Habitat Monitoring Report 2015 [PDF 7.0 MB]
• West Macgregor Golden Sun Moth monitoring report 2017 [PDF 6.9 MB]
• Grassland Quality and Extent Mapping 2017 [PDF 5.7 MB]

More information

Find associated publications on the Offsets Register.