Pulletop Nature Reserve
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| Pulletop Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Entrance sign, Pulletop Nature Reserve | |
  Pulletop Nature Reserve | |
| Location | New South Wales |
| Nearest city | Rankins Springs |
| Coordinates | 33°58′04.9″S 146°04′38.2″E / 33.968028°S 146.077278°E |
| Area | 1.45 km2 (0.56 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | 18 January 1963[1] |
| Governing body | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Website | Official website |
Pulletop Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve, located in the Cobar Peneplain region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia.[1] The 145 ha (360-acre) reserve is located approximately 38 km (24 mi) north of Griffith, and 22 km (14 mi) southwest of Rankins Springs.[1]
The reserve lies within Wiradjuri country, however the history of Aboriginal use of the reserve is unknown.[1] There are significant Aboriginal sites in Cocoparra National Park, which is located 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Pulletop Nature Reserve, and it is thought that hunting would have occurred throughout the mallee country around Cocoparra National Park, which would include Pulletop Nature Reserve.[1]
The reserve was formerly part of a privately owned property that was progressively cleared in the 1950s for sheep and crop production.[1] From 1951 to 1960, Australian ornithologist Harry Frith used the area of the reserve to study the ecology and behaviour of a small number of malleefowl.[1] Frith's research led him to publish nine scientific papers and a book — The Mallee-Fowl: The Bird that Builds an Incubator (1962) — which focused on the breeding, distribution, predation and conservation of mallefowl.[1][2]
By 1956 the area of the reserve had become isolated from other areas of mallee.[1] Steps to preserve the area to conserve habitat for the malleefowl began in December 1960, when 145 hectares was withdrawn from sale from Homestead Farm.[1] In January 1963, the area was dedicated as Pulletop Faunal Reserve, renamed to Pulletop Nature Reserve in 1967.[1]
