The mallee fowl, Leipoa ocellata, are closely related to domesticated chickens and turkeys, which in turn descended from dinosaurs!
Mallee fowl are notorious for lack of parental care. While the eggs incubate in large mounds, tended dutifully by the male bird, any attachment after hatching fails as the chicks are left to fend for themselves once they surface. Not surprisingly the survival percentage is quite low.
Local landowners have lobbied for a more protected ‘safe haven’ in this area in the past twenty to thirty years. There have been recent sightings and hopefully you may see one while out geocaching.
The speed limit was reduced to 80kph, and two mallee fowl signs have been placed at either end of this section of Ferries McDonald Road.
Updated coordinates: S35 14.462 E139 07.885 as the first sign has disappeared.
At the base of the sign is a ten (10) digit telephone number, #1800 ABC DEF.
The cache is located at:
S35 E(B+C).(F-E)D(D-B)
E139 (B-E) (D+B).AC(B+E)
Checksum = 18 and 21.
Please BYO pen as the cache container contains a log sheet only.