title: Yookamurra Sanctuary
text: # Yookamurra Sanctuary
  
  Yookamurra Sanctuary is a 50 $km^2$ private protected area in the Murraylands region of South Australia, between the eastern slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Murray River, 24 km north-east of the town of Sedan. It is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
  
  ## History
  
  Yookamurra is a consolidation of several properties acquired by Earth Sanctuaries for wildlife conservation from the late 1980s to 1998, before being purchased by AWC in 2002.
  
  ## Landscape and climate
  
  The reserve consists of gently undulating country with shallow soils overlying calcrete, at an altitude of 80-90 m. It lies at the southern end of the semi-arid zone of South Australia and the climate is one of cool winters and hot summers. The average annual rainfall, mainly falling in winter, is 270 mm.
  
  ## Ecosystems
  
  Most of Yookamurra's habitats are variations of mallee woodlands and shrublands.
  
  ## Fauna
  
  Threatened fauna species include malleefowl, emu, southern hairy-nosed wombat, western grey kangaroo, red kangaroo, numbat, greater bilby, boodie, woylie and short-beaked echidna. An attempted reintroduction of the greater stick-nest rat failed.
  
  