Black Footed Rock Wallaby

The EPBC lists the West Kimberley and the McDonnell Ranges Black-footed Rock-wallaby as Vulnerable.
The IUCN does not list this species.

There may be different subspecies.

The Black-footed or Black-flanked Rock Wallaby is approx 465-570mm in head and body length. The tail is approx 450-510mm long and it weighs approx 5-7kg.
The females are smaller than the males.
They have a thick long tail that helps them balance.

At Yardie Creek, Pilbara, WA

Habitat

Yardie Creek Pilbara WA

In Western Australia they are found at Yardie Creek Gorge in the Cape Range National Park south of Exmouth. (photograph on the left).

They are also found on Barrow Island and some islands in Recherche Arch. and a few other small populations in other parts of the Kimberley and state.

This is where we saw the Black-footed rock wallabies at Yardie Creek, Cape Range National Park in the Pilbara, WA.

Right in the middle of the photo is a pile of rocks that have slipped down at some time and the Rock wallaby was sitting on top of these rocks.

Go Here to see our video of the Black-footed Rock Wallaby at Yardie Creek.

What do they eat?

They mainly feed on grass and herb plants. Like the Euro Wallabies, they do not need to drink often which is pretty amazing seeming they live in some of the hottest places in Australia.

They look roundish or plump, this is their natural size. They were shorter than I expected.

They are mainly nocturnal, they are most active in the early evening, but can come out to sunbathe from their rock shelter or cave during a warm winters day although I saw the Rock wallabies at Yardie Creek out during the heat of the day in December.

The way the rocks break away from the gorge walls makes natural shelters.

Other kangaroos such as the Western Grey Kangaroo scrape out a shallow patch in the sand to rest in.

They have the amazing ability to leap all over these loose rocks, some rocks slip under their weight but they seem to know how to pick a safe path.

These photographs were taken at the Ormiston Gorge, West McDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory north-east of Alice Springs. We saw these Rock wallabies out during the day in August.

This is the Ormiston Gorge at the West McDonnell Ranges, NT. There are plenty of walks to do in this area. We saw all the Black-footed Rock Wallabies while walking down through the bottom of the gorge. They kept their distance and none came up to anyone for feeding. About 15metres was the closest I saw anyone get to the wallaby.

Young joey's that have left the pouch but are still being fed by their mothers milk usually follow the mother where ever she goes. This is not the case for the young Rock-wallabies as the terrain is dangerous and would slow the mother down. The joey instead, plays around the shelter and builds up its skills in negotiating the rocks and gaps.

Tracks

You are not always going to see the Rock-wallaby track due to them spending so much time on rocks but you may be able to get some tracks at the bottom of a gorge.

The Rock-wallabies have thick pads on their feet that help it to grip the rock surfaces. They also have short claws.

Scats

If you find the scats of a Rock-wallaby then you may find the wallaby as it usually goes to the toilet around where it either rests or feeds and this is where it spends most of its time.

On the one walk I saw five Black-footed Rock Wallabies at Ormiston Gorge, NT. They tended to sit very still and they blended in with the different colour tones of the rocks.

Go Here to see our video of the Black-footed Rock wallaby and its habitat at Ormiston Gorge, NT