A second possum bridge has been rolled out in the City of Cockburn to help local brushtail
populations travel between bushland parks.
City of Cockburn Council head of Sustainability and Environment, Chris Beaton said the new
bridge aligned with Council’s aim to improve ecological connectivity between bushland
areas in Cockburn.
“Although it took about a year following installation, photos from surveillance cameras
have proven that possums regularly use the rope bridge on Beeliar Drive,” Mr Beaton said.
“We are confident that in time, the Hammond Road bridge will also be a popular route
for local wildlife.”
The 6.3m tall Beeliar Drive possum bridge was Perth’s first and it is helping keep the
local possum population as safe as possible from vehicles, and away from potential
predators on the ground, Mr Beaton said.
“As tree-dwellers during the day, Brushtails forage on the ground at night where they
are vulnerable to cats, dogs and foxes,” he said.
The second 35-metre rope Hammond Road bridge will help possums move safely from bushland around Kogolup Lake (managed by the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions) to and from the City’s nearby Jubilee Park which comprises Jubilee Lake, bushland and manicured park areas.
As recently as late October last year, a motion sensor camera recorded images of nocturnal
Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), or Koomal/Koomool in Nyungar, traversing
Yangebup’s Beeliar Drive possum bridge, which was erected in mid-2019.
The 34-metre-long rope bridge helps possums inhabiting Kogolup Lake in Beeliar Regional Park on Beeliar Drive’s southern side to access additional habitat around Yangebup Lake on the road’s northern side.
Hammond Road is currently undergoing a $22.6m upgrade to improve safety and traffic flow and is due for completion around mid-year. The rope bridge was included in the project, Council said.
