Sustainable Housing in St George

A sustainable home is currently being constructed by the Queensland Government for use as a Ranger’s residence and office as part of the northern hairy-nosed wombat reintroduction project near St George.

The northern hairy-nosed wombat reintroduction project aims to establish a second colony of the critically endangered mammal on Yarran Downs, a cattle property north of St George.

As part of the reintroduction project, Rangers will be on-site monitoring the activities of the wombats, and therefore require suitable yet sustainable housing and office facilities.

The three-bedroom home (plus office) aims to reduce human impact on the surrounding environment by incorporating many sustainable features specific to the hot and arid conditions, including:

• Orientation to north
• Insulated flooring systems
• Walls built to create a thermal siphon
• Vented eaves to release hot air
• Cross flow ventilation addressed through placement of windows and doors.
• 2 x 20,000L rainwater tanks
• Composting toilets
• 1.5 kW solar panels
• LED light fittings

(A greywater system was investigated however was deemed not suitable for the project and cost-prohibitive)

Visit the Your House section on our website for information on how to incorporate sustainable building into your home.

For more information on the northern hairy-nosed wombat, and progress of the new colony, please go to www.derm.qld.gov.au. Or, go to the wombat diary for daily reports on the move.