Wombats
Wombats are an iconic Australian species that often encounter people and can sometimes damage property. By better understanding wombat behaviour and adapting land management practices, we can live harmoniously with these marsupials.
This page will help you:
- Learn about wombats found in South Australia
- Find out how you can live with wombats
- Discover ways to manage and prevent any damage wombats may cause
About wombats
Wombats are large burrowing marsupials that spend most of the day in the comfort and safety of their warrens.
Most people will only see wombats from a distance early in the morning or evening. At night, they will stay close to their burrows as they roam native scrub, agricultural areas or roadsides while grazing on grass, roots or shrubs.
There are two species of wombat found in South Australia, which are both protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (NPW Act).
Both species grow to an average of one metre in length and can weigh between 20 - 32 kg.
Common (bare-nosed) wombat – listed as rare under the NPW Act and found in south-eastern SA along the coast from Coorong south to the Victorian border, extending as far north as Bordertown. They are also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.
Southern hairy-nosed wombat – once widespread in the semi-arid regions of southern Australia, they are now confined to SA and the far southwest of WA. In SA, populations are fragmented and found in the Murraylands, Yorke Peninsula, far west coast, western Eyre Peninsula, northwest of Lake Gardiner and the Gawler Ranges.
Wombats live in warren systems, which can be complex and contain numerous linked burrows. Some warrens have been used for decades and are continually expanded by successive generations.
Constructing these burrows is hard work, as wombats must dig through rocks and dense clay to create their underground homes. Over time, erosion and occasional tunnel collapse alter the structure of warrens, sometimes resulting in entrances that look like large craters—these can be as deep as two metres.
Within their home range, wombats typically move between several different warrens, making the most of the shelter and safety these complex networks provide.
Wombats have slow reproduction rates and females typically give birth to a single joey every two years.
Wombat populations in SA are affected by habitat destruction from intensive agriculture and burrow destruction. This leads to fragmented populations and genetic isolation.
Intensive agriculture can also lead to a loss of preferred food sources, along with competition with domestic stock and feral animals, and illegal destruction.
Many populations have also been subject to outbreaks of sarcoptic mange which can be lethal.
Drought and climate change can also greatly affect wombat numbers, and it takes at least three consecutive good seasons before the adult wombat population starts to increase.
Wombat impacts
Wombats can often encounter people and cause impacts including:
Wombats are large, strong animals. They are active at night and generally move slowly.
They can be hard to spot on country roads and, because their eyes do not reflect light, they can be dangerous for drivers. Hitting a wombat can seriously damage a car and injure or kill the animal.
Wombats eat a range of native and non-native grasses, roots and shrubs.
Young crops are a favoured food source when available (particularly for southern hairy-nosed wombats) and grazing halos (circular area of short grass or bare earth) are often seen around a burrow.
In addition, crops can be less productive near wombat burrows because of soil fouling by wombat faeces and urine.
Wombats can easily push through or dig under fences.
This can result in holes which stock may use to escape. It can also destabilise posts and weaken a fence.
In addition, wombats often start burrows where they have dug under a fence.
Wombats can damage the structural integrity of infrastructure, such as:
- water and gas pipelines
- power poles
- fibre optic cables
- sheds
- roads
- water tanks and troughs.
This damage can be caused by undermining - which makes the infrastructure less stable - or through chewing or scratching.
Wombat burrows can be up to four metres deep and more than 20 metres long.
Wombats dig these tunnels in sand or clay, often near trees, rocks or creek banks for support.
Unstable or shallow burrows can suddenly collapse, causing people or vehicles to fall which may cause injury to people and/or damage to plant and equipment.
Top tips for living with wombats
Wombats are an iconic Australian species and, where possible, landowners and infrastructure managers are encouraged to adopt designs and management practices that enable harmonious co-existence with wombats.
Planning can reduce the frequency and impact of wombats and their burrows.
Understand which areas of the property are favoured by wombats and why.
Avoid intensive use of these areas, driving near burrows or disturbing burrows that are not causing any impacts.
On farming properties, consider the height of the bottom strand of wire on a fence. If possible, avoid tight low wire strands.
Consider installation of two-way gates at locations where wombats are known to move.
When protecting high value sites, consider installing a fencing skirt with rock armouring (where rocks are placed around the base of the fence) to stop animals from easily digging under the fence.
When designing infrastructure, avoid areas with high numbers of wombat burrows.
Consider armouring cables to limit the chance of a wombat chewing through it.
Construct an apron area around infrastructure which makes it difficult for a wombat to start a burrow.
Monitoring wombat burrow numbers and locations is important to understand if risks and impacts have changed.
Monitoring can also determine if management practices have been effective.
In some instances, collapsing wombat burrows or warrens may be required.
In 2023, South Australia introduced new protections for wombat burrows which need to be followed. Any burrow destruction should be undertaken in line with the guidelines to avoid injury to the animals – see managing wombats.
Catching or trapping animals is generally not supported as a management technique and is not allowed without an appropriate permit issued by DEW and the required skills and experience to do so.
Lethal control methods may be considered for impact causing wombats where non-lethal management options have been explored and land managers have obtained a permit to destroy wildlife. For more information, see managing wombats.
Environmental law and wombats
Common (bare-nosed) wombats and southern hairy-nosed wombats are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. It is an offence to catch, interfere with, harass or kill protected wildlife under this Act without a permit.
The ill treatment of animals, which includes death or serious harm, is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 1985.
DEW is responsible for assessing Permit to Destroy Wildlife applications and issuing the associated permits.
In South Australia, wombat burrows inside Wombat Burrow Protection Zones (WBPZ) are protected by the NPW Act. A permit is required to destroy a wombat burrow inside a WBPZ.
For more information about WBPZ visit protection for wombat burrows.
Wild facts
- Despite their short legs and stocky build, wombats can run faster than most people.
- Wombats are shy animals and have very small home ranges, which means they never wander too far from one of their burrows. They often retreat to the safety of their burrow if they sense danger.
- Wombats are very powerful animals which enables them to dig burrows, push through fences and run fast when required.
- Wombats can dig complex warrens with many entrances (>30) which can be greater than 4 m deep, and individual tunnels can be more than 20 m long.
- Wombats don’t need to drink water, as they get enough moisture from the food they eat.
- Wombat joeys are about the size of a jelly-bean and - like other marsupials – the joey will immediately make its way to the mother's pouch when born. Common wombat joeys usually stay in their mother’s pouch for around six months, whereas southern hairy-nosed wombat joeys may remain in the pouch for up to nine months before emerging.
- If threatened by a predator, wombats can use their rump to quickly move loose dirt from the floor of their burrow to entomb themselves in a section of their burrow.
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