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Discover Real Life Adventure at Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Flame Robin, Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @sandra_celebrates_tasmania

Spend a day exploring the Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary at Bagdad and rediscover Tasmania’s inspiring landscape, natural beauty, and unique wildlife.

Beloved children’s author Nan Chauncy and her family called this special place home. Today, the sanctuary is open daily for everyone to enjoy.

Map Chauncy Vale

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary is located 4 km east of Bagdad, towards the southern end of Tasmania’s Heritage Highway. A short 6 minute drive from the centre of Bagdad. 

Address – 350 Chauncy Vale Rd, Bagdad TAS 7030

Phone – 0362686365

Google Map

Discover real-life adventure at Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary

The 415-hectare reserve is seamlessly linked to Flat Rock Reserve (455 hectares) by a scenic walking track.

This sanctuary beckons bushwalkers, bird watchers, field naturalist groups, families, and school parties.

Chauncy Vale’s captivating natural environment, rich heritage, and storied history have played a pivotal role in creating meaningful experiences for generations of Tasmanians, including schools, families, individuals, and community groups.

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours

Unravel the rich history

The Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1946 and is one of the oldest private conservation areas in Tasmania. Prior to European settlement, Tasmanian Aboriginal people inhabited the area. Later, early bushrangers used the site as a hideout. In the 1920s, there were regular sightings of the elusive Tasmanian tiger.

Live out an adventure story

Nan drew inspiration from the landscape at Chauncy Vale to create her adored, award-winning adventure novels. Nan’s writing evokes a vivid picture of the Tasmanian landscape, its people, and its wildlife. Explore the sanctuary’s large area of creek, cave and forest habitats and live out an adventure you’ve read about in Nan’s stories. It might even inspire you to create something yourself!

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours

Discover key points of interest

Formed tracks lead to points of interest such as Secret Cave, Brown’s Caves Creek, Guvy’s Lagoon and Flat Rock lookout (consult the Reserve Map and Visitor Map for details).

Enrich your experience trekking through the bush by listening to the series of audio files featuring Heather Chauncy. 

Guided walking tours are also available (2–3 hours, from $15 per person), highlighting the sanctuary’s nature, wildlife, stories, history and heritage.

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @theseaisformephotography
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @theseaisformephotography

Step back in time at Day Dawn

Day Dawn, the house at Chauncy Vale, was the family home of Nan Chauncy. Nan’s father and brother built the house between 1916 and 1918, and Nan and her husband extended it in the 1940s and 50s. 

Today, the house is a living museum—a glimpse into a past time of simple joys—featuring the furniture used in the 1960s. 

For viewing Day Dawn Cottage museum, the former Chauncy family home, it is necessary to make an appointment. Entry fee to Day Dawn Cottage is $2.00 per adult, and a $20 fee for school groups (please note, due to the compact size of Day Dawn, each group is restricted to 15 people at a time).

Day Dawn at Chauncy Vale 📷 @georgieblakephotos
Day Dawn at Chauncy Vale 📷 @georgieblakephotos

Keep an eye out for wildlife

Chauncy Vale is particularly important in terms of its threatened vegetation communities and habitat for threatened species.

The sanctuary’s dry sclerophyll woodlands support a high diversity of wildlife. As you explore the walking tracks, keep an eye out for wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, possums, quolls, pademelons, bats, wombats, snakes, frogs, and other locals. 

For Bird enthusiasts, the array of birdlife is a highlight, so bring your camera!

Stay a while

Chauncy Vale is open from 8 am to sunset daily, with the exception of days with total fire ban in the Southern Region (check TasAlerts)

If just visiting the Reserve for picnics, bbqs, meetings or walks, there is a $2 entry donation for adults which may be placed in the donation box at the front gate or at the walker registration booth. Entry for children is free.

Please note – dogs are not permitted in the reserve

Flame Robin, Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @sandra_celebrates_tasmania
Flame Robin, Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @sandra_celebrates_tasmania

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary Walks

WINTER TRACK – 1.5 km loop, 50 minutes

WOMBAT WOODLAND WALK for kids – 0.8 km return

EVE’S BATH WALK – 1.2 km return, 40 minutes

CAVES LOOP WALK – 2.5 km loop, 1.5 hours

GUVY’S LAGOON WALK & LOOKOUT – 5.5 km return, 2.5 hours

FLAT ROCK EASTERN LOOKOUT – 12 km return, 5-6 hours

Visit Chauncy Vale Website
Heritage Highway
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary 📷 @snapshottours

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We acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their enduring custodianship of lutruwita / Tasmania. We honour 40,000 years of uninterrupted care, protection and belonging to these islands, before the invasion and colonisation of European settlement. As a destination that welcomes visitors to these lands, we acknowledge our responsibility to represent to our visitors, Tasmania’s deep and complex history, fully, respectfully and truthfully.

We acknowledge the Aboriginal people who continue to care for this country today. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We honour their stories, songs, art, and culture, and their aspirations for the future of their people and these lands. We respectfully ask that tourism be a part of that future.

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