Koondoola – cats + Koondoola Regional Bushland edge

How layout shapes cat movement

Koondoola is built around Koondoola Regional Bushland, with houses on Marangaroo Drive, Hainsworth Avenue and Mirrabooka Avenue forming a ring around the reserve.^S1 Back fences on streets that face the bushland often open to narrow verges and tracks, so a cat stepping through a gap can be on a bush edge in a short distance.^S2

Wildlife most exposed

• Koondoola Regional Bushland is recognised as regionally significant bushland with conservation values and supports native mammals including quenda and western brush wallaby according to site descriptions and management planning.^S1
• The reserve is part of a broader bushland and wetland linkage identified in regional greenways planning, with bird communities that move between Koondoola and nearby sites.^S1
• Dig cones indicate bandicoot activity in suitable understorey patches after rain, showing how ground fauna use leaf litter and soil in the reserve.^S3

Common cat lifestyles

• Fence-base slip cats – move under or between fence panels backing straight onto Koondoola Regional Bushland.
• Gate-lift cats – use lifted side gates that open directly to short laneways leading into the reserve.
• Dusk-pressure cats – patrol the interface between mown verge and bush when diurnal birds are roosting and nocturnal mammals emerge.
• Pine-belt / creek-line scent followers – follow internal tracks and drainage lines through the bushland, using scent from other animals and people.

High-risk zones (specific)

• Properties whose rear fences or side boundaries directly abut Koondoola Regional Bushland, especially along Hainsworth Avenue and Marangaroo Drive.^S2
• Informal tracks at the end of cul-de-sacs where fences stop and bushland begins.
• Drainage lines and low areas within the bushland where water, insects and foraging fauna concentrate.

Cat rules that apply

Koondoola properties fall under the WA Cat Act 2011 and City of Wanneroo cat local laws, requiring sterilisation, microchipping and registration of cats over six months, and approvals to keep more than three cats.^S4

Why containment fits this suburb

In Koondoola, many yards sit directly on the boundary of high-value bushland, so any opening at the fence base or in a side gate can place a cat immediately into Koondoola Regional Bushland. Whole-yard containment that secures the full perimeter is often chosen where the lot’s rear or side boundary directly meets the reserve edge. Here is an example in Koondoola: https://www.kitty-safe.com.au/case-study/cat-enclosures-koondoola-wa-luna-kittysafe-perth/

Better options for cats

• Dusk and night indoors when Koondoola Regional Bushland has its highest small mammal and bird activity.
• Regularly check bush-facing fence lines and gates for movement or gaps.
• Use cat netting on boundaries that touch Koondoola Regional Bushland or its direct access tracks.

Helpful links

• Koondoola Regional Bushland management plan^S1
• City of Wanneroo – protecting our native animals^S3
• City of Wanneroo – owning a cat^S4
• Back to Wanneroo

Sources

• S1 – Koondoola Regional Bushland management plan and bushland site descriptions outlining conservation values and key fauna.
• S2 – Vegetation and mapping reports for Koondoola Regional Bushland describing reserve extent and connections.
• S3 – City and regional materials on quenda and other digging mammals in urban bushland and greenway linkages.
• S4 – WA Cat Act 2011 and City of Wanneroo cat laws and cat ownership information.