This Christmas, give the bilbies a tasty treat—and a future
He’s making a list. He’s checking it twice. He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town…
And this year, when he swoops into Charleville, you get to help load his sleigh with treats for some very special long-eared, furry friends. That’s right—Christmas is coming for the bilbies too!
For a species that hides underground during the day, digs like a tiny furry bulldozer, and dances through the night across the red dirt, a Christmas treat might sound unusual… but stick with us. This year, your donation doesn’t just support life-saving conservation work—it also lets you choose a festive snack for our Charleville bilbies.
So, what will their Christmas treat be?
Bush onion
Mouth-watering* green leaves and a luscious* bulb
Blueberries
Sweet* berry delights bursting with mouth-watering* juice
Grasshoppers
Tasty* hopping snacks with a satisfying* crunch
*If you’re a bilby, of course.
You can pick their treat right after you make a Christmas donation. But before we get to that part, let me explain why your gift matters now more than ever.
We Need Your Help to Keep the Greater Bilby Off the Extinct Species List
As I’ve shared in recent messages, we can’t protect bilbies if we can’t find them. It’s heartbreaking but true: without knowing where they still survive in the wild—and how many remain—we risk losing them silently.
The next Bilby Survey is now due. And not just due—overdue. Their survival depends on us completing it as soon as possible.
Imagine the hardest game of hide-and-seek on Earth
Bilbies are masters of disappearing. They’re small, they’re nocturnal, and during the day they vanish into winding underground burrows. When you search for them, you’re trekking through a hot, rocky landscape so harsh it looks like the surface of Mars.
A wild bilby in our spotlight. Rare and precious. Your donation helps us locate theseincredible animals and protect them before it’s too late
But every five years, we take on that challenge. We head deep into western Queensland to locate wild bilby populations and check how they’re holding on.
The last time we did this?… Five years ago.
Which means one thing: We must run the 2026 Bilby Survey at the end of next summer, when the heat starts to ease.
And to make sure we can go ahead, we need your help.
Your Christmas Gift Can Kickstart Vital Conservation Work.
Here’s how you can make a difference:
Send your Christmas gift now to help fund the urgent conservation work ahead—including the 2026 Bilby Survey—to keep the bilby off the extinct species list.
After donating, choose which delicious holiday treat the bilbies at the Charleville centre will enjoy: lush bush onion, juicy blueberries or leggy grasshopper treats!
It’s a festive way to make a life-saving impact.
The 2026 Bilby Survey: A Massive Mission (and We Can’t Delay It)
This isn’t a quick stroll through the outback.
This is a major, logistically complex, physically demanding effort that only happens once every five years.
First: The aerial survey
Before anyone sets foot on the ground, we must hire a plane, a pilot and two trained spotters. This is the biggest bill we face—but without this aerial work, the entire survey can’t start.
Then: The boots-on-the-ground work
After the aerial sweeps map out possible bilby hotspots, the hard part begins. Dr Max Tischler will be one of our Red Dirt Detectives, camping in swags under the outback sky and searching two-hectare plots at a time. He’ll be looking for:
Bilby scrapings
Paw marks
Burrows
Poop
Signs of predators
It’s dusty, sweaty, exhausting work in extreme conditions.
I know—because I’ve done it myself.
And honestly? It’s the only way to find them.
Why This Survey Matters More Than Ever
Five years is a long time in bilby conservation.
In that time, western Queensland has faced unprecedented rainfall and flooding. We don’t yet know how wild bilbies have adapted—or if some populations have vanished entirely.
Right now, when it comes to the wild bilby’s future, we’re flying blind. But with your help, we can change that.
Your Christmas support ensures we can run the 2026 Bilby Survey on time, gather the data we urgently need, and continue the work that keeps bilbies out of the extinction column.
This Christmas, Give the Bilby the Gift of Survival
Thank you for being such a loyal friend to the bilby.
They need people like you—people who care, people who take action, people who believe that small animals deserve big futures.
Please help us make sure bilbies remain part of Australia’s story, not just its history.
And once you’ve donated… don’t forget to choose their Christmas treat.
The bilbies will be delighted.
And Santa?
Well, he’ll be proud of you too.