The area is low lying, swampy and consisting of melaleucas (paperbarks), casuarinas and cabbage tree palms.

The quoll was spotted by Paul Caddy, a regular visitor to Hawks Nest from Tasmania.

Neil Smith, a local resident of Hawks Nest, has seen a quoll several times in the past five years on the ground amongst the Casuarina trees to the west of the Winda Woppa Reserve picnic area. The most recent occasion was within the last year.

Each time he has seen a quoll it has been very early in the morning (light but before sunrise) and very inclement weather with a strong southerly wind blowing and often raining.

The most recent time, the quoll had hold of a rabbit which Neil's Jack Russell dog stole from him.

The spotted-tailed quoll is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. It can be identified by its rich red to dark brown fur covered with white spots. These spots continue down the long tail.

Quolls are mainly nocturnal and terrestrial, although they are also agile climbers. They prey on birds, reptiles, small mammals and invertebrates as well as scavenging on carrion.

They are usually solitary animals and make their dens in rock shelters, small caves, hollow logs and tree hollows. Their breeding season is between April and July.

Quolls are found along both sides of the Great Dividing Range, from the Victorian to Queensland borders in a variety of environments, including forests, woodlands, coastal heathlands and rainforests.

They need suitable den sites and abundant food, requiring large areas of intact vegetation for foraging.

The Spotted-Tailed Quoll is listed as a vulnerable species in New South Wales. Its distribution and population has dramatically declined. In many cases, quolls are living in isolated areas that may be too small to support viable long-term populations.

The reduction has been caused by loss of suitable habitat; fox and feral cat attacks, culling by farmers in response to stock losses - particularly chickens and wild dog baiting programs.