Lona, I would also like to know whether the paddymelons (pademelons) of South Gippsland are extinct. I understand that the paddymelons of the NSW south coast (Parma Wallabies) were believed to have become extinct, but some were discovered on an island off the coast and re-introduced on the mainland. Before the arrival of rabbits, paddymelons plagued the early settlers of the South Gippsland hills. Thomas White (Narracan Shire Advocate, 1 Sep 1950) recalled: "Wallabies and paddy melons were very plentiful and sadly ravaged the crops. The only way to keep them out was by making what is known as a stump fence. The timber was cut into lengths of five or six feet and stood upright in trenches of about 18 inches in depth. Father thought of a great idea for catching wallabies. He left a hole in the fence and dug a hole inside about six feet deep and half full of water, with a trapdoor on top. When the wallabies came through they would be tripped into the hole and drowned. The first catch was our house cat, so, as money was very scarce we skinned it and sent the skin to Melbourne for which we received a shilling ..." Walter Savige