Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest private reserves in the State. It’s the former home of Nan Chauncy, a multiple award winning Tasmanian writer. Her books were translated into several different languages and adored by many around the world. Nan's writing captured a vivid picture of the Tasmanian landscape, it's people and wildlife. She wrote to share her love of Tasmania- Her island shaped like a heart. She also portrayed issues surrounding early colonial life, isolation, identity, migration, enduring hardship, domestic violence and the aboriginals of Tasmania.

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The whole sanctuary is a valuable heritage and natural environment study site. Chauncy Vale, including Day Dawn and the associated outbuildings, are registered on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and in the Southern Midlands Planning Scheme 2018 – site of historic significance’. It has a long and well-recorded history of European use, with some sites on the property particularly recognised for their cultural heritage value, including Browns Caves, the Chauncy family house, Day Dawn, and garden and their surrounding areas. These sites are also an integral part of the Chauncy family legacy. The area is also thought to have been used extensively by Aboriginals and as a refuge by early bushrangers. It forms part of a complex environment with a rich diversity of ecosystems, varying from dry sclerophyll vegetation on sandstone to wet forest on dolerite. Nan's husband Anton was a German refugee who migrated to Australia before World 2. In 1947, Anton invited Hutchins grade 7 school students joined by their science teacher to take part in the first outdoor education program in Australia. He could see the natural habitat was disappearing in surrounding areas, adamant about protecting and preserving the environment, Chauncy Vale has always been a place to share, explore and discover. These are 3 key areas which play a vital role in shaping our lives and our future of Tasmanian communities.