Should I worry about Japanese encephalitis in Goulburn?

It's a health question, and NSW Health is the place to ask, including about vaccination. No pest treatment prevents it. Covering up at dusk and tipping out standing water each week are what you control.

Do I need a termite inspection in Goulburn?

We haven't found a Goulburn-specific termite fact, so we won't guess at the risk here. If you're buying, NSW Government advice is to get a pest inspection as well as a building report.

Pest control Goulburn: mosquitoes, mice and possums

What's different in Goulburn

Sentinel chickens tested positive

NSW Health keeps a flock of sentinel chickens at Goulburn to watch for mosquito-borne viruses, and they tested positive for Japanese encephalitis virus from a sample collected on 2 January 2026. That's an early warning for health planners, not a human case.

On the high risk list

As at 30 July 2026, NSW Health lists Goulburn Mulwaree as a Japanese encephalitis high risk area. Vaccination and symptoms are questions for NSW Health and your GP.

An inland trapping site

Goulburn is one of NSW Health's inland mosquito trapping locations for the 2025 to 2026 season. Inland, NSW Health says, mosquito numbers follow rainfall and irrigation.

How NSW Health splits the state

NSW Health sorts arbovirus activity into three zones: inland, the tablelands, and the coastal strip including Sydney.

Why the roof gets busy when it turns cold

CSIRO says cooler weather encourages mice to find shelter inside homes, which is when people start hearing them. A house mouse can breed at two months old with litters of four to eight, the Australian Museum says, so a couple of mice in May can be many more by July.

Possums want the same thing: a dry, dark place to sleep through the day. The Queensland Government describes brushtails moving into roof cavities by day and heading out at night to feed, and the thumping and hissing that comes with them.

Mouse or possum?

	Mice	Possums
When you hear it	Through the night, light scratching and scurrying	At dusk and dawn going out and coming back, plus heavy thumps
What you find	Small droppings, chewed packets, grain with the core left	Larger droppings, stains on the ceiling, a gap they squeeze through
Who deals with it	A pest business, for rodent treatment and sealing gaps	Proofing, and lawful catch and release under NSW wildlife rules

Possums are protected wildlife

The Australian Museum says the common brushtail possum is protected in Australia, and NSW protects all its native mammals, with a licence possibly needed to harm one. Don't trap, bait or chase one out yourself.

The usual job is proofing the entry points once the possum has gone out for the night, and lawful catch and release on the property where NSW allows it. Our possums and the law guide sets out the NSW details.

Before the first frost

Seal gaps around pipes, vents and under doors where a mouse could squeeze through.
Move pet food, bird seed and chook feed into sealed bins.
Trim branches that give possums a bridge onto the roof.
Watch the roof line at dusk for a few nights to see what comes out.

What we'd check first

Work out mouse or possum before anyone climbs into the roof: the time of night and the size of the droppings usually tell you. Then tap the one you think it is, so the right job gets quoted.

Want someone to look at it?

Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.

What have you seen?