Opuntia robusta (wheel cactus) has been slowly spreading in the Uralla LGA for at least 80 years after escaping an ornamental cacti garden on a property at Yarrowyck, west of Armidale. Most landholders in the district mistakenly believed that the cactus was O. stricta (common pest pear) and not O. robusta. Due to this misidentification, landholders mistakenly believed that the Cactoblastis moth would keep the infestation in check, O. robusta is not a host for Cactoblastis. A small number of properties were doing active control using different methods with varying levels of success.

When inspections began in the area for a Solanum viarum (Tropical Soda Apple) traceback program (2/2/23), one property at Yarrowyck had at least 50 obvious O. robusta plants and a few plants on the roadside.

The process started to get to O. robusta added to the local priority weed list, a sample was sent to the Sydney herbarium which confirmed the identification. Mapping started at the densest area of infestation, and then the whole infestation was delimited. Inspections found 40 properties with varying levels of wheel cactus infestation. The infestations occurred on a range of land uses including one of the heads of the Gwydir River, Mt Yarrowyck NP, TSR and private property.

The next step was to get the community involved for the control Program. We held a community day about how to ID the weed, what are the risks, and the control methods. Reinspections are monitoring the control progress, at this time of writing six landholders have eradicated O. robusta and only two properties are yet to commence work.

Due to the weed's 'beauty' some people have taken pieces and relocated them to Armidale township. Educating the public has resulted in multiple tips leading to the finding of O. robusta in Armidale gardens.