The golden-backed tree rat (Mesembriomys macrurus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, found only in Australia.

[4] Golden-backed tree rats are named for their broad stripe of golden-coloured fur that runs from the top of its head to the base of their tail, of which has a white brush tip.

[5] Local Australian Aboriginal knowledge from the Top End however suggests that the disappearance of golden-backed tree rats from the region occurred between the late 2000s and early 2010s.

When Norwegian zoologist Knut Dahl visited Broome in 1896, he recorded that they raided bags of rice and flour around town.

[10] The current distribution of golden-backed tree rats is restricted now to the north-west region of the Kimberley, approximately the area between Kalumburu to Yampi Sound.

[3] Golden-backed tree rats may also be threatened by introduced herbivores such as cattle, who the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water state may alter "the availability of tall fruit bearing understorey shrubs" - an important food souce for golden-backed tree rats.

Actions given high priority were the development of "appropriate fire management in [the] Kimberley", monitoring populations on the mainland and islands, and the involvement of Aboriginal rangers and communities in conservation efforts.

Actions given medium priority were quarantining isolated island populations, and the reintroduction of golden-backed tree rats to the Northern Territory.

[18] A synonym for Mesembriomys macrurus is Hapalotis boweri, named by Edward Pierson Ramsay in 1887 when he incorrectly identified specimens forwarded by his friend and colleague Thomas Henry Boyer-Bower as a new specie.