Where to find koalas

The Otway Coast in Victoria is one of the best and easiest places in Australia to see koalas living naturally in the wild.

Koalas in this area live in many separate but quite large colonies both within and around most of the coastal towns stretching over many kilometers. This guarantees the traveler searching for a piece of real Australiana a unique and close sighting.

As koalas have been a protected species for many years now, they have become so fearless of humans, they now sleep or chew openly on Manna and Blue Gum leaves, literally, everywhere.

It is also not uncommon to see them residing comfortably in gardens within the various villages.  They can often be seen crossing the roads and now and again you can spot one sitting confidently on residents’ veranda railings.

Locals say that if you take a drive along the Grey River road near the Koala Cove Cafe you will see koalas every day of the week.

Better still stay at one of the many holiday homes in the district and you will most likely be treated to a koala living in one of the trees nearby.

Specific koala locations: 

The Otway Coast is part of the famed Great Ocean Road within three hours drive south west of Melbourne.  It stretches from Lorne to Apollo Bay.  It is a sealed bitumen highway all the way. 

<www.otwaycoast.com.au/>

Close to Sydney the area known as the Hawks Nest and Tea Garden has a dwindling population of koalas but the population there is now regarded as endangered and sightings are few.

<www.VisitNSW.com>

Raymond Island:  This little island on the Victorian side of the NSW border, two days drive from Sydney, has many large kangaroos and koalas including rare birds.  it is accessed by ferry which at last report is free.

Noosa National Park Queensland:  The Noosa National Park, 160 km north of Brisbane is a refuge for much wildlife including the koala.  It is situated on the Sunshine Coast and also boasts sighting of the glossy black cockatoo, the wallum froglet and ground parrot.

<www.queenslandholidays.com.au/…/noosa-national-park/index.cfm>

Kangaroo Island:  Koala colonies are well established in several areas on Kangaroo Island south of Adelaide.  They have become an important tourist attraction and can readily been seen in the Cygnet, Eleanor and Middle river regions.

<http://www.abc.net.au/nature/island/ep6/locals/1.htm>

Save the koala:

The Australian Koala Association was formed in 1986 by two veterinary scientists, Barry Scott and Steve Brown, to fight against the then real extinction threat of the much loved koala.  The organization has had, as its head, Deborah Tabart, OAM, for all of that time.  She has become known internationally during that period as the ‘Koala Woman‘.

The greatest threat to the koala in 1998 was the disease Chlamydia and as a result of  the Australian Koala Associations intervention, it was found that habitat destruction was the main cause of the animals problem.  The organization’s focus then changed to raising awareness to protect existing koala habitats from further erosion and manage koala populations Australia wide.  This same focus has remained to this day.

With only 100,000 koalas remaining in the wild the fight is still not over as localized extinctions are still occurring quite regularly.

Although a koala will live quite passively in capture such as in zoos and wildlife parks without even attempting to escape, its future depends on it living naturally in the wild, where it has proved it can exist alongside man if it remains protected from human savagery.

“The long-term survival of the koala depends on the retention and effective management of suitable habitat to support koalas in the wild. The future of this species will not be sustainable in captivity.” – this is a qualified direct quote from the Australian Koala Association website www.savethekoala.com.