Four Koalas Cuddling,
Three Snapping Crocs,
Two Red Kangaroos,
And a Kookaburra in a Gum Tree

How many of you lovely readers would like to cuddle a Koala ? It was right at the top of my bucket list when landing in Melbourne.

Even though we all call them Koala Bears, they aren’t actually bears but marsupials.

What is a marsupial I hear you ask. This means that their young are born immature and continue to develop within the mothers pouch. Have you seen a new born koala? You wouldn’t believe it, they are pink, blind and furless! 

The joey will then continue to develop within the mums pouch for 6 months before they venture out and onto the mums back where they will live for a further 6 months. God they are just so cute!

They are extremely picky eaters, not only is their food of choice restricted to the the leaves of eucalyptus trees, but out of over 700 species they will only eat from 50 of those! As you can imagine this significantly reduces the number of places you can see these fluffy balls of cute. 

Eucalyptus leaves are toxic and not very nutritious, so they need to eat A LOT of leaves to get everything they need to survive. Now what goes in, must come out. They can produce up to 360 little poops throughout the entire day – even when they are asleep!!

One fact that I really love, due to the sheer amount of eucalyptus these marsupials consume some females and juveniles can give off a slight eucalyptus smell which acts as a a natural insect repellent!

It has recently been brought to everyone’s attention that the Koalas are on the road to extinction with their numbers significantly declining over recent years. The biggest threats are habitat destruction, domestic dog attacks, bushfires and road accidents. If koalas are known to live in areas near you please be cautious when out walking your dog or on your daily commute, we need to help these creatures and fast!

Where can you find Koalas?

You can find them in QLD, NSW, Victoria and South Australia within certain areas. Yeah you guessed it, areas with Eucalyptus trees! 

Kennett River along the Great Ocean Road is one of the best spots to find Koalas in the wild. Stop by the Koala Walk on Grey River Road and count how many you can see as you venture along the gum tree lined path. We managed to see 14 in an hour, can you believe it!? 14 Koalas!

To guarantee a sighting of one of these gorgeous creatures the Port MacQuarie Koala Hospital is a must stop on your trip. It is a small not-for-profit organisation that allows tourists to visit for free to see the cute little koalas they have taken into their rehab facility. Each Koala has a name and a story to tell. They have been in bush fires, road accidents and some even admitted with Chlamydia. Who knew that Chlamydia was such a common disease within Koalas? 

Drop by on your NSW road trip and show your support for the fantastic work they do for the beloved Koala!

Don’t forget to read yesterdays post all about the Crocodile!