International Volunteer Year : Meet our Koala Care Volunteers

What does it really mean to care for a koala?

This International Volunteer Year, we’re shining a light on the dedicated individuals who answer that question every single day—including our Koala Care volunteers.

Behind the scenes at our Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and Wild Koala Breeding Program, these volunteers play a critical role in the care of wild koalas. Their work is hands-on, practical, and essential to every animal that comes through our doors.

A typical shift isn’t spent standing still.

• It’s cleaning and scrubbing enclosures to ensure a safe, hygienic environment.
• It’s preparing and delivering fresh eucalyptus leaves (browse) and water.
• It’s carefully weighing scat to help monitor health and digestion.
• It’s observing behaviour—often picking up on the smallest changes that can signal progress or concern.
• And sometimes, it’s feeding formula to the smallest and most vulnerable patients in our care.

It’s detailed, physical work—and it matters.

Koala Care volunteers are on their feet for most of their shift, walking thousands of steps each day, working in all weather conditions, and bringing the stamina and focus needed to support the wellbeing of every koala. With shifts running seven days a week, their commitment ensures that care is constant, consistent, and never compromised.

But beyond the tasks, there is something deeper that drives this work.

It’s the understanding that every clean enclosure, every fresh leaf, every careful observation contributes to a bigger picture—the recovery of an individual koala, and the future of the species itself.

This role is essential not only to the wellbeing of the koalas in our care, but to the continued success of our mission to save them.

And it simply wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers.

This International Volunteer Year, we recognise and thank our Koala Care volunteers for the strength, dedication and compassion they bring to this work—day in, day out.

Because caring for koalas isn’t just what they do.
It’s who they are.

Watch the video here > https://youtu.be/nq7ZvgPIRVA