About Us
OUR MISSION
Nurturing Koalas, Conserving Nature
We’re best known for our world-famous Koala Hospital, which rescues and rehabilitates sick and injured koalas. However, here at Koala Conservation Australia (KCA) we have a range of koala conservation programs that reflect our wider mission to:
- Lead the world in the care and conservation of wild koalas,
- Increase knowledge and understanding of the species and
- Work collaboratively to ensure their survival into the future.
Small team, BIG impact
Our not-for-profit organisation relies on a small team of specialist staff, including environmental scientists and wildlife veterinarians, supported by 200+ trained volunteers working across:
- The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
- Guulabaa Visitor Education Centre (NEW)
- Wild Koala Breeding 'Guulabaa' (NEW)
- Koala Research & Education Programs
- Koala Tree Plantations
- Habitat restoration programs and partnerships
Our Impact
250
Koalas cared for annually
14k
Trees Planted
200+
Dedicated Volunteers
5k+
Koala Rehabilitated
Innovators in Wildlife Care & Conservation
Our Story
Pioneering Work
The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital was established in 1973 as Australia’s first dedicated Koala Hospital and licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility.
Since then, we’ve rescued, treated and released thousands of koalas, and the Hospital has evolved into a leading koala training, research and education centre. As threats to our koalas continued to escalate, our habitat conservation work broadened to include large-scale koala food tree plantations, habitat rehabilitation and wild koala conservation programs. We’ve also become a popular tourist attraction, welcoming over 100,000 visitors from around the world each year!
The Blackest Summer
During 2019’s ‘Black Summer Bushfires’,millions of hectares of prime wildlife habitat were burnt to ash across Australia. Here on NSW’s Mid-North Coast, we awoke to red, apocalyptic skies and thick smoke for weeks on end. We were surrounded by bushfires, highways were cut, and anxiety ran high. Homes, properties, and lives were lost. Far too late, the rains came…and then they didn’t stop. Floods swept through fragile, burnt habitats,with a devastating impact on wildlife.
Koalas go from ‘Threatened’ to ‘Endangered’
Our region is home to one of Australia’s biggest Koala populations, and the Black Summer Bushfires were catastrophic. Burning through 5.5 million hectares in NSW alone, the fires hit hard on koala populations, already struggling due to habitat loss, drought and disease. It is estimated that 60,000 koalas perished across the country.
The tipping point – Koalas on the brink of extinction
As the huge losses to our koala populations became clearer in the aftermath, The Australian Government upgraded the severity of the koalas' plight as a species from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’. Koalas are on the brink, with the frighteningly real possibility that they could go extinct within 20-30 years. Imagine an Australia without wild koalas? How will we explain this to future generations?
KCA is Seeding Hope
Following generous donations from around the world during the fires, we were able to ramp up our rescue and rehabilitation of hundreds of koalas from the fire grounds. We rolled out critical wildlife-saving initiatives through many burnt areas around Australia, including our Wildlife Drinking Stations.
These additional funds also allowed us to bring forward the development of our Wild Koala Conservation Breeding Program, launched in 2024. We see this as a potential game changer for the future of the species. We’ve built a new state-of-the-art breeding, clinical and research facility, alongside a visitor education centre, near Port Macquarie in the Cowarra State Forest. Called 'Guulabaa', the Visitor Centre is due to open to the public in late 2024.
Our Volunteer Board Members
Chairperson: Sue Ashton (pictured)
Secretary & Public Officer: Elizabeth Casey
Director: Vicky Moule
Director: Professor Heather Cavanagh
Director: Paul White
Director: Rita Saunders
Director: Brielle Hardstaff
Director: Bob Sharpham
australian charity
Our Funding
As a not-for-profit, registered Australian charity, we rely solely on ‘the currency of kindness.’ We are funded through donations, adoptions, ticket sales, shop sales, and bequeaths. Over the years, we have also received corporate sponsorships and project-specific government grants, for which we are very grateful. Scroll down to see our sponsors and partners.
Black Summer Bushfire Donations
The generous donations we received from around the world during the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/20 were a game changer for koala conservation. In the short-term, this additional funding allowed us to search for, rescue, and treat more koalas from the fire ground. We also built and deployed 150 Wildlife Drinking Stations across the country, providing much-needed water sources for wildlife.
In 2021-22, we were able to commence the design and build of our new Wild Koala Breeding facility, 'Guulabaa', a groundbreaking program that has never been done before. The breeding program commenced in early 2024, and the new facility and visitor education centre will open in early December 2024.
Our 2025 Hospital Redevelopment
Many of our hospital buildings are aged and in need of replacement. Fortunately, we were successful in our grant application under the NSW Government’s 'Restart NSW' Program to rebuild our Koala Hospital. This will allow us to continue our important work into the future. An estimated 80% of the cost of rebuilding will be met by this Government grant, and Koala Conservation Australia Inc will fund the balance.
Following the redevelopment, our Hospital will not only continue its vital work, but also provide an enhanced experience for locals and visitors. The new facilities will include a raised walkway through the trees, new rehabilitation and permanent resident koala yards, training, research and education spaces, a retail shop, koala museum and theatrette. There will also be interpretive signage, a new clinic, an administration area, an Indigenous story telling space, and educational nature walks, all designed to enrich the visitor experience and promote koala conservation.
The new Hospital, in conjunction with the recently established Guulabaa precinct, will enhance the visitor experience and provide vital koala education, training, and research facilities. Construction of the new Koala Hospital is due to begin in late 2025.
JOIN OUR CAUSE
Your help will have a transformational impact
The Black Summer donations are now fully allocated to the above programs, and we need your support to continue our critical koala care and conservation work. Together, we can help save these precious marsupials.
JOIN OUR MISSION
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