Brisbane’s Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary
“So how long have you been in Oz?” I was asked by the kind lady behind the counter in the coffee shop.
“Oh not very long. Only about a month.”
“Have you seen a Koala yet?”
“No, no. Not yet.”
After being here a month, this was a common remark that had been passed as soon as they spotted my English accent. And I always felt a little ashamed to reply in the negative…I just hadn’t got round to it yet.
How could I come to Australia and not immediately seek out one of its most famous animals? I’m obviously a bad tourist.
“Have you at least seen a Kangaroo?”
But this week I was finally able to address my mistake, not only did I see a Koala, I saw four.
As part of my internship with The Tourism CoLab, my Queensland born manager and I have been taking every opportunity to get to explore the Brisbane area and find the people, places and communities who are using their voices and profits to give back. From cafes that hire the homeless to help them get back into employment such as the Hope Street Cafe, to communities that are giving clothes a second life with the Worlds Biggest Garage Sale. These visits have been educational and inspiring, and have allowed me to get a real insight into the friendliness of the Australian people.
Brisbane (and Australia) needs to be celebrating these businesses more.
To celebrate the start of August, and my second month with The Tourism CoLab, we went a little further afield. A 20minute drive from Brisbane city centre, in the area of Logan City, is a paradise for animals and locals.
Daisy Hill Conservation Park
Daisy Hill Conservation Park is a 435 hectare of open eucalypt forest and a safe haven for local wildlife. Snakes, birds, wallabies, bees and Koalas all live on this protected site.
The vast parkland offers a number of things to do, for all abilities… From hiking, walking and mountain bike trails, to swimming and picnicking... and is popular with locals and those from the Greater Brisbane area. It also has the Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary — a free to entre sanctuary, which protects, raises awareness and educates about Queensland’s Koala population.
If you are visiting Brisbane, why not hire a car with the car-sharing app Go Get and go visit this great free attraction.
While the centre may look small in comparison to the expansive bushland it sits in, the Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary is well worth the visit. As soon as you walking in you are greeted by three of its residents — probably sleeping — not behind bars or cages. All that separates you and these marsupials is just a small wooden fence and open area.
These sleeping yogis, are captivating as they precariously rest, balanced on a branch with the head bowed for support. We easily spent 10 minutes just watching for some sign of life. Then, for just a few seconds, we were witness to a huge yawn, a scratch behind the ear ( right ear with the right leg) and a little stretch before it was back to bed.
But it is the story of the life of koalas in Queensland that is the most captivating part of our visit to the Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary — particularly the change in habitat as urban development has occurred over the years throughout Australia.
80% of the koala's habitat has been lost to them here in Australia.
Meeting the residents
The centre has four Koalas current with them — or at least on the day we visited, although their website states they have five (one male and four females).
None of the koalas at Daisy Hill were born in captivity, instead, they have all been rescued by the rangers and RSPCA. The male koala, Jordan was an orphan; while the four females have all been brought in suffering from cystitis and ovarian cysts. However, Jannico, was brought in after being the victim of being hit by a car and has remained because of cysts. These illnesses and situations have resulted in them become non-returnable to the wild — the females are infertile and Jordan has been hand-reared. This demonstrates the fantastic work of the sanctuary and the importance of supporting it — as local residents and the need for national support by the government.
As you walk around the centre, not only do you learn about the history of the koalas, but the interactive displays allow kids (and adults) to learn how to feed, nurture and look after sick koalas. Including getting to explore the current resident's medical records.
We also managed to catch the 11 am daily talk by a ranger (these are held twice a day) where we heard about the life of both the rescue koalas and the wild who surround the centre. The latest sightings of them so we could try and spot them ourselves. And about the work the Queensland Government are doing to support the Koalas in their natural habitat.
When visiting, please don’t skip out on the five minutes it will take to watch the two short videos in the Woodland Theatre.
Throughout the first, discover all about the koala — their unique biology, food and habits. And learn the signs of a sick or injured koala so that you can help them. As well as learn how you can contribute to the conservation of koalas and more. The second details the work and support needed to help the greenback turtle population at Raine Island, narrated by the great Sir David Attenborough.
The park really is a must-do visit for anyone in the Brisbane Greater City area! Especially if you have kids or want to have the full Australian experience.
