Koalas – Phillip Island

Come face to face with a koala at Phillip Island’s Koala Conservation Centre. Wander along treetop boardwalks from which it is easy to spot koalas high in the crooks of trees, a favoured position that makes them hard to see in the wild. Look out for mother koalas with their babies – koalas give birth between December to February and young joeys emerge from their mother’s pouch to cling to her back. If you don’t like heights, follow a one-kilometre track around the centre and stop at points where rangers have placed signs pointing to koalas in trees. And everything there is to know about koalas is explained in the Visitor Centre.  

If you’d rather see koalas in the wild, take a trip to nearby French Island, home to Australia’s largest disease-free colony of koalas with a population of more than 1,500. French Island is accessible by a 10–12 minute ferry trip from Cowes to Tankerton Jetty. There are few cars on the island, making it ideal for cycling, walking and camping.