Koala Care

Richard volunteers monthly at the only Koala hospital in the world. He took me along to see him do his Walk and Talk for the group of tourists who showed up Sunday afternoon. I learned that koalas get hit by cars, catch chlamydia the same way humans do, and get killed by neighborhood dogs quite often. They get the care they need and are returned to the same areas where they were picked up. They only eat leaves of the gum trees and have a strong smell like eucalyptus (their wee). The oldest koala in the hospital --Birthday Girl (26ish)  -- has been there quite a while, and is possibly the oldest in the world. These slow-moving marsupials give birth to a tiny pinky-finger sized blind, deaf little baby, who then have to crawl from the womb to the teat in the mother's pouch where they continue to gestate and mature for many more weeks. A mother koala will raise each joey for 18 months before they separate for life, and might have ten babies in her lifetime. My hosts, the Sampsons, have frequently hosted koalas in the trees in their front yard. The males make a very not-cute snorting-bellowing-mating call to attract females to their trees. Koalas are never cuddled, as they have extremely sharp claws, and its not good for them to become too attached to humans.

Then back at the house we saw lorakeets in the bird feeder on the deck. The most amazing, colorful and aggressive little birds.

Port Macquarie is a thriving little town, a tropical holiday resort community that is currently hosting a huge touch football tournament. There are many people at the beaches, and exploring the town, or just plain taking a break from the touchie crowds.