Building the future of koala care
Completing the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital Expansion
Support the future of koala care
We need to raise $500,000 to complete the hospital expansion.
Your Support helps complete this vital project and ensure koalas in the Northern Rivers have access to world-class care when they need it most.
What the $500,000 will deliver
Total funding required: $500,000
This final stage will complete the hospital and ensure it can operate at full clinical and community capacity.
Core clinical infrastructure - $370,000
Fit-out of treatment rooms, surgical spaces, laboratory services, pharmacy and medical storage, and ICU facilities essential for lifesaving care.
Education and visitor infrastructure - $50,000
Purpose-designed spaces to educate the public, engage supporters, and build long-term community stewardship for koalas.
Equipment and enclosure areas - $80,000
Specialised medical equipment and rehabilitation enclosures required to support recovery, rehabilitation, and successful release.
progress achieved - and what remains
Stage 1 of the hospital expansion has now been completed to lock-up, thanks largely to the support of WWF-Australia’s Regenerate Australia Program and generous community donors.
However, this stage does not include the internal fit-out required to deliver the critical clinical infrastructure needed for full operation, including:
- A purpose-built laboratory
- A sterile surgical suite
- Three new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) rooms
- A dedicated chlamydia Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory
These facilities will represent a major step forward in koala medicine, enabling earlier diagnosis, safer surgery, and improved survival outcomes.
To realise the full benefits of this investment, Friends of the Koala must now secure funding to complete the expansion.
Expansion progress to date
Construction Certificate
After many setbacks caused by COVID, floods, and other delays, we successfully secured the construction certificate for the hospital expansion. We couldn't have done the work without our volunteers.
Clean up commences
Work began in April 2025 where our amazing volunteers with a special shoutout to Michael and Graeme, who have took the lead in making the extension a reality!
Phase one in progress
Our new extension is underway, providing more room to treat the growing number of sick and injured koalas.
Phase one is complete
Phase one is officially complete, phase two involves fitting out the new space with clinical equipment, additional enclosures, and all the essentials for top-quality koala care.Â
why this matters - now
An expanded and fully operational koala hospital will allow Friends of the Koala to:
- Treat and rehabilitate more koalas each year
- Improve clinical outcomes and survival rates
- Respond rapidly during peak rescue periods and wildlife emergencies
- Build resilience for future bushfires, floods, and climate-driven crises
- Ensure specialist koala care remains available in the Northern Rivers for decades to come
This project is not about bricks and mortar alone.
It is about securing the future of koala care in one of Australia’s most important koala regions.
the need
The koala is more than a national icon - it is an irreplaceable part of Australia’s natural heritage. Yet across many regions, including the Northern Rivers, koalas are under increasing pressure from habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks, disease, and climate-driven events.
At Friends of the Koala, we witness the impact of these threats every day.
Each year, our rescue teams respond to thousands of calls from the community. Injured, orphaned, and displaced koalas rely on our koala hospital, volunteers, and veterinary team for urgent treatment and long-term rehabilitation. As rescue numbers increase and medical cases become more complex, the need for specialist facilities has never been greater.
Forty years on the frontline
For more than four decades, Friends of the Koala has delivered hands-on, evidence-based conservation across the Northern Rivers.
- We rescue, rehabilitate, and release koalas.
- We restore habitat and strengthen wildlife corridors.
- We educate communities and contribute to research.
- We provide trusted advice to decision-makers.
We are not simply advocates - we are the people doing the work, every single day.
This work is powered by a deeply committed community. Friends of the Koala has more than 530 members, including around 180 active volunteers, supported by 5.4 FTE staff. In 2024–25 alone, the value of volunteer time contributed exceeded $2 million, reflecting extraordinary trust and community investment in our mission.
A day in the life of our koala vet team
The Northern Rivers Koala Hospital
In June 2020, Friends of the Koala was granted a licence by the NSW Veterinary Board to operate the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital - the only specialist koala hospital in the region and the facility with the highest number of koala admissions in New South Wales.
The hospital was established in a repurposed building that had served as our Koala Care and Research Centre since 1996. While this enabled significantly improved outcomes - with a current release rate of 76% - the facility was never designed to meet today’s scale or clinical complexity of koala care.
Recognising this, Friends of the Koala embarked on a long-planned hospital expansion to future-proof specialist koala care in the Northern Rivers.
A partnership with a lasting impact
Completing the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital expansion presents a unique opportunity for philanthropists, businesses, foundations, and funding partners to make a tangible and lasting contribution to wildlife conservation.
An investment in this project supports:
- Proven, on-the-ground conservation outcomes
- Enduring clinical and conservation infrastructure
- A trusted organisation with more than 40 years of experience
- A visible and lasting wildlife legacy
Meaningful engagement opportunities - including sponsorship of treatment spaces and intensive care units - are available for partners seeking to create long-term impact.
Looking ahead
Koalas will continue to need help - not just today, but for generations to come.
With the support of committed funding partners, Friends of the Koala can complete this critical expansion and ensure the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital is equipped to meet growing demand, now and into the future.
Together, we can build the future of koala care.
other ways to HELP
SUCCESS STORIES/CASE STUDIES
Higgins came into care at Friends of the Koala in early February 2025 alongside her mother, Missy. Sadly, Missy did not survive after suffering an allergic reaction to multiple bee stings, leaving Higgins orphaned. Strong and healthy, Higgins thrived in Home Care and Koala Kindy under the dedicated support of our carers and veterinary team.
Following a monitored soft release in July, Higgins returned to the wild after twelve days. Despite facing cold nights, heavy rain and strong winds in her first week, she adapted well and began developing the skills needed to live independently.
Post-release monitoring showed Higgins confidently moving through the canopy, feeding on a range of local eucalypt species and exploring her new habitat. She has been observed climbing high into surrounding trees and interacting with other koalas in the area.
Higgins’ journey is a powerful example of how specialist care, rehabilitation, and protected habitat work together to give orphaned koalas a second chance - and why continued investment in koala rescue, treatment and release is so important.
Husk, a four-year-old male koala, was admitted to Friends of the Koala in February 2025 after being found limping across a road with severe injuries consistent with a dog attack. He had large puncture wounds to his right hind leg that were badly infected, with the infection extending into the bone and joint. The injuries caused significant pain, swelling, and reduced movement, and Husk was placed in intensive care for IV fluids, pain relief, and antibiotics.
Dog attacks are often fatal for koalas, and Husk faced a long and complex recovery. Because koalas cannot tolerate prolonged antibiotic treatment like other species, his care required repeated anaesthetics, surgical wound cleaning, bandaging, and targeted courses of antibiotics over many months.
Progress was gradual but encouraging. The swelling reduced, his wounds began to close, and Husk slowly started using his leg again. After extensive treatment and rehabilitation, he was able to move into a larger enclosure to rebuild strength and mobility for climbing.
Husk remained in care until around October 2025, with his recovery reflecting both the seriousness of dog-related injuries and the intensive support required to give koalas a chance at survival. His journey highlights the critical role of specialist veterinary treatment, rehabilitation facilities, and dedicated volunteers in helping severely injured koalas recover and return to the wild.
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