SKAT's second Koalathon is happening on October 25. All details of the koalathon can be found here.
The event hopes to get people walking, riding or running along a circuit in eastern Melbourne. If you can't participate you can sponsor someone to do the event.
In 2025, the Koalathon raised about $8000 which have been crucial to helping our unique koala research continue. It's our major fundraiser of the year. So get involved!!!
The circuit is located along Gardiners Creek (Kooyongkoot) in East Malvern.
We are looking for volunteers, sponsors and participants.
Contact: Anne for more details [email protected]
Meanwhile SKAT has been busy finding some new koala hotspots in the Haunted Hills which are located south of Moe. It has been surprising to find some small areas of forests dominated by the Strzelecki Koala's prime food source, Mountain Grey Gum.
Check this place out, 20 or so hectares of prime koala habitat in the Haunted Hills probably sustaining a koala population of 20 to 30 animals. Numerous scats were found in an area not sighted before. This area is surrounded by pine plantations meaning koalas moving out of this prime habitat will have to navigate through thousands of pine trees in the hope of finding some habitat. This situation has worsened in recent years after bluegum plantations have been replaced with pine plantations.
SKAT also had look in the Sunny Creek headwaters, south of Trafalgar. Koalas at this location were light on with only one scat found, again under a Mountain Grey Gum.
Scats have also been found in Sale. Koalas at Sale tend to prefer River Red Gums. Our information on River Red Gums is limited and alot more works needs to be done in Sale which is probably the north eastern edge of the Strzelecki koala genome.
We are still waiting on the State Government to deliver on its 2008!!! promise of delivering on the 8000 hectare Brataualung Forest Park in the Strzelecki Ranges. Recent turmoil within the Labor Government with three Environment Ministers in a couple of months have not helped this situation.
