We drove to the Brisbane Koala Bushlands which sits on 14,000 hectares (34,600 acres) about 20KM (15 miles) southeast of Brisbane. The Bushlands are part of the Koala Coast Network that is one of the most important koala habitat areas in Australia. The Koala Coast protects between 3,000 and 5,000 koalas, as well as many other native animals.
Ryan and I went expecting to see koalas! Instead, we came across a mob of wallabies half way through our walk. I must explain what it's like walking in the Australian bush while looking for Koalas. Remember Australia is home to the world's deadliest snakes and spiders, and Koalas are found in trees. So, we walked quietly, constantly shifting our gaze from the treetops (looking for koalas) to the ground (checking for snakes). And each time you look down checking for snakes, you're afraid you've missed a koala above. So, you look up quickly searching for Koalas.... only to think you're going to step on the world's deadliest snake. And the cycle continues until your Koala walk is over.
Half way through our walk, minutes after I wanted to turn around and go back to the car because I was sure I saw a snake wrapped around a stick sunning himself...
I looked across a field and there they were. At first, I thought they were big, tan dogs.
Two of them stood motionless staring at us, while the other 5-7 hopped away.
After that, we must have looked even more comical as we walked searching the treetops for koalas, the nearby fields for wallabies and the ground underfoot for snakes. We never did see any koalas (or snakes). But, we did see a few more wallabies. My favorite being a little, black-faced one that couldn't have been taller than 2 feet.
Even though we didn't see any koalas, we did get to experience another one of Australia's beautiful natural areas. And we came home without any snake bites!!
