What if I told you that you can see a wild koala in Sydney? Better yet, an entire population of healthy (chlamydia-free) koalas is within an hour’s drive or train ride from the city centre. Spotting one won’t be easy, but this is your best chance of encountering koalas on a bush walk in Sydney.
Discovering Wild Koalas in Sydney
During the lockdowns of the recent pandemic, when most of us were confined to our suburbs, my friend Steve was locked down in an area comprised of Royal and Heathcote National Parks. Ever the explorer, Steve and his friend discovered a population of koalas in Heathcote National Park. Koalas are listed as Endangered in NSW, so finding a new population is a big deal. Not to mention the excitement of seeing koalas on the fringes of Sydney.
The park lies across the train tracks from Royal National Park, but it is nowhere near as popular as its coastal neighbour. Yet, koalas occur only in and around Heathcote National Park. They are absent from Royal. And considering that koalas would have to cross one of Sydney’s major highways to get across to Royal, it’s not likely to happen.
Since July 2021, Steve has found, identified, and named close to 200 koalas in and around Heathcote National Park. I’m chuffed to know that a koala named Margarita lives somewhere in Heathcote.
How do you identify a koala? Well, by the colour patterns on their nostrils. You basically have to look up the animal’s nose. But, since you are always staring up at koalas, this is a sensible way to tell them apart.
Finding Koalas in Heathcote
I’ve visited Heathcote National Park with Steve three or four times, and we have seen several koalas each time. I won’t disclose specific locations to protect koalas’ privacy, but you are just as likely to see them in one place as in another. They have even been spotted on the trail to Kingfisher Pool. So keep your eyes peeled when visiting Heathcote.
Tips for Spotting Koalas
The best giveaway of koalas’ presence in the area is their scratch marks on tree trunks. And, of course, their droppings below the tree.
If you know your gum trees, look for grey gums (Eucalyptus punctate), which are koala’s favourite food. Who knew they were such connoisseurs? Despite there being over 700 species of eucalypt trees in Australia, koalas feed on the leaves of only about 40 of these. In Sydney, it’s all about the grey gums.
You can recognise a grey gum by its smooth grey bark, which is shed in patches, leaving behind a colourful pattern of pink, brown, cream, yellow, and orange streaks.
Once you find the signs, start scanning the canopy. Koalas are surprisingly difficult to spot. Occasionally, you might find one obligingly sleeping in a fork of a tree just a few meters above your head.
But more often, you’ll find koalas sitting high up in the canopy where they look like small grey blobs hugging grey branches among the bushy foliage. They blend in exceptionally well. But Steve has a sixth sense when it comes to spotting animals.
Heathcote Koalas
Of the several koalas I met in Heathcote National Park, I could only meaningfully photograph three. So far…
Photographing a koala is basically a game of clambering around the tree it has chosen for a snooze to find an angle where at least some of its face is visible. So here are some faces of Heathcote koalas.
Jessica
Jessica is the fluffiest koala I have ever seen. She looked just like the teddy bear koala toy you see in souvenir shops. I mean, look at her ears!
At first, I thought she was a very young animal. Young koalas tend to look like teddy bears with their smooth, thick fur, chubby faces, and fluffy ears. Their fur is usually fresh grey, unlike the brownish coat of the adults.
But Steve has seen Jessica raise two young already. So she’s not that young. She’s just fluffy. She lives near the Woronora River and manages to cross it occasionally since she’s been spotted on both sides.
Herman
Herman was camped up in a tree not far from Jessica’s. You can tell Herman is a male by the scent gland on his chest that produces a brown stain. The older a male koala is, the more prominent his scent gland is. During the breeding season, the oil in this gland becomes very pungent, and male koalas rub their chests against the trees to mark their territory.
Of course, when we saw Herman, he wasn’t doing any marking. He was busy doing what koalas do best – sleeping. Thanks to their low-energy diet of fibrous eucalypt leaves, koalas spend between 18 and 20 hours a day sleeping to conserve their limited energy supply.
Hal
Hal was my first sighting of a koala in Sydney. We found him not far from the Kingfisher pool. Steve knows him well. He’s been tracking Hal’s movements in the park over the past months. Not by following the animal but by repeatedly spotting him in different areas of the park up to 7km apart. As a male in his prime Hal travels throughout his territory to visit the local females.
Other Animals in Heathcote National Park
Another critter frequently spotted in the park is the Short-beaked echidna. They are particularly active during their mating season between June and September.
There’s always a chance to see a Swamp wallaby in Heathcote, though I haven’t seen any. They are much easier to spot in Royal National Park, around Era and Burning Palms beaches.
These are likely the only mammals you’ll spot during the day. In the past, Red-necked pademelons, so abundant across Tasmania, were also living in the area, although an extensive survey by the National Parks over a decade ago didn’t find any.
Birds in Heathcote National Park
While looking for koalas, we had several close encounters with Heathcote’s birds. The park is home to more than 200 bird species, but these are some of my favourites. Most of these birds were photographed around Woronora Dam.
Spotted Pardalote
It took me a surprisingly long time to see a Spotted pardalote, and of course, I found a small flock when I wasn’t looking for them. These striking tiny birds are apparently known as the “Headache Bird” because of their continuous call during their breeding season. Although I don’t find their tinkling call to be headachy at all.
Beautiful Firetail
Another gorgeous bird is the Beautiful firetail. Obviously, I’m not the only one who finds this bird attractive.
Red-browed Finch
The red-browed finch is another handsome eastern Australian finch. We saw a flock of them in the same spot as pardalotes, and it was a very colourful feeding party.
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
I’ll end on a high note with this beautiful Yellow tufted honeyeater.
Visiting Heathcote National Park
Heathcote National Park can be reached by Princess Highway or by train to the Waterfall Station. From the train station, it’s a 30-minute (2.5 km) bushwalk via Bullawarring Track to Kingfisher Pool campground and picnic area.
More on Spotting Sydney Wildlife
- Guide to Spotting Parrots in Sydney
- Warriewood Wetlands – A Bird Watching Hotspot in Sydney
- Migratory Waders and Other Birds in Sydney Olympic Park
- Wildlife in Sydney – Wildlife Watching Guide to Sydney
- Top 40 Birds in Sydney – A Guide for Birdwatching Enthusiasts
- Heathcote National Park – Your Best Chance of Spotting a Wild Koala in Sydney
- Weekend Getaway to Palm Beach from Sydney
- Finding Fireflies and Glow Worms in the Blue Mountains
- Kangaroos, cockatoos and a riverside walk at Euroka campground
- Spotting Wildlife in the Watagans
Hi ! I saw a Koala yesterday in Heathcote Park. I would like to know if it’s possible to find his name ?
Hi Arthur, wow, great spotting! The koalas in the park don’t really have names apart from those that my friends who did the initial sensus gave them. The only way to identify individual koalas that they know of is by the skin patters in and around thier noses. So if you have a clear image of the animal’s nose I could ask my friend if he recognises it and can tell us the name he gave that particular animal :)