AS NATURE INTENDED
Caring for koalas in Port Stephens
THE NSW North Coast region of Port Stephens has long excited the imagination of summer holiday goers with its offering of pristine beaches, sparkling waters and lots of fresh-air activities for families looking to commune without the threat of growing weary of each other. The collection of pretty, laid-back beach towns and hamlets an easy 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney could easily have survived on this tried and true formula, but in the last few years it has been stepping things up a little, with stylish accommodation offerings nestling comfortably into the landscape, bright and beachy cafes and restaurants offering up fresh and healthy dining options, heavy on the seafood, and a passionate focus on sustainability.
CAMPING OUT WITH KOALAS
Driving towards the coast after exiting the highway from the city, I am excited by the prospect of spending a few days indulging in nature in Port Stephens. I’m travelling with my 16-year-old daughter, who is even more jazzed than me. It takes a lot to entertain teenagers these
days given their 24/7 always-on existence fed by unfettered wi-fi and constantly pinging social media alerts. But the prospect of sleeping with koalas has her fully focused.
Navigating our way along Gan Gan Road to One Mile takes us through increasingly dense bushland, the natural habitat of everyone’s favourite marsupials. Roadside signs entreat me to drive carefully, and I can’t help but snatch glances into the branches in the hope of seeing a snoozing ball of fur among them. But I need not have bothered. Arriving into the newly opened Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, and making our way to the generously appointed glamping tent that will be our home from home for the night, I get an uninterrupted view of some of the koalas for whom the sanctuary is also a home from home.
As the light fades into the kind of inky blackness that you can only experience when surrounded by nature, we snuggle in for the night, all the while listening for the koala calls we have been told you can sometimes hear as the neighbours become active during the wee small hours. I must admit that I sleep too well in the comfortable bed and wake in the morning none the wiser as to what the nocturnal musings of a koala might sound like. But I don’t have time to dwell on this as one of the most alluring inclusions of a glamping stay here is about to begin.
In addition to accommodation, the sanctuary, a partnership between Port Stephens Council and Port Stephens Koalas, offers guests the irresistible opportunity to get responsibly close to koalas, and assist in their survival at the same time. Tucked into its eight hectares of lush bushland expanse is a state-of-the-art koala hospital where rescued animals are treated with the hope of returning them to their natural habitat once well enough. The ones that can’t be returned, due to injury or illness, take up residence in comfortable enclosures where they are lavished with love and attention from a dedicated army of staff and volunteers.
The morning routine here includes feeding the koalas the exact gum leaves that they would have eaten in their native patch of bush, monitoring their condition and dispensing required medicines and treatment. Privileged access to this daily ritual, when the animals are at their most active, is afforded to overnight guests only.
So it is that my daughter and I find ourselves standing on an elevated circular walkway in the clean, fresh morning air just a few metres from a small but impossibly cute posse of koalas as they munch through their breakfast.