KCA’s Guulabaa Wild Koala Breeding Centre

As the world’s first centre for breeding wild koalas, its success may determine the survival of this endemic species, which has been pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat destruction and the more locally, catastrophic Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.

Established in 1971, Koala Conservation Australia (KCA), who administer the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned and injured koalas for release back into the wild. The Guulabaa Wild Koala Breeding Centre is part of a master-planned eco-tourism project on land owned by Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW), and includes WildNets adventure park, picnic areas, outdoor learning walks and treetop canopy trail.

Sensitive, low-impact architecture by ajc, and landscape design by Oculus, will preserve the natural bush setting of the site, named by the local Bunya people as ‘Guulabaa’, meaning ‘Place of Koala’. Using the site’s natural slope towards an existing creek, a series of small buildings are perched overlooking the native forest and beyond.

The educational area centres around an elevated tree canopy observation deck. This ‘koala experience’ will expose, inform & educate visitors about koala habitat, their habits and role in the forest ecosystem. In addition, the Wild Koala Breeding Centre includes a bespoke research and veterinarian theatre as well as quarantining, post mortem and leaf storage facilities where KCA together with its breeding partner, Taronga Conservation Society, will be working to breed disease-free koalas for release into the wild.

This partly crowd-funded project was completed late 2024. The operators are aware the science & research to be undertaken is pioneering. The development provides a much needed tailored facility that will allow professionals, conservationists, volunteers and visitors to contribute and experience Koala Conservation first hand. If successful, the Breeding Centre’s efforts & knowledge will be shared and replicated with other Koala Conservationists Australia wide providing a legacy for the welfare and survival of one of Australia’s most favourite & unique marsupials.