Pine Rivers Koala Care Association, a group made up entirely of volunteers, says it attends to more than 300 koala calls and 1,000 wildlife calls a year across Moreton Bay.
A Phone that Never Rests
The rescue line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the people on it are unpaid locals. The association was established in 1995 and describes itself as one of the longest-running volunteer koala and wildlife rescue groups in the council area.
A community feature traces local koala protection efforts back to the 1980s. The group is based in Strathpine, north of Brisbane, and holds its monthly meetings in nearby Bray Park. Its message is plain: the need keeps growing, so the group has to grow with it.
A Koala in the Kitchen
A family in Bray Park once got a very unusual visitor. A young koala had wandered in through the doggy door, ended up on the barbecue and then sat calmly in the kitchen. Funny, sure. But a volunteer named Tash says close encounters like this can be riskier than they look, and the best move is to leave the animal alone and call the group straight away. The koala was collected, taken for a check-up and released in the same area so it could find its family.
Call the rescue line on 0401 350 799, at any hour. A group representative advises keeping an injured koala warm and in the dark, and an old towel laid over the animal can help. Then step back. Koalas bite and scratch, so moving one is a job for trained rescuers.
More than Rescues
The ambulance is the part most people see. Behind it sits quieter work. Volunteers check animals by eye, guide patients through rehabilitation and collect dead koalas for autopsies and data. Cases of koalas hit by cars, attacked by dogs or struck down by disease are reported to the state government database. The group also runs education programs in local schools, works with universities on research and shares its concerns about bushland and koala habitat with government representatives. By its own account, it works with the council and other agencies, including the RSPCA.
Planting for the Future
What good is a rescue if the trees are gone? Planting is the group’s answer. Volunteers hold regular events, often with Bush Care groups, at sites that include Rob Akers Reserve in Strathpine and along Four Mile Creek. Local reports say school plantings organised by the group have put more than 5,700 trees in the ground over nine years, with students from more than 250 families.
What good is a rescue if the trees are gone? Planting is the group’s answer. Volunteers hold regular events, often with Bush Care groups, at sites that include Rob Akers Reserve in Strathpine and along Four Mile Creek. Local reports say school plantings organised by the group have put more than 5,700 trees in the ground over nine years, planted by more than 250 students.
Sue Laird, who organises those school events, says koalas now feed on trees planted at the reserve in 2017. A survey in October 2023 recorded 22 adult koalas, plus young, around the reserve and nearby Lawnton Pocket Road. The group points to a corridor linking Rob Akers Reserve, Grahams Road and Four Mile Creek as a safe route for wildlife as suburbs grow. It also helps with community clean-up days alongside other groups.
Ways to Pitch In
The group runs on community backing, and there is a job for almost anyone. Some people plant trees and pull weeds, others help with education programs, staff stalls at events such as Bunnings barbecues or tackle the admin. Donations go toward the costs of rescue, care and habitat restoration. Spotted a koala in Moreton Bay? The group asks for a text with a precise digital drop pin, and it says keeping pets secured and giving the animal plenty of room helps too. As suburbs spread around native wildlife, the group says local effort still matters.
Published Date 28-September-2026
