Koala Woman Says

This electorate borders the Murray River and the main Koala food tree is the River Red Gum, but there isn’t much of this habitat left. Beginning in the 1850s, paddle-steamers began plying their trade and used wood for their fuel. On the Murray, there have been 50 Koala sighting records since 2000, all between Echuca and Tocumwal where the last of the mighty Red Gum forests are protected in Barmah State Park across the river in Victoria. The only Red Gum forests on the NSW side were State Forests, which were finally converted to National Park status in 2010 after 160 years of logging. River Reds need a flood for the seeds to germinate so having a healthy river system is imperative for the long term future of Koalas. Twenty-three Koalas were introduced to a Reserve in Narrandera in 1972 and the population soon increased to 70 and have became quite a tourist attraction. In 2023 a drone survey established the population at about 290 with local estimates in 2025 at around 300-400 individuals. This is the most genetically-diverse Koala population in southern NSW. They have begun dispersing which is good news, but with the poor ecological state of the Murrumbidgee River they have only gone about 10 km.

Will she Act or Axe?