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Read moreKoalas are returning to restored habitat along Victoria’s Moorabool River
Koalas are returning to restored habitat along Victoria’s Moorabool River
3 August 2026
Just a few years after more than 11,300 native trees and shrubs were planted along Victoria's Moorabool River, the landscape is already coming alive with a remarkable sound: bellowing koalas.
IFAW and Koala Clancy Foundation worked together in 2023 and 2024 to revegetate a historic grazing property beside the Moorabool River, planting trees and shrubs to provide food, shelter and connectivity for wildlife into the future.
Three years later, the results are more than we could have hoped for.
Monitoring has revealed an unexpected increase in koala activity, offering a powerful reminder that when we restore habitat, wildlife can respond faster than we imagine.
IFAW teamed up with Koala Clancy Foundation to plant more than 8,100 trees on a property where koalas have been spotted for the first time in decades, helping to further encourage their return. Photo: Louisa James Photography / © Koala Clancy Foundation
A landscape waiting to recover
The Moorabool River region was once some of the best koala habitat in Victoria but was cleared for farming years ago, leaving koalas with 20% of what they used to have. This is compounded by climate change, which is pushing koalas further south across the state as they try to escape the heat and dryness.
The trees planted by IFAW and Koala Clancy Foundation were the first step towards encouraging koalas to return to the area.
Listening for koalas
After each planting, audio recorders were set up across the property to monitor wildlife activity.
Monitoring koalas by audio recorders is a widely used, and non-invasive method that records adult males calling in breeding season. Female koalas do vocalise too, but less often.
Not many koalas were expected to be heard in the first year, while the trees were still small. Instead, the results exceed all expectations.
In the first year of monitoring, four koala calls were recorded, already suggesting the site had potential. But by the second year, the number of recorded calls had tripled.
The recordings captured the sounds of several males on the property, and even a male and a female mating, providing evidence that koalas are not just passing through but actively using the landscape.
A wild male koala spotted on a property IFAW and Koala Clancy Foundation planted trees on in regional Victoria. Photo: © Janine Duffy
More than we hoped for
The findings demonstrate the value of restoring fragmented landscapes and highlight how quickly wildlife can respond when suitable habitat becomes available.
While it will take many years for these trees to mature fully, the early signs are incredibly encouraging. Every tree planted today helps create the healthier, more connected landscapes that koalas and countless other native species need to thrive.
IFAW teamed up with Koala Clancy Foundation to plant more than 8,100 trees on a property where koalas have been spotted for the first time in decades, helping to further encourage their return. Photo: © IFAW
There is still more to be done
The success at Moorabool River shows that restoring habitat can make an immediate difference for wildlife. But there is still so much more to do.
This planting season, IFAW and Koala Clancy Foundation will once again bring communities together to create critical habitat for koalas and other native wildlife across Victoria.
Every tree planted provides a lifeline for koalas.
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