Injured koala? Call 1800 775 625 for 24/7 rescue
Koala Hospital NSW | Australia
About Port Stephens Koala Hospital
The Hunter and Newcastle region’s specialist koala care and native wildlife hospital
Talk to us about our work in rescue, care and conservation.
Healing wild lives through best-practice care
We’re a recognised fully accredited hospital, rehabilitation, education and research centre for sick and injured koalas and other native wildlife across the Hunter and Newcastle region.
Our work is made possible by a dedicated team of staff and more than 230 koala volunteers, supported by a purpose-built wildlife hospital. Our facility provides advanced veterinary services, including intensive care, a fully equipped operating theatre, and leading edge diagnostic tools such as X-ray, ultrasound and PCR testing, as well as the region’s only dedicated CT scanner for wildlife.
Once stabilised, animals transition into our eucalyptus-tree-filled koala yards and rehabilitation spaces to recover, rebuild strength and prepare for release back to the bush.
We’re a registered charity and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), operating as a company limited by guarantee under ASIC registration. We’re licensed to rehabilitate injured and orphaned native wildlife, including koalas, macropods, wombats and native birds.
Licences and approvals
Biodiversity Conservation Licence
Rescue, rehabilitate and release koalas and native wildlife.
Biodiversity conservation licence: MWL000100291
Veterinary Practitioners Board-Approved Wildlife Hospital Licence
Treatment of koalas and native wildlife.
Hospital licence: NSW H101292
Exhibited Animals Establishment Licence
Long-term care for koalas unable to return to the wild, and visitor education.
Exhibited Animals Establishment Licence: AN54059
What we do
We give koalas and other native wildlife the best chance to thrive – through expert rescue, rehabilitation and care, and by building a community grounded in research and ready to protect them.
Why we exist
A future where koalas and other native wildlife thrive across the Hunter and beyond, embraced by the people who share their world.
How we deliver care
Treat with care
Every animal and person is treated with kindness, empathy and calm awareness in all interactions.
Move with purpose
We respond with urgency and clarity, so people always know what’s happening and what comes next.
Grounded in science
We follow evidence and scientifically-based practice to ensure every animal receives safe, consistent and accountable treatment.
It takes a community
We bring people together in the work we do, ensuring that every call, every adoption, every act of care makes a difference.
Curious by nature
We improve outcomes for koalas by building and sharing knowledge through care, education and research.
Our care facilities
The clinic
Our koala clinic is often the first stop for injured or sick koalas and other native wildlife after rescue. Each animal is carefully triaged and assessed to determine the specific care they need.
ICU rooms
Our ICU rooms are climate-controlled and equipped with humidicribs for critically ill koalas, who are cared for before or after surgery, or whenever they need close, constant observation.
Operating theatre
Our fully equipped operating theatre allows us to perform essential surgery that supports the survival and recovery of injured koalas and other native wildlife.
X-ray
Our onsite X-ray machine allows us to quickly diagnose and treat injuries alongside other diagnostic techniques, giving animals a much better chance of getting back in the bush.
CT scanner
Our advanced computed tomography (CT) scanner takes up to 128 slices to build a 3D image of a koala for more accurate diagnosis. It’s the only dedicated wildlife CT scanner in the region.
Visitors can watch through the large observation window and see our team at work providing hands-on koala care and treatment.
Research
Every animal in our care helps us learn more and improve treatment outcomes. That knowledge is driving our growing research focus to better protect wildlife across the Hunter region and beyond.
This research is funded by the Australian Government’s Local Environmental Projects Program
Education
We’re building an engaged local community and the next generation of wildlife advocates with school and group education talks, work experience, university placements, and resources and publications.
We manage a number of eucalyptus tree plantations
Our eucalyptus plantations help feed the koalas in our care. They’re managed by our habitat volunteers and are an important part of wildlife conservation and how we rehabilitate koalas.
