Koala Conservation + Beach Clean Day - Has Ended

Enjoy an educational day in the outdoors, helping Koalas and Marine Wildlife

• Help us save wild koalas in the You Yangs and the Western Plains by creating koala habitat

• Participate in wild koala research and meet famous wild koalas

• Learn more about zero waste lifestyle through an educational talk

• Join a beach clean up and help remove marine debris

• Help sort and count the debris to collect valuable data

Guided by the experienced Koala Researchers of Koala Clancy Foundation, we search for koalas, take walks through bushland, plant trees and remove weeds from koala habitats. From the You Yangs we head towards Geelong for a beach clean to remove marine debris, which wildlife can accidentally ingest or become entangled with. On the day we also have a zero waste expert Madeline from Greenspectrum join us to give you simple tips how to reduce the amount of waste at home and recycle correctly.

Cost: $45 per person 

Inclusions: Transport from the city, zero waste talk, volunteer fees with Koala Clancy, cleaning supplies (bags and gloves), onboard esky, carbon emission offset via Greenfleet

Departure: Immigration Museum (Corner of Market & Flinder St) @ 8:00 AM

Return: Approx 6:00 PM

Part of the day is spent assisting our Koala Researcher to find wild koalas in their natural habitats. Your researcher will show you techniques to find wild animals in the Australian Bush. Once found, each koala is photographed, GPS located, their behaviour and tree species noted. Most of the koalas in the area are known to the researchers – some for many years – and all are part of our 16 year citizen-science Koala Research Project. Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours & Wildlife Research and Koala Clancy Foundation use natural nose markings to identify the koalas without touching them – this method was discovered by Janine Duffy, owner of Echidna Walkabout in 1998 and is now being used by koala groups all over Australia.

Koala habitat improvement takes up about 1.5 hours of the day. Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) is an Invasive Weed of National Significance. Wild koalas in the You Yangs avoid areas thickly infested with Boneseed, so by removing the weed we make areas suitable for koalas. Weeding is easy, chemical-free, and requires no special tools or equipment.

As important as the koalas themselves is their environment. We break the weeding with walks through the koala habitat, observing birds, kangaroos, wallabies and other mammals and reptiles, and discover plants that are important to koalas.

Koala Clancy Foundation (set up by Echidna Walkabout) is a not for profit incorporated association.

Our oceans and marine life are also in serious trouble from the increasing problem of marine debris. This is why we want to include a beach clean to the day as well.

In Australia, most marine debris off our coast originates from Australian sources. Surveys at coastal sites across Australia found that approximately three-quarters of the marine debris along our coast is plastic, with debris concentrated near urban centres.

Each year millions of tonnes of marine debris enter our oceans and waterways injuring and killing more than a million birds and 100 million marine animals (including fish, turtles & whales) through entanglement, suffocation and ingestion.

Participating in a beach clean is one way to help, but if all we do is clean up, that's all that we will ever do.

This is why we think it is just as important to educate people how to generate less waste and to recycle properly so that there will be less debris to clean up to begin with. The Zero Waste talk has been a highlight on our previous tours. Is is both educational and engaging. We strongly believe that education begets motivation to change, so we know this talk will bring a lot of value to everyone on the bus.

As we care for the environment and want be as sustainable as possible while travelling with a small 24 seater bus, we are offsetting the tours carbon emissions through Greenfleet. They utilise the offset donation funds to plant trees and restore forests in Australia. So no need to feel bad about travellig with one of our buses!

The meeting place for the day is Immigration Museum (corner of Market & Flinders St) at 8:00 AM. Please arrive 10 min prior, as we won't be able to wait if you are running late

FAQs

Are children welcome?

Yes, children of 5 years and over who are able to be quiet around the koalas and enjoy being outdoors are welcome to join but must be accompanied by an adult.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

You can email Mel at melissa@gltg.com.au

Ph. 0423 063 820

What's the refund policy?

You can receive a refund upto 7 days prior departure

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

Please do not print your ticket. We like to save trees :) Email or screenshot on your phone is fine.

Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends?

Yes, that is fine! Just let us know in advance by emailing us if someone else joins on your behalf. We need to have their contact details before the departure!

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