Lake Macquarie drones confirm breeding koala population in development hotspot

Lake Macquarie City Council commissioned the Hunter‑based firm Nightvision Ecology to conduct evening surveys of more than 600 hectares of bushland in the south‑west of Lake Macquarie, Australia. Using thermal‑imaging drones, crews surveyed areas around Awaba, Toronto, Dora Creek, Mandalong and Wyee, which are earmarked for major residential and commercial development.

The drones detected six koalas, including a mother and joey, indicating an established, breeding population rather than transient individuals. The surveys also recorded gliders, a threatened owl species and a pair of threatened glossy black cockatoos. The work forms part of a $193.3 million NSW state programme aiming to double the state's koala numbers by 2050, following the 2019‑20 Black Summer bushfires.