Daisy Hill State Forest and Koala Centre is a fabulous, free centre that you can visit to learn more about our endangered koalas. Packed with interactive displays, here you can learn about what they eat, where they live, their social aspects and also how we can care for them. Situated within the Daisy Hill State Forest, this is a great spot for a picnic with friends – visit the koala centre, ride your bike, play in the bush, and enjoy time in nature.
Start your visit at the Koala Centre, which features a large outdoor koala enclosure and heaps of interactive displays. Catch a glimpse of the koalas in their enclosures when you visit, you might even be lucky to catch a few of them awake and moving around, munching on their breakfast. They really are beautiful creatures and it is so amazing to get up this close to them. Wander around the exhibits, with interactive stations teaching visitors about things like the koala life cycle, signs and symptoms of sick or injured koalas, and how you can contribute to the conservation of koalas. For the kids, there are heaps of activity doors and buttons to touch, a koala hospital where you can tend to toy koalas, and a Woodland Theatre showing a couple of different short films.
Another fun activity that is regularly offered for all ages is the option to participate in a daily Wildlife Officer Talk. A park officer will chat about koalas and their conservation and it gives visitors a chance to ask all the questions they like.
After you finish at the centre, go for a wander through the forest. The Daisy Hill State Forest comprises 435 hectares of open eucalypt forest. There are heaps of animals there, and you can usually spot wallabies while on a short stroll through the main area of the park. There is a really great pathway that works its way through the day-use area, which includes picnic tables, toilets and barbeques (all of which are wheelchair accessible!). There are a few Nature Play options to get the kids involved in the environment around them, and there are interpretive signs on all the walking trails providing information about the flora and fauna around.
One of my favourite things about having children is being able to enjoy some of my childhood memories again. Daisy Hill State Forest and Koala Centre is where I spent many a weekend and school holiday hanging out with friends and family. As part of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games upgrades, the State Government invested a chunk of money in upgrading the facilities at Daisy Hill State Forest, and it now boasts new toilet facilities and wide concrete pathways making the Forest much more accessible for those with prams and wheelchairs.
Need to know:
Address: 253 Daisy Hill Road, Daisy Hill QLD
Daisy Hill Koala Centre opening times: 9am–4pm daily (except Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday).
Daisy Hill Regional Park opening times: 7am–6.30pm, 15 October–14 March (summer). 7am–5.30pm, 15 March–14 October (winter).
