Gunnedah farmer Robert Frend has teamed up with a researcher from The University of Sydney to investigate how important water availability is for koalas.

Now the team is urging other local residents to throw up their hand and offer their support by participating in the trial.

Mr Frend designed and constructed artificial water stations – known as Blinky Drinkers – and has since been monitoring their use via motion-activated cameras.

The study has seen the team locate 10 Blinky Drinkers at ground level, and 10 in the trees on the Frend family’s property outside Gunnedah.

The team found it was common for koalas to drink intermittently at the stations for up to an hour, even during winter and when it had been raining.

“This is a staggering result and challenges the common belief that koalas do not need to drink free water, as they get most of the water they need from the moisture in the leaves they eat,” researcher Dr Valentina Mella said.

The study will continue over summer to see whether koalas change the way they use the water stations during the hotter months.

From there, researchers will determine whether water supplementation actually benefits the local koala population.

Mr Frend is among a group of Gunnedah residents fighting tooth and nail to ensure koalas have a future in the region. 

He has seen the numbers inhabiting his family farm dramatically drop and plateau since about 2005.

Dr Mella is now calling on local and government organisations to contact her to help contribute to the study and shape the future of the local koala population.

She also hopes to extend the program to other landowners in the area. It is important locals continue to throw their support behind this groundbreaking research.

Koalas are not only synonymous with the Australian bush culture, but they are Gunnedah’s very own icon.

Our town has laid claim to being the koala capital of the world, but with the koala population believed to be plummeting, that title is at risk. Now is the time for us to take action.

For more about the study, email Dr Mella at valentina.mella@sydney.edu.au.