Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group (GULG) chairperson Mark Kesby is one of these people, who has both positive and negative thoughts about the new $6.6 million park.

Mr Kesby told the Namoi Valley Independent it was "excellent" there would be a dedicated wildlife hospital, but there was "other things the council, the state, and the community need to do" to help local koalas and other wildlife.

"[The hospital will] hopefully tap into the research going into koalas in the area because there's two things that need to be done: the problem with dealing with sick and injured koalas, and there's also research that needs to be done on... koala diseases," Mr Kesby said.

"I have mixed feelings about the koala park [because] it's a tourist park. The hospital will provide one tool but it's not the solution."

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Mr Kesby said numerous things were needed to protect both koalas and other wildlife.

"We need protection of habitat, we need linkages between habitat islands we have, we need water in some of those areas, and we need better community education because cats and dogs are two of the big issues," he said.

"With climate change we don't know whether the koalas really do have a future, either."

The GULG chair was also concerned about the location of the park. Gunnedah's councillors voted in favour of building the park on the Oxley Highway.

"It's a very hard site so the koala source trees that are there, will koalas eat them? Just because it's the right species doesn't mean they'll eat it," Mr Kesby said.

"The idea you'll put tree feeds up there is problematic because it's all just not good enough."

Despite his concerns, Mr Kesby congratulated Gunnedah Shire Council on "progressing as quickly as they can".

"Obviously the council is very keen to make it happen, and it's happening, so it's got to be good," he said.

"It's not an easy project to get off the ground and they've come up with a good partner to make it happen."

The CaPTA Group will run the park. The group's proposal includes a koala hospital and educational centre, wildlife sanctuary area, eucalypt plantation, resident animals, accommodation, restaurant and function area, and mini golf course.

The council received $6.48 million in funding for the project from the state government's Regional Communities Development Fund back in June 2018.

The council is set to put forward their own funding to reach the estimated $6.6 million cost.