Eight Central Queensland koala enthusiasts are heading north-west to cherish a look at the least studied koala in Australia.

Members of the Koala Research Centre, the CQ Koala Volunteer Group and a French research student will spend two weeks searching areas north of Longreach for the Thompson River Koala, stopping off at two key sites – Iona Station and Moorrynia National Park. At both these locations a previous trip uncovered areas where droppings were found and both locations have had recent reports of koala sightings.

CQ Koala volunteer Shirley Hopkins was keen to get back to the region after taking part in the 2000 trip.

“I can’t wait to get back out there – we were so close to seeing them last time." Gail Tucker said the touring group is interested in studying these koalas because they are the least studied of all Australian koalas.

“As these koalas are so remote from most of Australia’s koala population, they are likely to have special characteristics that are different from koalas in coastal and southern Queensland, as well as New South Wales and Victoria.

“We are interested in understanding the appearance and genetic makeup of these koalas, the nature of their diseases and how they use the landscape.

During the group’s trip, members will collect vegetation samples and droppings and will hopefully catch and sample some of the animals. They hope to record details of gender, maturity and physical characteristics, while weight, head length and tooth wear will also be recorded.

Some swabs and blood samples may also be collected when possible, along with ear tissue for DNA analysis.

The group heads off on August 3 and will return to Rockhampton on August 17.