Sarina Beach residents were surprised to find an unusual visitor on the beach on Sunday.

A young male koala was found in the dunes near resident Dianne Clarke’s home.

“My husband had been clearing weeds from the front of our house for some time when he noticed some people on the beach looking up into the trees,” Mrs Clarke explained. “A koala was roosting in a dead Casuarina”.

Koala researcher, Delma Clifton, from Central Queensland University, was called to investigate the find.

“The koala was a young male and appeared to be in good health. He was sleeping in the sun,” Ms Clifton said.

“We often have koalas roosting in Casuarinas on St Bees Island and I have frequently seen them in dead trees as well. I am confident that he would come down at night and find some eucalypts to eat and then may return to the same or a similar spot before morning”.

“There is no need to move him to another area as koalas can move up to a kilometre a night, so he was within easy reach of a feed,” Ms Clifton explained.

“The biggest danger koalas anywhere face is dogs and cars, so residents should drive carefully around the area and restrain their dogs at night.

“It is really good to know that koalas are still in the Mackay area”.

The Koala Research Centre at CQU has had reports of koalas at Mt Blackwood, on the Sarina Homebush Rd, in Cathu State Forest and at Ilbilbie in recent years.

Older residents report them as being common in the Habana area in the 1950s.

Ms Clifton is keen to hear of more sightings of this koala or any other sightings of koalas in the Mackay area in recent times.

Delma Clifton can be contacted at CQU Mackay on 4940 7403.