Gum trees, eucalyptus leaves and tropical habitats are a stark contrast to the surrounding mountains and dense forests of Lorraine in northern France...

Second year environmental engineering students Lucie Lescure and Solene Bailly have travelled from the alpine region near the France-Germany border to study koalas for three months as part of an internship agreement between the Centre for Environmental Management's Koala Research Centre at CQUniversity and their home university of La Salle Beauvais in France.

French students Solene Bailly and Lucie Lescure are keen to learn about local koala habitats

Lucie says she is excited to explore the different environments and habitats found in Central Queensland, having lived in alpine regions her entire life.

"Where I come from, the surrounding area is mostly forest and lots of mountains, so the only animals we really get to see are pigs and some deer. The mountains around Rockhampton are similar to Lorraine, but it is nowhere near as cold!" she says.

"Australia has so many different animals and so much biodiversity, which we don't see as much back home. I'm really excited to explore life forms in another land".

Solene is also looking forward to indulging her curiosity about nature and the different animals that inhabit the local area, especially koalas.

"Australia is really exotic - it has so many different animal species. I find them fascinating" she says.

"I've always loved animals. I think it's really interesting that humans are considered superior yet there are some real similarities to us in how they develop - some of them are really clever."

Yet Solene can't resist the cuteness of the koala bear. 

"I wish we had them in France. They're so cute!" 

The pair will be studying the dietary and habitat requirements of the local koala population, culminating in a ten-day field trip to St Bees Island off the coast of Mackay, where they will study local plant species and their relevance to sustainable koala habitats.