The koala fodder project is well underway at Ivory’s Rock Conventions & Events. This initiative was announced at the Civic Reception held in the conference hall at Ivory’s Rock in September, 2017. Since then there has been several tree planting days in a designated plantation area near the Sandy Creek area on the property. On the planting days some volunteers planted trees in the ready laid out rows, whilst others watered and mulched.
Once the trees grow to around 8 feet tall they will be maintained at that height by harvesting branches for Koala fodder. Local koalas rescued by the Ipswich Koala Protection Society will benefit from the fresh food compliments of Ivory’s Rock. The IKPS find it difficult to source enough fresh leaves suitable for koala consumption, so this plantation will be a big boon to their orphaned and sick koalas. IKPS save approximately 150 koalas a year and run an ambulance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Volunteers that came along to help enjoyed the social interaction, meeting new people and catching up with old friends, happy in the knowledge that their efforts would help koalas in need. Grounds Manager, Dick Marriott, supervised the overall project delivery. The plantation will eventually have 1,000 eucalyptus trees specifically chosen for their suitability as koala fodder. This is stage one of the koala protection project. Stage two is still in the planning stages.