Believed to be Australia’s oldest koala, aptly name ‘Birthday Girl’, will celebrate her 22nd year at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on Saturday 19 September. The ‘Family Fun Day’ will be dedicated to the grand old lady with a birthday atmosphere, kid’s games, a birthday card colouring competition, cake and educational tours of her home at the Hospital.

Now in its second year the Family Fun Day has free entry for locals and visitors from 9am to 3pm. The Hospital is the only hospital in the world that is dedicated to the care of koalas – it treats and rehabilitates around 300 of our furry friends every year.

‘Birthday Girl’ is one of the Hospital’s earliest patients, turning 22 this year, but she has defied her age with mischievous escapes thanks to wonder drugs. Volunteers believe she could be Australia’s oldest koala by measurements and teeth wear. They normally live to be 15 for females and 13 for males.

‘Birthday Girl’ first came into the Hospital in 1990 for a check and relocation and returned 4 years ago in 2005 with chronic arthritis. Anti-inflammatory drugs gave her extra willpower when she “self-released” from a deemed ‘escape proof, fenced yard’, and needed a special operations ‘abseil’ rescue from a nearby tree.

The Hospital is run by volunteers and the Family Fun Day is designed to raise funds for the $180,000 costs to annually run the Hospital. This includes treatment rooms, eight intensive care units, a 24 hour rescue and treatment operation and 33 recovery yards. Visitors can meet ‘Birthday Girl’ and other koalas 7 days a week, 365 days a year from 8am to 4.30pm. Entry is free, donations accepted, and there is a daily ‘Feed, Walk and Talk’ tour at 3pm.

The Koala Hospital is located in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of NSW, 4.5 hours drive from Sydney. Tourists from all over the world visit Port Macquarie’s Koala Hospital, which attracts more than 24,000 visitors a year. The ‘Adopt A Koala’ package costs AU$40 per year and includes a certificate of adoption with a photo, the name of the koala and a short story about its life. Overseas adoptions cost AU$50, a true Aussie gift for international family and friends.

The Koala Hospital, Lord St, Port Macquarie – go to www.koalahospital.org.au or call (02) 6584 1522

Image – Image courtesy of The Koala Hospital and was taken of Birthday Girl in the last couple of years. Yes, she does look good for her age.