Earlier this week, Roy and Rover were fascinated by the booklet about Ku-ring-gai Chase Koala Sanctuary. Living not too far away from where the sanctuary once was, and always liking to know the history of the places they love, they were intrigued to discover that there was once a koala sanctuary in the National Park, and wanted to know whether there was anything left of it, and what happened to the animals. A little research revealed that Kalkari Visitor Centre in the National Park is what remains of the old Koala Sanctuary so Roy and Rover decided to pay a visit.
If you would like to visit Kalkari Visitor Information Centre it is located in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, on Ku-ring-gai Chase Road, not far from Mt Ku-ring-gai. There are toilets, picnic tables, a discovery walk and visitor centre to explore and a lovely walk from the visitor centre down to Bobbin Head. Just remember if you decide to do the walk to Bobbin Head - what goes down must come up!
The Koala Sanctuary was established in Ku-ring-gai chase in the 1950s and it is believed that at the time there were about 60 koalas living in the park (though whether they were all inside the sanctuary is unknown). There were perches in public enclosures for 20 koalas. In addition to the koalas though, there were other native animals and birds on display, and thriving bushland which was, according to some, full of waratahs. In 1967 NSW National Parks and Wildlife took over management of the entire national park, including the Koala Sanctuary. The fences were removed so that the animals could roam freely. The koalas were not released though as it was feared they could not survive in the unfenced bush. They were sent to Featherdale Wildlife Reserve and Taronga Zoo.
The sanctuary is not entirely gone though. Kalkari Visitor Information Centre uses what remains of the koala sanctuary, with the original area of bush and paths remaining, though the bush seems to be struggling in places to recover from a past bushfire. Roy and Rover prefer the untamed areas of the park, where the bush seems full of life and lushly green, but if you wonder what some of the plants are, Kalkari is certainly worth a visit as there are many informative signs to tell you about the plants, the animals and even some of the history of the park.