Rotary Narrandera · The Koalas
Twenty bears. One river. Real koalas.
The bears are fake. The race is real. So are the koalas. Proceeds support koala preservation in Narrandera.
How it started
In the early 1970s, 23 koalas were released onto Narrandera's riverbank reserve on the Murrumbidgee. It was a modest act of hope: a small founder colony placed in a strip of red gum country and left to make of it what they could.
How it's going
More than half a century later that colony has grown past 290 animals. It is one of the healthiest inland koala populations in New South Wales - and one of the very few whose numbers have gone up, not down.
Counted by hand, every September, since 1979
Every September for more than 45 years, locals have walked the reserve and counted the colony by hand. No drones, no models - just volunteers, binoculars, and a clipboard. It is one of the longest continuous community-run koala counts in the country.
Why this matters now
In 2022 koalas were declared endangered in New South Wales. A NSW parliamentary inquiry has warned they could be extinct in the wild in this state by 2050. Narrandera's colony is no longer just a local success story - it's one of the reference points for whether inland NSW koalas make it at all.
Why the Drop Bears
Because nobody opens a fundraising email titled 'endangered species status update'. The 2026 Drop Bear Dash was a charity raffle: supporters picked a bear, and top-three finishes paid 3x, 2x or 1x each backer's stake for that bear and race. The bears were fake. The race was real. So are the koalas.
Thanks for backing the bears - every dollar supports koala preservation.