Koala sighted on George Downes Drive in Kulnura

Koalas — long thought to be all but extinct from the Central Coast — seem to be emerging more and more, with the most recent sighting on Saturday.

• Koalas sighted around Cedar Brush Creek in Yarramalong
• Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne builds mum Jodie a granny flat

A koala sighing in Kulnura has provided further evidence and hope for the future of koalas on the Central Coast.

Alicia and Stephen Owen spotted a koala while driving along George Downes Dr in Kulnura on Saturday morning.

The couple, from Shelly Beach, stopped to make sure the animal wasn’t injured.

This koala was spotted in Kulnura by Alicia and Stephen Owen on Saturday.

The koala was initially spotted on the side of George Downes Dr in Kulnura.

“I had never seen a koala in the wild before,” Mrs Owen told the Express.

“It was sitting on the side of the road for a while. It didn’t look injured and it wasn’t in an area that had been affected by the bushfire.”

The couple offered the koala water they had poured into their hands and made a makeshift bowl out of some bark.

“It wasn’t interested in the water and eventually walked over to a tree and climbed up,” Mrs Owen said.

“It was a pretty big koala, a beautiful animal.”

The koala didn’t appear thirsty and climbed a nearby tree.

This comes as rare sightings have been reported in the Cedar Brush Creek area in Yarramalong.

Last week, the Express revealed photographs of koalas taken by Yarramalong resident Mark Davis in October 2019.

Central Coast environmentalist Jake Cassar said he had heard from Yarramalong locals that there had been many sightings over the past few years.

Australian Reptile Park general manager Tim Faulkner back up the sightings, saying there had been reports of koalas close by at Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue.

Photo taken by Yarramalong resident Mark Davis in October 2019.

He said many koalas would have been forced out by the Yengo and Wollemi national park fires and could be heading east.

Koalas have been thought to be close to extinct on the Central Coast and Mr Faulkner said while the sightings were positive the koala numbers were still small.

“Someone needs to keep a close eye on them. They are so sparse and there are so little numbers,” he said.