Campaign to close Mt Gravatt Lookout at night to save koalas

Wildlife campaigners are pushing to close one of Brisbane’s most popular lookouts after dark after two breeding mother koalas were killed by cars in two days.

Koala lovers are campaigning to close the road on Mt Gravatt Lookout Reserve at night after two breeding mothers were killed by cars in two days last month.

Their joeys are still in the care of the Queensland Koala Society and one of them, called Monty, has become the face of a community campaign to lock the road after dark.

Whites Hill Reserve and Minnippi Parklands, two other southside bush areas with known koala populations, were already closed at night.

Brisbane City Council has for many years shut a gate across the road during Riverfire because of large crowds wanting to see the fireworks, lock-the-gate campaigner Sharyn Bartlem said.

“The gates were open until 10.30pm, then 8.30pm, but in August when the community wrote to Council it said a sign on the gates was wrong and the closing time was actually 11pm.

Monty the koala joey, whose mother was killed in a car strike on Mt Gravatt Lookout road last month.

“We have had people watching when the (council contractor) closes it. It has been different times, once it was closed for only five hours.’’

But a council spokeswoman said the gate had been closed daily from 11pm to 6am for all of the 15 years since it was installed, apart from a temporary change during Covid lockdown.

Deputy Mayor and local councillor, Krista Adams, said she became aware in recent weeks that a private waste contractor had inadvertently left the gate open several times but this had now been addressed.

“The current gate closure times have been in place for more than 15 years,’’ she said.

“Closing earlier would cripple the social enterprise business (lookout cafe) which supports survivors of domestic and family violence, so this is not being considered.’’

Mt Gravatt Lookout is a haven for wildlife but litterers and hoons are causing trouble. Picture: David Clark

Lovewell cafe’s website said it shut at 3pm every day. The manager said they were “working with the koala group and BCC to see how we can work out a plan that covers everyone’s needs.’’

Ms Bartlem said Lovewell cafe staff had been “very sympathetic to the plight of our koalas’’.

She said since June last year there had been 10 incidents involving koalas, six of them fatal but not all due to cars.

On November 16 a mother was killed by a car and her joey injured.

The next day another mother was struck by a car. Her joey was now in care.

Mt Gravatt Lookout is popular after sunset but koala lovers say speeding cars are hitting more of the marsupials. Picture: Kristy Muir

A KPS spokeswoman said the population at the 91ha Mt Gravatt Outlook Reserve was small, with possibly only 40 to 60 of the marsupials, but it was healthy and growing.

The increasing number of mothers with joeys made them more vulnerable to car strikes.

Koala carers said that on August 28, about 8pm, a sub-adult male was found dead at the bottom of the road and while a resident was trying to check the animal they were almost hit by speeding cars.

Ms Bartlem said although the speed limit was dropped from 50km/h to 40km/h in 2022 many drivers drove at dangerous speeds.

But residents had been told by council that the road was too steep for traffic calming and was also not suitable for calming as it was not a rat running route and a dead end road.

Southside residents are campaigning for a gate to be locked at night, preventing access to Mt Gravatt Lookout, to protect koalas.

“Multiple requests have also been submitted to BCC regarding traffic calming options and improved lighting, but have been rejected,’’ she said.

“The speed limit is 40km/h, with a recommendation of 30km/h on sharp bends, but vehicles speed along the road day and night, with some even crossing on to the wrong side of the road.

“There have been numerous instances where unsafe driving was observed on the hill late at night, which not only puts our koalas at risk but also individuals who might access the mountain.

“There are only a few remnant bushlands available to our koalas. It makes no sense that five can be hit in 10 weeks within the scant habitat where they should be safe.’’

Ms Adams said hooning and speeding were a matter for police, but she had asked them to patrol the road.

Originally published as Campaign to close Mt Gravatt Lookout at night to save koalas