Koala makes a splash in Toolern Vale | Gallery

Toolern Vale residents have had a surprise guest the last two days, with a koala going in search of some water.

Photographer Shawn Smits, who captured images of the koala in his dam early this morning, said the koala appeared early on Tuesday morning.

“The next door neighbour sent a message about a koala being in the front of their property next to our fence.

“The koala appeared not to be worried by us, it just wanted to get over the fence into one of our gum trees.

“After a few minutes it managed to climb over the fence and into the tree.”

The koala spent the day in the tree, before making his move in the early hours of this morning.

“I heard the dogs barking and I go out to check the tree and sure enough the koala has moved.

“I assumed it had moved on completely, but after walking around to check the boundary and other gums I heard a bit of a splash in the small dam we have out the front.

“Here was the koala in the water drinking, it was a good 30 minutes that it sat in the water drinking not at all worried about me moving around.”

The koala then returned for another drink later in the morning before falling asleep in one of the gum trees.