Mosswood Wildlife wins approval for koala feed eucalyptus plantation near Koroit

Councillors voted 5-2 on Tuesday to approve the eucalyptus plantation, with backers arguing the move supports wildlife rescue.

Author

Zara Cuthbertson
December 19, 2025

Koroit and district volunteers who spend hours scouring paddocks and roadsides for koala food will soon be able to grow their own, after Moyne Shire Council voted to approve a eucalyptus plantation for Mosswood Wildlife.

What happened: Moyne Shire councillors voted 5-2 and agreed to begin establishing a 10-year licence that would allow Mosswood Wildlife to use four hectares of land at 330 Officers Lane, Koroit, to grow and harvest gum leaves for rehabilitating koalas. 

A long-term solution: Speaking in support of the motion, Councillor Karen Foster praised Mosswood Wildlife’s volunteers, telling the chamber they spent “an inordinate amount of time scouring the area in search of suitable koala food”. 

  • She acknowledged the plantation would not solve immediate pressures, but said it offered a longer-term path forward.

  • “While this solution isn’t going to help them in the short-term, it does provide a more medium or longer-term solution for them,” Foster said. 

  • She also encouraged residents with suitable trees to assist in the meantime, urging anyone with the right types of eucalypts to contact the organisation.

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Larger plans: The plantation forms part of a broader plan to formalise land use at the former Koroit racecourse reserve, which is also home to the Warrnambool Model Aero Club and grazing land. 

Jumping the gun? Not all councillors were convinced the timing was right. 

  • Councillor Lloyd Ross opposed the motion, arguing council risked committing to agreements without clarity on fencing obligations. 

“Basically you’re going to put out a licence agreement with no fencing,” he said, warning there was “a massive cost there to us”.

Councillor Jim Doukas also voted against the proposal, raising concerns about the orientation of tree rows and the impact of a 10-year licence on future options for the land. 

He said the lease could limit council’s ability to reconfigure or subdivide the site later on.

Rolling with the punches: Other councillors acknowledged the complexity but said the proposal struck a workable balance between existing users and community benefit. 

  • Supporters argued the decision would give council officers the authority to keep progressing arrangements, rather than deferring the matter again.