What is a Koala Hackathon?

The hackathon was a district wide collaborative effort to support local koala populations. Hosted at Taree Universities Campus, aimed to connect our youth with country and inspire them to think big when it comes to the future of koala conservation across the MidCoast region.

With over 60 students from 6 schools across the region, we saw 9 teams pitch their ideas, which included infrared sensors, drones, artificial intelligence, Pokemon Go style apps, education campaigns and koala corridors connecting habitat.

From the simple to the advanced, it was amazing to see the creativity and imagination of our young people. We look forward to seeing their ideas brought to life.

On arrival 98% of students said they knew a little about how to help Koalas in our local environment. At the end of the day 92% of students said they knew a lot about how to help koalas locally.

Congratulations to the winning team on the day – The Koala Quest Team from Great Lakes College.

The winning team on the day was the Koala Quest Team from Great Lakes College.

Thanks to the amazing students from Taree High School, Wingham High School, Chatham High School, St Clare's High School, Great Lakes College and Manning Valley Anglican College. And this would not have been possible without the support of our partners, collaborators and sponsors - MidCoast Landcare, Taree Universities Campus, Biripi Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre, TIDE, Hunter Local Land Services, Club Taree, Port Stephens Koala Hospital and Disruptors Co.


Media inquiries: 

Donna Ballard, CEO, Taree Universities Campus - M 0417 570 359 

Uncle Will Paulson, Elder - M 0407 412 032

Linden Rudge