Say Hi to Chi at Chop 'N Chill Restaurant beside the Town Green, off Horton Street in Port Macquarie
Please note – due to the severe weather conditions on the Mid North Coast, Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop will be closed on Thursday 22 May and Friday 23 May. Planning to re-opening Monday 26 May.
If you have any enquiries please call 0416 641 482 or shop online https://shop.hellokoalas.com/
A MESSAGE FROM HELLO KOALAS
We spent 18 months renovating our North Shore home in 2021 after the floods and the memories of that episode in our lives still linger and a time like this reawakens that sadness. And here we are again.
One of the things my family, friends and I are proud of, through ‘events’ like flood, bushfires and COVID, is that we have created the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail to bring joy, delight and creative engagement to people of all ages.
We want people to feel positive about the future for us all, including the koala and Australian wildlife. And smile!
Many of our Hello Koalas supporters are in the midst of wet weather and business interruption out of their control and we are proud to be working with them and thank them for helping us to maintain the Trail.
It’s hard to mention them all but here are a few –
Come and visit us at 2/1A Blackbutt Road, Port Macquarie from Monday 26 May. Hours 10am to 4pm weekdays. Or Shop Online www.shop.hellokoalas.com
Please stay safe, resilient and optimistic. People tell us Hello Koalas characters make them smile and feel happy. Welcome to our world. Margret and the Hello Koalas team, Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail
Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop
Address: 2/1A Blackbutt Road, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
next door to The Seed Art School and Romer Locks with the Good Therapy Coffee Co and the Lunico Candle Co just one minute away in the same shopping centre!
HOURS OF OPENING: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 10am – 4pm
Saturday open during school holidays 10am to 1pm
Pick up your complimentary Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail Guide
with 91 Hello Koalas sculptures to discover across Greater Port Macquarie and the Mid North Coast
Phone 0416 641 482
Email info@hellokoalas.com
Web www.hellokoalas.com
Hello Koalas Moves
There is always movement at the station when it comes to the Hello Koalas sculptures and while we update the Trail Guide every season there are always somer new sponsors and locations to discover.
The Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail Guide & Map Autumn / Winter 2025 is being released in time for Easter.
Some recent moves include:
Mack The Surf Lifesaver has returned to MacDonalds Settlement City.
Mandy The Mandala Koala is now resident at the Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop.
Radiant Heart – Beat of the Coast has moved to Coast Cardiology, at 87 Lord Street Port Macquarie – open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm. During opening hours Radiant Heart can be viewed in front of the medical practice and after hours through the glass front doors.
Lumpa, resident in Rotary Park since the Trail started in 2014, was hastily removed on Christmas Eve from his plinth for safety reasons and after a little rest at Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop, Lumpa has returned to Rotary Park in Stewart Street.
Koalatron and Koala Noir are having some time off before they return to the Trail shortly.
Augie The Cyclist has moved to Holy Goat Coffee, at 5/8 Merrigal Road, open Monday to Friday, 6.30am to 2pm. Parking on the street or off the street.
News about two new Hello Koalas sculptures Arkie’s Garden and Orla The Artist.
Arkie’s Garden, created by Gaye Leanne from heARTworX Gallery is on exhibition at Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop.
Orla The Artist, designed by Cherie Hurley from the Seed Art School, right next door to the Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop, is waiting for some final touches and she will then be placed on public view outside this popular creative space.
Others off the Trail enjoying a well earned holiday include Topiary, Kalido , Koalatron, Koala Noir, Kenny Koala, Granny Square, Laurie, Bago Blossom, Lachlan Macquarie & Benjamin The Return of the Thylacine. Check facebook for more news about the Hello Koalas sculptures and their return to the Trail.
Hello Koalas released the Hello Koalas Sculpture called ‘Unity’ to promote inclusion and diversity in our community (see photo below).
With funding from the NSW Government through its arts and culture agency Create NSW, Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail new Pride sculpture ‘Unity’ has been designed and painted by Francessca O’Donnell. A mosaic version of the sculpture design has also been created called ‘Harmony’.
Australian Street Art Awards
Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail won Gold in the Australian Street Art Awards in 2022 for “Best Sculpture Trail or Park in Australia” and Silver in 2023.
In 2022, The Big Koala won Silver for ‘Best Landmark Sculpture in Australia’, created by industrial artist John Belfield and painted by Pauline Roods. In 2023, in the same category, The Big Koala won Gold!
Hello Koalas first children’s book in English and French !
Francessca O’Donnell’s children’s book is at the Hello Koalas Gift Shop in Port Macquarie. ‘Lola had a Dream’ has been inspired by the Hello Koalas sculpture Lady Lola The Dancing Koala at the Glasshouse Arts Centre in Clarence Street. As Francesca says: “This book is dedicated to all those children who dare to dream, and those who believe in them.
Thanks to our publishing consultant Claire Grady from Bottlebrush Books for her invaluable advice and unfailing courtesy and to her graphic designer Emma Bennetts. They both transformed the manuscript into a beautiful children’s book.
Purchase a copy of ‘Lola had a Dream’ RRP $24.99 (plus postage) online Shop Online at www.hellokoalas.com or collect your copy direct from Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop. There is also a French edition available, ‘Le Rêve de Lola’ with thanks to local members of the French community in our region who operate The Van du Livre (frenchbooksonwheels.org)
Hello Koalas Gallery & Gift Shop, 2/1A Blackbutt Road, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 (next door to The Seed Art School)
Hours of Opening: Monday to Friday 10am-4pm,
and during school holidays Saturday 10am-1pm.
Check Hello Koalas Gallery and Gift Shop on Google online to confirm opening hours.
Go for an “ArtWalk” in town – with Hello Koalas sculptures.
Take a one hour self-guided walking tour of 9 artworks on the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail around the CBD.
Capture photos of Garage Girl (Leanne Prussing), Wiseberry Real Estate; Kirralee (Beverley Coleman), Regional Australia Bank; Forest (Pauline Roods), Port Macquarie Museum; Ziggy (Kim & Wayne Staples), Rydges Hotel; Lady Lola the Dancing Koala & PK Sparkles (Francessca O’Donnell), Glasshouse; Con the Koala (Jill Williams), Port Macquarie Historic Courthouse; Chi (Pauline Roods), Chop ‘n Chill; Asha (Yvonne Kiely), Belle Property Port Macquarie.
The Big Koala (2.5 metres high) is an iconic public artwork based in ‘Guulabaa, Place of Koala’, a new tourism and educational precinct being developed by Forestry Corporation of NSW.
The Big Koala was created by local industrial artist and fibreglass manufacturer John Belfield and painted by Pauline Roods. and installed at Guulabaa in September, 2022 together with WildNets Adventure Park
The Big Koala enjoyed her ride into town from Johns River where the sculpture was created and headed for the artist’s studio in Port Macquarie.
The Big Koala is proud to be “Made in Australia” and sponsored by Regional Australia Bank
Check out “Hello Koalas – The Making of The Big Koala” on You Tube
Welcome to Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail + Gift Shop
HELLO KOALAS SCULPTURE TRAIL is
Open EVERY DAY of the year and is COMPLETELY FREE!
PLEASE NOTE HOURS OF OPENING CAN VARY DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION OF THE SPONSOR
HELLO KOALAS GALLERY + GIFT SHOP:
Open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm
2/1A Blackbutt Road, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
Unique Port Macquarie gifts + 30 Hello Koalas sculptures on display
Award-winning Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail features 90+ individually designed one-metre high Hello Koalas sculptures plus The Big Koala (2.5 metres high) to discover across the Port Macquarie district, on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Each Hello Koalas sculpture has its own unique character and personality, and everyone who visits has a favourite. Which one will yours be?
Lovingly hand-painted by talented Australian artists, every Hello Koalas sculpture features environmental, wellbeing, heritage or cultural designs to fall in love with and get you thinking and talking.
For enquiries, please phone 0416 641 482 or email info@hellokoalas.com
INTRODUCING THE BIG KOALA!
The Big Koala, measuring 2.5 metres, is painted by a favourite Hello Koalas sculpture artist Pauline Roods, for the new Guulabaa (Place of Koala) visitor experience being developed in Cowarra State Forest by Forestry Corporation NSW.
Guulabaa includes the Koala Hospital’s wild koala breeding and research centre and Bunyah Local Aboriginal Land Council’s Gallery and Cafe and have fun by signing up for WildNets adventure park and meet our very own Big Koala as the iconic landmark for the region.
The sculpture has been created by local fibreglass specialist John Belfield from Johns River and has taken 18 months to construct.
Artist Pauline Roods, Hello Koalas Project Director Margret Meagher, Fibreglass Specialist John Belfield
say “Hello” to the latest Hello Koalas Sculpture. Photo Lindsay Moller
Hello Koalas Gift Shop
Discover our boutique range of gifts at Hello Koalas Gallery & Gift Shop, 2/1A Blackbutt Road, Port Macquarie, next door to The Seed Art School.
T shirts, calendars, colouring books, jigsaw puzzles, notebooks, art books, backpacks, stickers, magnets, badges, tea towels, tote bags, postcards, koala soft toys, koala themed Australian sheepskin accessories for the home, lens cloths featuring favourite Hello Koalas characters and the best way to keep your glasses, phone and other screens clean. Plus ‘Paint your Own Koala’ paint kits with 15cm Hello Koalas plaster figurine, paints, brush and palette)
Plus exclusively to Hello Koalas Gift Shop and online, the SPECIAL EDITION MONOPOLY PORT MACQUARIE (including unique Koala token) + Top Trumps card game.
Making your purchase of this collector’s edition even more worthwhile, funds raised from Monopoly sales at Hello Koalas are helping to create The Big Koala, and its dedicated educational program, at the ground-breaking Guulabaa (Place of Koala) tourism precinct in Cowarra State Forest. Your name will join the “Friends of the Big Koala Honour Roll” on our website (www.hellokoalas.com). Enquiries 0416 641 842.
Hello Koalas Gallery + Gift Shop has a new much larger home at Shop 2 / 1A Blackbutt Road, just off Lake Road, in the creative and industrial estate. Come and say Hello! Open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.
Meet Margret Meagher, who created Hello Koalas, will be happy to tell you more about our Hello Koalas and help you with any questions you have.
Alternatively, you can log on to https://shop.hellokoalas.com/ and shop online anytime anywhere!
Our Purpose
Hello Koalas is a public art project created to bring joy, creativity and a sense of fun to our local area, to foster a sense of community and wellbeing, and to encourage visitors to Greater Port Macquarie and wherever Hello Koalas sculptures weave their magic through touring exhibitions.
Our purpose is to enlighten and educate the world on the urgent plight of Koalas and our endangered fauna and flora, through the talent of local Australian artists.
We work closely with local businesses, government and non-government organisations to co-ordinate tourism, environmental and community cultural development opportunities.
We are part of the national organisation Arts and Health Australia, with funds raised from projects and events distributed among essential environmental causes.
The award-winning Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail provides fun and entertaining days out for people of all ages, perfect for families to enjoy together.
It is also a unique and creative way to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our koalas and our environment, such as through “Guulabaa”, the Cowarra State Forest visitor experience. Pictured above at the launch: Forestry Corporation NSW’s Kathy Lyons, NSW State member Leslie Williams and Hello Koalas’ Guula (Gathang word for ‘Koala’), painted by Wauchope TAFE Aboriginal arts students.
Port Macquarie is lucky to have one of the largest koala populations on Australia’s east coast. But this Aussie icon is endangered everywhere by land clearing for roads and houses, by vehicle strikes, dog attacks, disease, drought and climate change. The recent bushfires highlighted the dangers that koalas face.
Hello Koalas is proud to be a national leader in koala conservation advocacy and promotion and is leading the way with travelling exhibitions of selected sculptures from the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail
Enquiries about how your organisation can host a Hello Koalas exhibition, please contact Margret Meagher, 0416 641 482 or margret@hellokoalas.com
Check out this video to see what fun you can have with Hello Koalas and see your visitor numbers zoom upwards.
Hello Koalas sculptures at play at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney – October-November 2019
We are proud to have toured some of our Hello Koalas to:
- The Australian National Botanic Gardens Canberra (March 2019)
- The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney (October-November 2019)
- The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, in Sydney’s West (April 2021)
Here is a glimpse of our visit to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
Text 0416 641 482 with queries or find us on Facebook
Don’t forget to post your #hellokoalas photos on
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TripAdvisor!
May 6, 2022 Reviewed by Carrie P: CREATIVELY UNIQUE PERSONALITIES
The individual koalas are so beautifully created by their artists. They seem to display their own personalities! While we haven't seen all the koalas, the ones we have seen are truly amazing. The artistic attention to detail and creativity is awesome. The Gift Shop is most worthwhile visiting - being greeted by very welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly staff. So many quality products on display to purchase, you'll be making a purchase for sure. Congratulations to all involved with all aspects of the 'Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail', it is a wonderful vision now shared by so many creative and generous people. Can't wait to find more koalas on our future visits.
Reviewed by chamellephoto, Melbourne: REALLY FUN
It was fun to spot the Koalas all over Port Macquarie and check out some touristic locations along the way.
May 27, 2021 Reviewed by jillyo88, Reservoir Australia: GENIUS TOURIST ATTRACTION
The gorgeous sculptures are a credit to those who made them and thought of such a simple, genius idea to attract tourists to different parts of Port Macquarie!
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