Behind the scenes: filming for Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Two weeks ago I filmed four of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary's koalas as they flew to their new home in Chimelong Safari Park, China. I was thrilled to be part of such a unique experience—it was the first, and may very well be the last time I get to film koalas, let alone film them on the tarmac.


I brought my friend Liz to assist me on the day, but also because I really wanted to share what I knew would be a great day with someone else who would also appreciate it. Not only does Liz love animals, she is also extremely enthusiastic about photography, and that's exactly the kind of attitude I wanted with me.

She's also one of few people I knew who would be very willing to wake up at 2am to start our drive to the Gold Coast at 3am. We were even interstate in New South Wales for five minutes, finding our way back to the border after missing our initial exit on the highway. That's a lot of excitement before 5am.

Unfortunately due to licensing restrictions I can't show you the footage I took on the day, but if you just so happen to live in China and you just so happened to watch the news, you may have seen it on TV. The footage was purely for the Chinese media to use to promote the koalas arriving in Chimelong Safari Park.

Since the initial koala program began between Currumbin and Chimelong in 2006, 6 koalas have now become 37. This makes it the most successful koala population bred outside of Australia, according to the Currumbin keepers who were with us on the day.

Below are some of Liz's photos from the day (including some rare ones of me!). She was a fantastic second shooter despite photography only being her hobby and I am so thankful she was with me. Thank you for your hard work Liz!

These two panoramas were taken on Liz's iPhone: