17/09/2026
So fantastic that people who have been successful in their careers in Australia are giving into the protection and continuation of wildlife areas. Mike Gregg and his wife Sue’s donation linked properties into a wildlife corridor, generating a larger area and giving the wildlife more room to breed and expand biodiversity within their species. Cutting land into smaller isolated land masses is causing loss of biodiversity and loss of habitat.
Scenic Rim council please consider what you are doing by cutting the middle out of an island that is already small enough in Munbilla. It needs to be made larger as per the Scenic Rim Koala population Study 2024, Munbilla and upper parts of the Scenic Rim are at high risk of Koala loss whilst having the highest level of genetic biodiversity found in the Scenic Rim.
Quoting directly from the report: "The Scenic Rim harbours 5 of the 11 genetically distinct Koala population clusters identified to date in Southern Queensland - including the region's most significant genetic reservoirs. This makes the Scenic Rim one of the most vital landscapes for the species survival, not just in Southeast Queensland but nationally. Protecting and reconnecting these population clusters is critical to ensuring the long-term resilience of Koalas in Australia."
Read the report – highly recommend pages 23 – 33, graphs and clear findings. Munbilla is in SEQ-03. Another quote: “SEQ-03 is identified as a genetic reservoir of high conservation significance, making its protection a high priority for Koala conservation in Southeast Queesland.” The Pink dots on the map (page 33) run through Munbilla. There have been more sightings reported to QWildlife since the findings of this report, including in the proposed Munbilla Reserve and surrounding properties.
Another Quote: “At present, none or almost none of the habitats corresponding to the identified extents of Koala population cluster SEQ-03, SEQ-05, and SEQ-07 are mapped in the extent of ‘Koala Priority Area’ within the Scenic Rim under the Southeast Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy.”
Here is the link to the SRRC website Koala page the link to the PDF of the Scenic Rim 2024 Koala population study is right at the top. Read now
https://www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/Our-Environment/Biodiversity/Koalas
Your polite, and where possible constructive, thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated. PM us ideas if you have some.
Wonderae Boonah and District Landcare Queensland Koala Conservation Collective Queensland Trust for Nature Wildcare Australia Inc. Watergum Fassifern Guardian Save Woogaroo Forest - Ipswich QLD Biodiversity Council
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JumzaeVbd/
Mike Gregg made his fortune as an early investor in the Australian software company WiseTech Global. Rather than spending it on the usual trappings of wealth, he and his wife Sue decided to buy land specifically to give it back to the animals living on it.
The couple donated $10 million to purchase six adjoining properties within the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, spanning approximately 7,000 hectares, roughly 17,000 acres, near Port Macquarie. The land had previously been used for cattle grazing and logging.
The properties are now home to koalas, greater gliders, glossy black cockatoos, spotted-tail quolls, frogs, wallabies, and turtles, among many other species. By linking six separate properties into one continuous protected area, the project creates a connected wildlife corridor rather than isolated pockets of habitat, which is significantly more valuable for species that need room to roam and breed across larger territories.
The land is now managed by the Great Southern Land Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation charity the Greggs co-founded in October 2025. The organization's work will focus on restoring previously cleared and degraded land, controlling invasive weeds and feral animals, and improving fire resilience across the property. An intensive koala survey is underway and expected to confirm that the reserve hosts the largest koala population found on any privately owned land in New South Wales.
"We found ourselves in the very fortunate position to do some good," Sue Gregg told the Sydney Morning Herald. "We love nature and wildlife. So we thought preserving and restoring land was the best thing we could do with our money."
Mike Gregg was equally direct about the choice behind the decision. "We've got to think about how we're going to do something with this," he said, "and it's not buying a big yacht."
Conservation leaders in Australia believe the donation is among the largest private gifts ever made for land conservation in New South Wales history.
