And yet, researchers in southeastern Australia have just discovered hundreds of previously undocumented koalas living surprisingly close to the city of Newcastle. The team conducted what they claim to be the largest and most accurate peer-reviewed koala survey to date. Over 290 previously unknown koalas are living in the Sugarloaf State Conservation Area alone. A baby koala clings to its mother, nestled in the tree tops at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area. “While the area is [a] known koala habitat, most of New South Wales supports very low koala densities.