At the turn of the century, Sydney's southern Campbelltown district had plenty of koalas. But records indicate that early residents shot most of them for their pelts. Before their rediscovery in the area in 1986, koalas had not been seen in the region for about 50 years. When rediscovered, local residents formed a protest group to preserve a koala colony near Campbelltown. An independent survey of the koalas was conducted and an assessment made of the potential effects of a development proposal.