NEW signage has been installed at a koala death hotspot in the hope that motorists will slow down to help save the treasured marsupials.
The temporary signage, which will stay in place until Easter, has been installed on Western Port Highway in Tyabb, which is the worst koala roadkill hotspot on the peninsula.
Since 2024 on Western Port Highway near O’Neills Rd and Thornells Rd there have been 17 koalas killed (including one joey).
President of Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation, Dirk Jansen, told The News “The new signage shows how community action and effective collaboration with the shire and Department of Transport is starting to address roadkill in some of the worst locations”.
“I’d like to thank the community for reporting koala sightings (dead or alive) and want to encourage people to continue to report sightings and roadkill – if we know where they get hit, we can work on solutions.”
Koala deaths have been high over the last few years, but Jansen believes an increase in reporting accounts for some of the deaths.
In 2024, there were 40 koalas lost via vehicle collisions (including two joeys), in 2025 there were 25 koalas lost via vehicle collisions (including one joey).
From October 2025 – now (holiday season), 17 koalas (including two joeys) have died and in 2026 so far six koalas (including one joey) have died.
Wildlife Victoria data shows 17,227 wildlife were “hit by a vehicle” (HBV) in 2024, an increase of 27 per cent on the year prior and a 270 per cent increase since 2020. With many roadstrike incidents unreported, the true numbers of wildlife hit by vehicles is possibly higher still.
While wildlife can be injured, killed or orphaned by collisions with vehicles, significant risks also apply to motorists involved in roadstrike incidents. In the same report, Victoria Police noted that in the five years to 31 December 2024, 921 injury collisions occured involving a wild animal and 20 people were killed in collisions where “striking or avoiding a wild animal was identified as one of the contributing factors”.
Silvia Morris, Senior Instructor for RACV Drive School, urges Victorian drivers to be aware of nearby wildlife while driving. “Look out for wildlife and drive at a safe speed that reduces your chance of hitting an animal,” she says.
“If you can avoid driving at dusk and dawn, please do. Many of our native species are most active at dusk and through the night.”
First published in the Mornington News – 27 January 2026