The Koala is one of Australia's most iconic characters and is featured here as part of the Royal Australian Mint's innovative 'Land Series'. The series showcases unique animals from the Australian bush and was intended for both seasoned and younger collectors. The reverse of this particular coin was designed by Sabina Foster and depicts a coloured Koala clinging to a tree with some eucalyptus leaves to its right along with the denomination "1 DOLLAR". The obverse includes the standard Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II with the legend "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2008".
The Koala is an extremely unique marsupial native to Australia. They can be found throughout eastern Australia in open eucalypt woodlands where they subsist primarily on eucalyptus leaves. (Zoos Victoria, 2017) The low nutrient content of these leaves means that Koala's are forced to remain sedentary, sleeping for up to 18 hours a day. (World Wildlife Fund, 2017) The destruction of their natural habitat has led to the Koala being classified as vulnerable under IUCN's Red List.