However that changed on Saturday, January 11 at about 9.30pm when she was driving along Telegraph Point Road and accidentally hit a female koala.

Sue said at the time of the accident, she was driving 80km/h on the 100km/h stretch of road, as it had been raining and it was dark.

A feeling of dread overcame her, as she thought the worst had happened and the koala had died instantly.

However she got out of her car and saw the koala was still breathing.

She bundled the koala into her car and called the Koala Hospital for advice when she returned home.

Sue kept the koala overnight in a washing basket covered in blankets and gave her a bowl of water to drink. She continued to check on her through the night.

"It was like having a newborn baby in the house," she said.

If Sue hadn't stopped and checked on the koala, she said it probably would've been hit and killed by the next car which came along.

She's urging people to do the right thing by stopping and checking on an animal, if they hit it with their vehicle.

Sue said it's likely people will see more koalas near or on the road in locations where they haven't been before, as they are in search of food and water in the wake of the region's bushfires.

Volunteers from the Koala Hospital came to collect the koala on Sunday morning.

As the koala's rescuer Sue had the honour of naming her. She chose Guapa which means beautiful in Spanish.

The Koala Hospital's assistant clinical director Scott Castle said Guapa is recovering well, despite a ruptured left eye.

Mr Castle said Guapa will continue to be cared for volunteers at the hospital until it is safe for her to be released back in the environment.