From Lennox to disaster zone: Matilda crosses the country to answer cyclone crisis
Australia’s only mobile wildlife hospital has crossed the continent to respond to a cyclone disaster after leaving its Ballina Shire home on a national tour.
Matilda departed Lennox Head on March 3 and has now reached Western Australia’s Coral Coast.
The 22-wheel mobile hospital has been deployed to Exmouth to treat wildlife impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle.
Operated by Wildlife Recovery Australia, Matilda made the coast-to-coast journey as part of a national advocacy tour before being redirected to the disaster zone.
Founder and CEO Stephen Van Mil said the scale of the crisis made immediate action unavoidable.
“Australian native animals face a multitude of perils every single day,” Dr Van Mil said.
“This natural disaster has shown in distressing detail how vulnerable wildlife is to increasingly frequent and violent weather events.”
Matilda is now working alongside local wildlife groups to triage and treat animals affected by the Category 3 cyclone.
Reports from the region include washed-up dolphins, sea turtle hatchlings, seabirds and reptiles.
Main Image: Matilda on the Nullarbor Plain as it crossed the continent on its way to the Coral Coast.
Above: A juvenile dolphin found washed ashore near Exmouth following ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Seabirds and turtle hatchlings were among wildlife impacted.
From Ballina Shire to the national stage
The deployment marks a significant moment for the locally-developed animal hospital service.
Until the recently Matilda operated as the region’s primary wildlife hospital, treating thousands of animals from across Ballina Shire and beyond.
Based at Knockrow, the mobile hospital became a lifeline for injured wildlife before a permanent facility existed.
That changed in 2025 with the opening of the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital in Lennox Head and the new Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital based at Wollongbar, leaving our region well covered for wildlife care and freeing Matilda to take on a national role.
The tour was designed to support regional wildlife groups, engage communities and advocate for a coordinated wildlife care framework.
As part of that push, the team made a brief stop in Canberra to meet with federal representatives before heading west.
But the Exmouth deployment has underscored what Matilda was built for.
“We were crossing the Nullarbor on a national wildlife care advocacy tour when we made the decision to divert,” Dr Van Mil said.
“We are mobilising all available resources to relieve suffering and save as many animals as possible.”
A national asset put to the test
Built in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires, Matilda is a fully licensed veterinary hospital on wheels.
It includes surgery, intensive care, X-ray, diagnostics and specialised treatment capability.
It is designed to be deployed anywhere in Australia during major wildlife emergencies.
The current mission is being carried out in partnership with WA Wildlife, the Balu Blue Foundation and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, with approval from the Western Australian Government.
Dr Van Mil said the response again highlighted the heavy reliance on volunteers and private support in wildlife care.
“The costs of mobilising skilled personnel and providing treatment are significant and mounting,” he said.
“We’re on our way to help, and we need help.”
Member for Richmond Justine Elliot welcomes Matilda and Stephen Van Mil to Parliament House in Canberra on March 10 (Facebook)
