A koala has surprised a group of canoeists in Australia's Gold Coast by hitching a ride with them.

Amateur video shows the animal swimming toward the group in the Tallebudgera Creek and being lifted into the canoe.

The marsupial sleeps for up to 16 hours a day and although they can swim, they normally prefer not to.

It is possible this koala felt trapped on the bank of the tidal creek and decided the canoe was its best available escape route.

Local media said the astonished canoeists put the animal on an embankment at a local golf club where koalas were known to populate the gum trees.