Adorable moment overheated koala escapes Queensland heatwave by indulging in the great Australian pastime of running through a sprinkler in a backyard

An adorable video of a koala cooling down in a backyard sprinkler in the middle of a 41.3C heatwave has been shared online.

The koala found its way into a local backyard in the Southeast Queensland town of Dalby on Monday, during the height the town’s heatwave.

The scorcher of a Monday saw the local wildlife searching for some quick relief from the searing heat.

A local shared a video to Reddit after they spotted the furry marsupial drenched in water as it crouched over the sprinkler. 

A koala drenched itself in a sprinkler to escape the heat in South East Queensland

The koala makes itself at home in the backyard and takes a long drink from the spraying water to cool itself down and escape the heat. 

The heat becomes too much for the animal, as it continues to soak its fur and sit down in the middle of the spraying sprinkler. 

The footage pulled at the heartstrings of social media users, with many sympathizing with the heat deprived koala.  

'He's really loving it! What a cutie', one user wrote. 

'Aw poor fella. Good on you for helping them out', another commented. 

Another user said giving shelter to wildlife during heatwaves is important for their wellbeing. 

'It’s beautiful that you have obviously created a haven in such a hot climate for all creatures to cool off and find respite from the heat.'

The RSPCA recommends that during a heatwave, one of the best ways to look after wildlife is to avoid feeding them, but instead provide them with fresh, clean water in a shallow bowl.

The organisation also recommends to provide local wildlife with shelter in shady locations, away from potential predators. 

The heat became too much for a koala , as it searched for some cool relief by a backyard sprinkler.