A Victorian man has recorded the moment a “distraught” koala allowed him to brush burrs from its fur.

Apollo Bay resident Bruce Atkinson said he found the koala on his deck last Saturday morning, ABC reports .

"(It) looked a bit distraught, it was just sitting there all glum, " Mr Atkinson said.

"I went out to take a photo of it and noticed all these burrs all over it."

Video recorded by Mr Atkinson and posted to Facebook shows him gently removing the burrs with a hairbrush while wearing a motorbike glove for protection.

The koala sits placidly during the brushing, moments after lashing out at a bowl of water Mr Atkinson had extended in offering.

Mr Atkinson said the koala decided pretty quickly it enjoyed the sensation of being brushed and offered no further resistance.

He also said the marsupial remained in the vicinity of his house for hours afterwards, and that it even allowed him to tickle it under the chin and pat it on the head “like a cat”.