I am sure you have always wanted to cuddle a koala… Well I know a place where all of your dreams can come true: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! Located only a 20 minute bus ride from Brisbane City, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary takes care of more than 130 koalas. In fact, Lone Pine holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s first and largest Koala sanctuary!
About Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
- Where is it located? 708 Jesmond Rd, Fig Tree Pocket QLD – just a 15 minute drive from Brisbane city
- How can I get there? Lone Pine is just a 15 minute drive from Brisbane. Don’t have a car? You can catch Bus 430 from Queen Street Station directly to the Sanctuary (ask the staff at Nomads Brisbane for directions). The bus journey takes about 20 minutes and costs around $6 – $7 return.
- How much does it cost? Adult: $36 / Student: $24. Add a Koala Cuddle photo* for $25
- When is it open? 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. (1:30pm – 5:00pm on Anzac Day.)
There are so many reasons you should visit, here is what you can do and why I had so much fun there:
Why you should visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
1. Realise your dream: touch a koala!
Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was one of the few places in the world that allowed visitors to hold a koala. To keep the koalas happy, the keepers now hold the koalas while you stand next to them and give them a friendly pat. It’s definitely worth it!
2. Feed Kangaroos and Wallabies
You can hand-feed the kangaroos and wallabies in the Kangaroos Reserve (you can buy a bag of Kangaroo food for $2). There are 130 of thee cheeky creatures roaming the sanctuary just waiting to be fed. You may also get to meet the emus and the cute lazy wombats.
3. “Cuddle” a snake
Like the koalas, you are able to hold a snake, if you are brave enough! You also have the option to take a photo. I only had the chance to touch one but it was still amazing.
4. Try to talk with the parrots
I tried to talk with one of them for 10 whole minutes success-less, and when I decided to leave he finally said “Hey mate!”. I think he was making fun of me.
5. Hand-feed the Rainbow Lorikeets
Twice a day (9:45 am and 4 pm) you can feed the Rainbow Lorikeets. I wasn’t aware of this time so I missed this beautiful experience, but I heard it was awesome because the friendly and colorful birds use the visitors as trees to enjoy their food.
Finally, what I loved about Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is that if they do have enclosures, many of them are not fenced and you really feel like you are in the middle of the forest, even if you are just next to a big city. I had an amazing day in this soothing environment, and I hope you will enjoy your visit as much as I did.
Wildlife Interactions:
9:00am-4:30pm – Hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies
9:45am & 4:00pm – Hand-feed lorikeets
11:00am, 1:00pm & 3:30pm – Sheep Dog Show (Meet the dogs after the show)
10:30am & 12:30pm – Free Flight Raptor Show
There are also a number of talks and shows throughout the day.
*Koala holding cannot be guaranteed. Koala’s aren’t forced to interact, there’s a limited legal time allowed for koala holding, weather related events may prevent koala holding as can the koala breeding season.
Liked this article? Here are more reasons why you should visit Brisbane!
Already convinced? Book your stay at Nomads Brisbane!