Reviews for Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Meeting the Koalas and the Dingos was the highlight of the day for us.

Product: Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Pick up from cruise port would be great.

Product: Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

TLDR: Go to Australia Zoo. This place is overrated and overpriced. Entrance was not well organized. You buy a ticket using the machine out front, but had to join the same queue as people buying tickets directly from staff members later on anyways. Plenty of koalas and other animals to see (for a park this size), but the enclosures were too small for most. No place to refill your water bottle, so you're forced to buy from the cafe or vending machines. Ticket is over priced for what's on offer especially compared to Australia Zoo. Also, for some reason, Taiwanese cities were the only ones without flags at the main signposts. I wonder why that is...

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Incredible experience at the koala sanctuary! Have to recommend this to any first time visitors in Brisbane, Australia. There’s plenty of parking in there to be any lines of wedding during the weekday that we arrived, which was Tuesday. Immediately, when you get in there, there are a lot of koala enclosures and multiple areas where they are feeding koalas and allowing guests to take photographs and stroke the koalas. It’s not permitted to stroke the koala anywhere except the center of the back due to the fact that they could contract diseases such as chlamydia. Lines were nonexistent during the weekday, I don’t know what it’s like on the weekend. Lots of helpful staff that are milling around and helping with feeding and cleaning of all the animal habitats. There is also an extensive reptile enclosure, which has very interesting animals, such as stick insects. It’s also an open area that has free range kangaroo, wallaby, emu’s and swamp wallaby. You can buy some feed bags for two dollars from the gift store and essentially walk-through the free range area and feed any of the animals you want. Although I wouldn’t recommend getting too close to the emu! Lucky enough to be there while they did the Larakeet feeding, where they basically fill up bowls of sweets liquid that the birds absolutely love and they fly down to your hand while you’re feeding them. They have vibrant coloring on all of their wings and it makes for an exceptional viewing experience because they’re so close. It’s also Marriott iguanas and lizards running around all over the place. It has a bit of a wild feeling to it. There is also lots of plants for cover so you’re not constantly in the sun. One other thing that was super cool was the viewing tank for the alligator because you can enter it from underneath, and there is a dome like bubbles to lousy to view the alligator as if you’re in the water with it. I believe they work in partnership with a conservancy which (I think) means that their work and proceeds go toward helping to preserve the habitat and welfare of these magnificent creatures. Do your part and snuggle a koala.

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Trip from U.S.-family of 4

The amount of kangaroos and koalas you get to see is amazing! We were blown away! Everyone was very nice. The kangaroos are just out in a field for you to walk around with. You can even feed them if you buy a bag of pellets. We also booked a close up encounter with a koala directly through the sanctuary. Definitely worth it if you want to pet it and feed it leaves, otherwise, you’ll get your fill of seeing them in other parts of the sanctuary.

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Staff welcoming helpful...

Staff are so welcoming & helpful and when giving the talks they make it so interesting and informative. We really enjoyed the experience.

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Great place to take the kids but a long walk

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The Sanctuary was delightful and the staff were incredibly knowledgeable! HIGHLY recommend! The kangaroos were soft and the park VERY clean.

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Don't let a negative review keep you from going

Some reviewers on Tripadvisor have suggested that Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is not a “sanctuary” at all but simply a commercial zoo masquerading as such. In fact though, it was originally founded in 1927 to protect sick, injured, and orphaned koalas at a time when the species was widely hunted. The focus is on education, conservation, and animal care, and even has research and welfare programs. But, if you are looking for kangaroos in large open ranges, birds flying around together in massive bird enclosures and koalas roaming tree to tree in live eucalyptus trees, you are likely to be disappointed. That being said, there is so much to enjoy here. The koalas are restricted from leaving the area but for the most part do not appear to be “caged”. These slow moving, cuddly marsupials seem to be happy to sleep some 18 hours a day perched in “fake” trees which are actually real eucalyptus trees secured in the area giving them something to climb on. If they do wake up, it is usually because caring handlers, who call them by name, bring bunches of fresh eucalyptus leaves for them to enjoy. Mealtime! Birds, reptiles, kangaroos and other animals are housed in environmentally appropriate enclosures which are large enough for them to fly and roam about at least to some degree. Particularly interesting is the enclosure for the dingoes. The sanctuary has been home to several dingoes over the years, including popular residents named Stirling, Jindy, and Tanami. They live in a specialized habitat featuring ponds, bridges, and hills to keep them active. Not to be missed are two interesting shows. The first is the free flying raptor show. You will sit in a small amphitheater while these beautiful creatures swoop down just inches from your head to the outstretched arms of the handler below. Then they obediently return to their home. The experience is obviously enjoyed by both birds and handler. The second show is watching an intelligent sheepdog manipulate and corral a group of about ten sheep. With just a whistle or hand gesture from its trainer the dog directs the sheep through small narrow openings into a pen that barely holds them all. The dog never barks or even nips at the sheep (although the sheep sometimes get a bit feisty and rebellious). I have seen this in videos, but it was even more fun to see it in person. Another plus on the site was the Sleepy Koala Café. I was pleasantly surprised at both the quality of the food and the relatively reasonable price. I recommend that you take a break and enjoy some refreshment there. If I had any issue, it would be that you have to pay if you want to actually get up close to the koalas and even the sheepdog. I understand that a facility like this does not survive simply on love. Someone must pay to keep it going. Still, it was a little disappointing. All in all, this was a most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. I would do it again. Tip: If you decide to take public transportation, keep in mind that some of the bus routes drop off and pick up passengers right on sight. Others just get you close but require you to walk a short distance before getting to the entrance. Be sure to check which bus line works the best.

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

(Translated by Google) So cute (Original) 好可愛

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Product: Brisbane: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Day Pass

Good picture opportunities and ability to learn about the animals, their habitat and challenges.River tour fun with amusing commentary

Product: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary