So many cuddly animals!!!! We made sure to add Queensland to our Australia itinerary when we found out it's the only state in Australia where you can hold a koala. After finding out that Lone Pine is the oldest and largest koala sanctuary we decided to go here instead of a zoo. To hold a koala you must purchase a photo ticket. They have a few shows you can watch and the have a large field where you can feed kangaroos/wallabies. Tip: buy your ticket online to save a few bucks! read more

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KOALA-TY PLACE - MUST SEE 'Ello chaps! If you're a local, or visiting Brisbane, this is the one place you MUST SEE. We booked our trip to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary via Visit Brisbane, with tickets on board the Mirimar cruise boat. The Mirimar crew were phenomenal for the roughly 45 minute trip there, pointing out the highlights along the river. Once we arrived at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary we were captivated by how well kept the facilities are, and how close you feel to the wild life. This is a true gem. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is about 45 acres in size, accessible by boat, taxi, public bus, and car. There is an abundance of koalas, and other wildlife. No one in the family will be disappointed. This seems to be one of the few places in all of Australia where you can actually hold a koala. Their care takers told us each koala does encounters for a limit time each week. They seem to be healthy, in good spirits, and enjoyed the human cuddling. A park employee told me each koala can be held in encounters for no more than thirty minutes per week, and the fees for encounters are used for protection projects, research, and other initiatives that further the cause of koala care. It was truly a lifetime memory . The cost to hold a koala is approximately $20, INCLUDES a printed photo of your encounter, and the cost is in addition to the park admission fee. There are multiple exhibits throughout the park with koalas of all ages on display, allowing visits to have a bit of space and really feel they are close to koalas. There is an open yard area as well, where visitors can pet and take photos with free range kangaroos, wombats, and birds. Crocodiles, dingos, and other animals are also on display throughout the park. There is a café and gift shop on site. You can do the whole park, briskly, in about an hour or so, but taking your time, you could spend upwards of three hours in the park seeing it all. read more

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Absolutely magical place! For an American girl who wanted nothing more to see koalas when she was visiting Australia, this wonderful sanctuary made all my dreams come true. Let's start with the koalas. There were baby koalas, elderly koalas, male koalas, mommy koalas, etc etc each one cuter than the last. I had the opportunity of a lifetime to meet one of these furry little guys and seriously I have never had a brighter smile in a photo in my entire life. Despite the 98 degree weather (trust me I wish I was exaggerating) I was beaming because my dream to meet a koala finally came true. For all of you crazy people who don't adore koalas as much as I, there are still plenty of other wonderful animals to see as well. There were exotic birds, platypuses, dingos, emus, and even a kangaroo petting area where you can feed the kangaroos!! This is a wonderful place for both children and adults, super interactive and you can tell the animals are well cared for and enjoying this beautiful place. Would go back any day! read more

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EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE DESERVE 5 STARS. There's so much to do in Australia that you might only be able to fit one animal sanctuary visit in and THIS IS THE ONE. What a wonderful day filled with tons and tons and tons of Koalas (from baby to "retired") and kangaroos (lots of joeys in pouches and super jacked ones too) and ostriches and fruit bats and owls and pigs and sheeps and dog shows and all of the australian stuffs. We even saw lots of wildlife animals that didn't belong in any exhibits, but obviously liked their sanctuary to call it home. You can get very up close and personal with many of the animals, good for awesome selfies and pictures. We got suckered into paying for holding koala shots (they feel like shaggy carpet) but saw that many other celebrities (including Grover from Seasame Street) did too. They are very good about rotating their shifts so koalas don't get overwhelmed or tired. We explored most of the park in one day, but still feel like we didn't get enough. Definitely one of my favorites on our Aussie trip! read more

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When I was told I would be going to Brisbane for work, I immediately put this on my to-do list. I got to Lone Pine first thing on a Sunday morning, and there were virtually no crowds. I waited about 10 minutes to take a picture with the Koala, and that was really the only time I saw a "crowd" until I left around noon. I'm usually not big on zoos because I hate seeing animals confined, but the animals here seemed well cared for. I spent most of my visit in the kangaroo/wallaby area watching the animals and feeding some. It was really awesome to see them when they get moving quickly! Overall, I was really happy with my visit here. It was also a great activity for a solo traveler. read more

Whoa! What an experience this was!! Ok, right to the highlights: 1. We loved interacting g with the animals without feeling like we were stressing them out. 2. This was a great experience for both adults and kids! 3. The General Store ran efficientlyI and sold beer! Yay! This was a 5-Star experience all the way. The animal keepers were knowledgeable and polite. Could not say more positive things about this trip. If you are on the fence about going to the Koala Sanctuary, just go!!! read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

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[Koalas and Kangaroos] As part my first time in Australia, I had wanted to hold a Koala more than anything else. That said, a visit to Lone Pine was a no-brainer. It's a bit outside of town but worth the trip. I bought tickets online which saved me roughly $5 per person. As previously mentioned, the Koalas were my favorite part. It's $18 per person to hold one and get your picture taken. You hold them for less than a minute but you get a commemorative photo along with any you'd like from your own camera. It was worth every penny. The middle of the park is a large enclosed area where the Kangaroos are free to roam - essentially a large petting area. Roo food is available for purchase at $2 a bag. There was also a random emu in there which I was a little hesitant to pet as it stood taller than myself. Various other animal enclosures filled the park but be sure to time your visit for the wild lorikeet feeding - quite the experience with dozens of these wild birds landing on shoulders and heads. Lone pine was worth every penny. Do yourself a favor and drop by. read more

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Cute Overload! As far as I know, there aren't many places in developed nations that let you hold a koala and frolic unsupervised with kangaroos. Yet just a short cab ride outside of Brisbane lay the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. A large sprawling nature reserve with inedible critters just teasing us with their plump tenderloins and rib chops. You do have to pay to get in and pay more to actually hold a koala, but it was so worth it. Once in the park, you walk by a bunch of stupid birds and some cool bats. Soon thereafter are multiple open pens of koalas, just chilling munching on eucalyptus leaves getting really high. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=i_rbK1Bs3MkOTzhCcIIgFA#i_rbK1Bs3MkOTzhCcIIgFA You can get really really close to the koalas in the pens, but they're too far to touch. I took the above with a 30mm so you can see that my lens was about 3' away from the little bugger. Also, pretty much anywhere you walk around this place you're going to see small to medium sized lizards hanging out on rocks. If you move slow enough, you can get right up in their face. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=surOElESq55H1_DvsOrLlQ#surOElESq55H1_DvsOrLlQ Near the center of the park where the gift shop is, is where you can pay to hold a koala and have your picture taken. I think it was about $16 and so worth it. You only get to hold the smelly bastard for about 90 seconds and once the fear of it clawing out your eye or peeing on your wears off, you can really enjoy it. Past that is the large and very open kangaroo and others field. Inside were dozens of kangaroos and some other random creatures just roaming around. The amazing part was that there was no staff to be seen. You could really just walk up to any animal and pet it. I was able to get about a foot away from an angry looking emu right when we walked in. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=5Ouyk8ZS99MWkXE7uIN3Bw#5Ouyk8ZS99MWkXE7uIN3Bw Hanging out with the kangaroos was pretty tits. There were so many of them and none seemed to care about us or be scared whatsoever. You can really just sit up on the grass near their layer and they'll just come over and plop down next to you. You can also scratch and pat them as hard as you do with a large dog, they seemed to like that. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=fGyKBvhCrCgkOC0e-xV_Yg#fGyKBvhCrCgkOC0e-xV_Yg This one was my favorite due to the colors; http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=wRniy9y6-lObch_8FGd1AQ#wRniy9y6-lObch_8FGd1AQ And even thought I knew that cartoons had lied to me my whole life, seeing a Tasmanian devil in person was just as disappointing as seeing it in a book. No tornados here. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/RGi95VFc_3M5paiGTmcNCA?select=uWyVKs1APKZ3l3y3Qm8dpA#uWyVKs1APKZ3l3y3Qm8dpA Overall a must see place if you're in or around Brisbane. read more

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Really lovely. None of the caged exotic animal nonsense of your typical zoo, but rather a focus on native animals including Ozzie birds, reptiles and of course koalas and other marsupials and mammals. The sanctuary isn't huge but we visited on a school holiday and it didn't feel crowded. One negative I found is that there were very few raised benches along the enclosures for children to stand on (so that they can take a peek at what's inside by themselves). read more

I promised myself I wasn't going to do the cliche zoo thing when I came to Oz - but Lone Pine is not that cliche zoo experience. There are open areas where you can interact with the kangaroos and wallabees. You can feed them, observe them up close, touch them...all the things you might dream about doing. And literally HUNDREDS of Koalas. I got to hold one and take my picture with it and am really glad I did. They are as soft, furry, and adorable as you imagined and I couldn't resist. What else is great about paying the (slightly higher) cost of admission to a place like this is knowing a lot of it goes to the animals. The staff are passionate about what they do here and it's clear in their care for the animals and the way they talk about them. Also don't miss the Tasmanian Devil, the platypus, and the wombat (FTW). read more

Great place to enjoy a sunny winter's day. I would probably have fried in Summer but an August visit was perfect. Make sure you stop by the general store to pick up some Kangaroo feed before heading to the Kangaroo park is brilliant. Roam freely around the park where they chill out around you or come hopping over to demand some food. I would suggest you feed yourself up before visiting as the onsite cafe is not exactly world class nor the cheapest but hey I guess you are helping to support the welfare of the animals. A nice little morning or afternoon out if you are visiting Brisbane. read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Got my Koala fix! - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

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Lone Pine was so much fun! I 100% recommend visiting Lone Pine if you are visiting Brisbane. Let me just tell you, koalas are unbelievably cute. They sit there holding on to the tree branching and just chill. It was totally endearing. For AU$18, you can even hold a koala and have your picture taken with it. You get a hard copy and digital copy of the professional picture they take. You can also have friends and family take additional pictures of you with the koala on your own cameras. Definitely a fun experience to not miss out on. I thought Lone Pine was just going to be koalas, but it was so much more! There were dingos, birds of prey, a platypus, kangaroos, tons of cockatoos and other colorful birds, a tasmanian devil, and so much more. One of my favorite things was watching the Birds of Prey show that is put on every day at 12:30. The birds fly and swoop all around -- it was very impressive. I also loved the kangaroos. You can just hang out with them and feed them their special kangaroo food. They mostly just chill in the shade, but sometimes they get up and hop around, which is so fun to watch. Just a bit of helpful travel advice: To get to Lone Pine from Brisbane City, you simply hop on Bus #130 at Queen St platform B4 and it takes you right to the entrance of Lone Pine. The ride is about 45 minutes and costs AU$6.70 per person each way. read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - There are many different types of snakes in the reptile exhibit - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

We enjoyed our trip to the Sanctuary. Being able to hold a Koala and feed the kangaroos was awesome. However, we found the habitats for the animals to be very poor, and some of the animals looked very unhealthy. The overall condition of the zoo and the animals was slightly unsettling. read more

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I think this is a must go if you visit Brisbane. The main reason is you can cuddle a koala without leaving the city. If you haven't seen a koala before, it's the cutest creature ever, no matter what age you are, you will love it. You can also see other Australin animals here, eg kangaroo, wombat, Tasmanian devil, emu and you can feed the kangaroos of you want. There is a cafe inside the property, I ordered fish and chip, it tastes really good., not oily nor salty and comes with salad. read more

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We arrived in Brisbane in the morning via cruise ship. We took ship transportation to the center of town then caught an Uber to Lone Pine. This was a great day. Got to spend up close and personal time with a koala (for money of course) and Kangaroos. Free Wi-Fi throughout the park allowed us to share our touristy stuff via facebook. It was touristy, but a great way to spend a few hours. I can't think of a better thing for someone not from Australia to spend a day in Brisbane. Highly recommended. read more

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A little out of the way but so much fun. There are no rail stations nearby (which is my preferred mode of public transportation) but the 430/445 bus line stops stops inside the entrance of the park. There are tons of koalas here of all sizes. If you're not a fan of koalas, there's other animals like the kangaroos, Tasmanian devil and dingos to name a few. You can pay $18 to hold a koala and have a picture taken with on or you can still touch one and take your own picture for free at the meet and greet. There's also a huge field filled with kangaroos and emus that you can walk around and take pictures in. You can even feed the kangaroos. The gift shop sells kangaroo food for $2. read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Because A Trip Down Under Wouldn't Be Complete Without One. - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

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Everything about this place is awesome except for the cafe. The only reason I'm giving 3 stars is because it took nearly 30 minutes to get my chicken nuggets and chips, which is ridiculous. When I asked what was taking so long they stated that the order numbers were wrong and when I asked to get my small fry upgraded to the large one an employee behind the counter threw a huge fit and left without a response. Other than that, this place amazing the kangaroos, koalas and many more is definitely something I recommend! COME WITH YOUR OWN FOOD! read more

Awesome place to see the wildlife in Brisbane. Not to far from the city. Beautiful place.

It's very obvious that the animals are well cared for and are happy here! There are tons of native Australian animals here that you other wise wouldn't get to see or interact with at zoos in other countries. I paid extra to cuddle a koala (100% worth it - but if you're going to do it, go early) and paid AU$2 for a bag of feed to go feed the kangaroos and wallabies (which you can just walk right up to in their open area). Such a cool experience and it's nice to go to and spend money at an organization that really cares about animals! read more

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Go!!! Totally worth the 14.40 roundtrip bus ride on the 430 from the cultural center, the 33.00 admission and the the 16.00 koala cuddle picture! :) Seriously though- you get to see over 100 koalas and kangaroos just jumping around! It's pretty small and we were able to see everything in 2 hours right before they closed at 5pm. Last pic time with koala is 4:30pm! read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Kangarooooos - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

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Lone Pine is a pretty awesome place with a really unique opportunity to cuddle a koala. It's worth noting that koala cuddling is somewhat controversial; it's legal in the state of Queensland, but not south of there in New South Wales. If you wanna cuddle a koala, Lone Pine is the place. There's photos on the walls of Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth, Eric Clapton, Eddie Vedder, Vampire Weekend, and some chick from a Twilight movie. It was a who's who of koala cuddlers on the walls of the snack bar. Another cool thing is feeding kangaroos. Pay 2$ and get a bag of feed. I assume the roos are hungriest in the morning cause when we arrived at mid day they really weren't. You can probably save 2$ and bum some food off another guest. I don't think anybody used more than 20% of the food they bought. Overall, while Long Pine is a very nice zoo, there's opportunity to see most all the animals they house in the wild within a 2 hour drive of Brisbane. If you're not gonna get out into the country a bit, or if you must cuddle a koala, go for it. Otherwise, you can probably see the animals in a wide variety of places. read more

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The place is not perfect, but if you're visiting the area from abroad then this is a must for your itinerary. I was staying in the CBD (Central Business District) just a couple of blocks from the bus station so I took bus 430, which is a much cheaper way to get to the location than the cruise. (If you want to travel down the river then I recommend getting on a regular ferry for a few stops, it'll save you quite a bit of money.) I was very pleasantly surprised by how close we could get to the kangaroos. That was my favorite part. I also enjoyed watching the koalas although opted out of holding one as I didn't need that experience. Perhaps the best place to watch them is the cafeteria area. Others have noted that the birds are boring. They may not be as exciting as the kangaroos and the koalas, but some of them look mighty impressive regardless. As you head out, do spend a few minutes looking into their cages. Some of their colors are mesmerizing. read more

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Had a great experience here at The Sanctuary. All the staff where overly friendly and very Informative. The animals all seem very happy and eager for attention. We enjoyed the one on up close and personal time with the Kangaroos and the meet and greet Koalas. The Sanctuary is a must see for all Brisbane Visitors. Just a 20 min drive out of town from CbD or take the river Taxi and enjoy the city sights and sounds. read more

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My fiancé is obsessed with Koalas. So of course the largest Koala sanctuary in the world was always on the agenda! I have been to a few as well and this was easily the best one I have visited. Unlike a lot of other Koala parks in NSW and other states you aren't allowed to actually hold the koalas. Here you can! It involves a small fee but it is worth it and includes some professional photographs. They have more Koalas than you can poke a stick at and plenty of other native animals to keep everyone happy. They also have a kangaroo and Emu petting area. The Emu's are so placid you can go right up to them and pet them. One even stoped walking to pose for a photo! Great experience for young and old! read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

My wife and I first visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary 10 years ago on our honeymoon and we had a GREAT time. When planning a return trip to Brisbane this summer (this time with my 17 year old son and 4 year old twin daughters), we knew we wanted to revisit Lone Pine and were confident that they would enjoy the experience as much as we did - and we were right! Everyone LOVED it! The highlights, of course, were the koala holding and picture taking as well as the large field of kangaroos and wallabies to pet and feed. The kids were in heaven! In fact, my 17 year old son was practically giddy - unheard of for a "cool" teenager. Getting there from the Central Business District was fairly simple. If you're not driving, you can take a bus, which drops you off right out front. There's a bus schedule conveniently posted so you can plan when to leave - usually, a bus comes by every hour. Tip: get there EARLY (as soon as it opens). The tour busses start dropping of tour groups about an hour or so after opening and then the park is teaming with screaming and running school children, etc. If you want to explore and spend time with the animals in relative peace, get there before the hoards descend. Free WIFI read more

This would be the place to go if you are in Brisbane and want to see Koalas and Kangaroos. Our Australian family kept suggesting us to stay longer to go up north to go to a larger Sanctuary, however we didn't have the time to do so. You have to pay an entrance fee of $35/adult. It was a bit much for a small place, but anything for the animals! You can pay to hold a koala and take a picture. You can get a ticket at the kiosks right in front of the picture taking area. Then you pick up your photo 15 minutes later. In the gift shop, you can buy kangaroo food. Perhaps it was due to the timing we went to feed the kangaroos, but not too many of them were interested in eating. A lot of them were napping and we ended up not even using all the food we bought. If you go in the afternoon, you should get 1 bag of food for every 2 person. It was very interesting to learn about Koalas. Even if you don't want to pay to hold a Koala, you can wait after one of their talks and they will bring one out for the group to touch one. read more

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Amazing experience. Got to hold a koala and spend time with kangaroos and joeys. This place clearly cares about the well being of wild animals and this was on display throughout. Thank you for a once in a lifetime experience. read more

A little oasis to relax in leafy Fig Tree Pocket. Drive into Lone Pine car park and the cafe is just there! No entry to the koala park required. This cafe is suitable for all ages: access for prams and wheelchairs is great. There's a fenced play area for children and a selection of seating areas in the shade and also on the deck by the river. The river breeze is nice and cool on a hot day. Hot and cold drinks, snacks, cakes, muffins, ice creams and wine /beer / cider for purchase too. read more

This sanctuary is very well kept. All of the staff is friendly and you can tell their heart is in their work. We walked through the sanctuary for about an hour before taking part in an up close 45 minute tour and talk. I didn't mind spending a bit of money to be able to hold and learn more about the koala's; anything to help keep this place running! Definitely check it out if you have a few hours available in the area. read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Me and Rodney - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

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LOVED the kangaroos. I had different expectations about the installations, I really thought that it would be very different from a zoo, but some of the animals are in small cages. Apart from that, the place is clean, lots of cool animals to see. And you get to feed and pet the kangaroos. read more

Last time I was in Brisbane it was pouring rain and I missed out on the chance to visit this sanctuary. This time, the weather was perfect and a friend and I went for a visit. A few things I really like that stood out: there are many educational shows/presentations and you have a chance to interact with some of the animals (most notably the koalas and kangaroos). We started our day by watching a sheep dog/herding show. It was very informative as I didn't understand the subtleties of the job of a sheep dog, but this show explained it perfectly. After that we bought a bag of kangaroo food (for $2) and spent the next half an hour feeding the roos in a large open field. After wandering around for a bit and checking out some of the various birds I really wanted to hold a koala. At Lone Pine the way to hold a koala is to purchase a picture (for $18) and stand in line. They have three or four koalas ready to be held and the process is very orderly. Basically you hold out your hands and they place a koala on your hands. Then they take your picture and you can pick up a copy of it in about ten minutes. After that, we wandered around more and heard a platypus presentation in the platypus/snake exhibit. You can easily spend a half day there and not be bored. There are a lot of covered areas and ample seating so if the Australian heat gets to you there are plenty of areas to rest. Also, and this seems to be a real selling point, there is free wifi everywhere (plus blogging stations). Overall, a wonderful day spent learning about many of the fascinating animals of Australia! read more

The world's first and largest koala sanctuary, with over 130 koalas. You can cuddle a koala (and get your photo taken doing so), hand-feed kangaroos and see a large variety of Australian wildlife, all in natural settings. There are snake houses, wombats, Tasmanian devils, lots of birds, and much, much more. You can feed lorikeets, hold snakes, and look at lizards and echidnae and fruit bats and kookaburras. A super place for kids that like animals, and a great place for tourists to see all the animals that are so unique to Oz. read more

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We went here mainly to hold a koala. We ran to get tickets because of reviews we read about them running out. But they sold a lot of tickets that day. And they made four lines with four different Koalas. The Koala I had didn't like me because I was wearing a shirt with no sleeves. So wear sleeves or something or you'll turn them off lol. We also hand fed kangaroos and got to take selfies with them as well. I would suggest going early so that they're still hungry when you go to feed them. This was a very informative zoo with friendly and informative keepers and staff. read more

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Zoos Near Me - Fig Tree Pocket, QLD

One of the highlights of our trip to Australia! The park is spread out but accessible, you can definitely see all the bits and pieces of the Sanctuary - if you plan well. Try to participate in as many animal keeper talks as you can. We saw the birds of prey, the sheep herding dogs, and the python - among others. And you MUST pay to hold (hug) a real KOALA! The photo is a nice bonus, but getting to hold one of those cuties was amazing!!! The food is not bad, and priced great. Lounging around with all the kangaroos is great - excpt, we got too much too food and they were all full. So much fun! read more

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You say Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, I say place were celebrities go when doing promo tours in Brisbane to hold a koala. It was never a place, despite being virtually in my own back yard (a short 20min or less drive), I'd thought I'd go. Thanks to international guests, one of who was on a mission to hold a koala, my thoughts on Lone Pine have flipped a massive 180. In 2.5 hours we saw some of the 130 koalas who call the sanctuary home, fed kangaroos, saw emus, a tasmanian devil and a golden bush tail possum. The irony is that as a born and bread Australian I'd never seen half of these animals before visiting Lone Pine. Worth every penny. If you do want to have your photo taken with one of the resident koalas it is $16 per photo. We arrived right on opening at 9am and enjoyed most of our trip as if we were the only ones in the park. Most of the bigger groups of families and tour groups started to arrive around 11am. So my tip? Get in early and feel as if it is your own private nature reserve. read more

Five stars five stars five stars. Everything about this place is amazing. The exhibits are in great shape, all the animals appear to be well cared for and healthy. Many of them are in giant enclosures - not for one second did I feel like any animal in this park was mistreated. It looks like a lot of care and attention goes into everything they do here. There's a wide variety of local animals, everything from wombats to cockatoos to dingoes. The activities are fantastic! The koala show is good, the birds of prey show is incredible, the platypus show is interesting, the tassie devil show is good... there's something going on all day and there's still time to wander around the exhibits. You could easily arrive at 9am and leave at 5pm and be busy the whole day. And the various shows' animators were lively and cheery, as if this was the most fun they've ever had in their lives (and not at all like they've done each of these shows a thousand times, which I bet they have!). The kangaroo enclosure is a definite highlight. It's a huge area with dozens of kangaroos and wallabies. You can buy food at the shop for $2 a bag, and then the kangaroos will eat out of your hand, I kid you not. They are pretty tame (although we watched three of them fighting outside the bird of prey show!), and you can pet them easily. Watch out for the emus, they will follow you around as long as you're holding food. Also the ducks and the pigeons will want to get in on the food action as well. There are also scrub turkeys and water dragons wandering around all over the park too. Definitely worth the $33 (or $30, if you buy your tickets online) to get in. It's an additional $16 to hold a koala (or a python!), which may be worth it if that's your thing. They swap out the koalas periodically so they don't get overwhelmed from people holding them all day. Again, the animals are very well cared for. Bonus: lots of parking, and the park was not too crowded, even on a sunny Sunday in September. And only 20-25 minutes from Brisbane CBD! read more

A perfect trip from start to finish. Be sure to do the Koala photos! The park is easy to explore with lots of animals to interact with.

Even if cost was a concern, this place is worth budgeting into your places to go visit in Brisbane Australia. Me and wifey just arrived from the States and pretty much everything here costs more than in the States. It's really not a drastic difference but broken down, food and activities and the internet options have all been a bit of a shocker to us. Yet, even though our tight budget just got tighter due to the increase in cost, we agree on the idea that there is always room to fit enjoyment into our lives, no matter how strapped we might be for cash. So I researched all the zoos and parks and made the decision to visit this place. WHY LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY? 1) It's close to the city - 20 mins south of CBD. 2) It's easily accessible by bus (430 or 445) 3) Price is cheaper than a big zoo (like the Australia zoo). $33 Adult; $24 Student (make sure you bring your card) 4) The staff, trainers and employees there were very friendly and seemed to really care for the animals (something we find very appealing 5) Hold a koala, python, bird of prey, other? ($16 each - includes a picture) and you can freely walk around the Emus and Kangaroos outside. 6) The handlers look like they really care about the animals; they animals look healthy and happy. 7) Very kid friendly. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has everything you need to see if you're on a budget and if you want to be close to the city. WHEN SHOULD I GO? Go as early as you can. We took the 445 bus at 9:10am Saturday from Indooroopilly and got there in about 15 minutes. I made my wife take her Koala picture pretty much as soon as we could and was glad we did. By around 11am, the place started to get fairly crowded and the lines for the pictures were doubled with the handlers using 2 koalas at a time instead of the one (in the early morning). The place never really got too crowded though. Going in the morning when it's cooler also allows you see the animals more active. Later in the day got to 90º and all you saw were wombats in their tree holes, dingos laying in the shade, and really, all of the animals not doing anything really active. Go when it's cooler (early AM or on a cooler day). WHAT SHOULD I DO? 1) Get your picture with the koala. My wife loves it and they take very good pictures there. It's ready in 5-10 minutes. You take the picture, walk around and get your picture from the Koala Cafe. 2) Get your picture with the python. This was me. Very cool! There actually weren't too many others that did this. Most were in line for the koalas but it's a cool photo to have around. 3) Walk around everywhere. Make sure you hang out with the kangaroos (when's it's cooler). You can feed them, pet them and watch them bouncing around. We actually go to see 2 mommas with their joeys in their pouches - pretty cool. 4) If you're getting hot, hang out in the Koala Cafe - *Free Wifi only if you purchase something at the cafe. Free internet on their computers and you can charge up your USB devices there while you wait. 5) Platypus - also a dark, cool place for a reprieve. 6) Go to the shows - learn something while you're there. SUMMARY We'll be going back there when family/friends come over. It's worth it for being so close and seeing the animals happy and healthy. read more

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Koalas, wallabies, wombats, every Australian animal you've ever wanted to see live and up close (instead of roadkill). Today was my first time at Lone Pine and I'm so happy that I finally made it before I head back home to the US. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect upon arrival. I've been to Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney but wasn't half as impressed as I was with lone pine. For a day pass for the two of us, it cost $73. The entry line was very efficient. I felt like a little kid again, so enthralled by all the beautiful birds and flying foxes you see as you enter into the main park. The crowds were minimal aside from the children who were there on a field trip but weren't a bother. The park was very clean and flowed seamlessly. I loved that there were at least 6 different Koala exhibits ranging from: koala with baby, bachelor koalas, retired koalas, male koalas, etc. My absolute favourite part of the day was the Kangaroo and Emu feeding area. For $2 you can purchase "roo food" at the general store around the corner and walk into kangaroo heaven. There were baby joeys lining the perimeter of the area, a lot more timid than the adult kangaroos when it came to a feed. The kangaroos are loving life basking in the sun waiting for the next park-goer to hand feed them. I was absolutely terrified of the emus, but they were actually very approachable..still I kept it to one swift pat and backed away slowly. Lone Pine isn't massive but you can definitely spend a few hours here and have a wonderful day. I would recommend Lone Pine to any tourists and even anyone living in Queensland who's up for a day filled with cute fuzzy faces. read more

By far the best animal experience I had in the past few years! It is a little out of the way from the city, but fortunately we had a rental car and drove right in. The place is not big, but it's has all the Australian animals: koala, kangaroo, platypus, wallaby, etc. They have an animal show happening every 30 mins that was very interesting. The most interesting was the free flight raptors show where they let the birds fly free sometimes only inches above your head (don't make sudden moves, please!). And of course, the highlight for me was taking picture with a koala. The cost starts at $18 and you get to hold the koala for a minute (no petting) and they print out an 8x10" and send you the digital copy. In addition, they will also take pictures with your own phone/camera. When we were there, they did have a 30 min period where you can pet the koala (and presumably take pictures) without paying the fee. Kangaroo feeding was fun too, you can buy the feed at the store for $2 and that will last you way longer than needed - the kangaroos are all overfed, seems like :) This is definitely a MUST go place when visiting Brisbane. read more