One thing that Debbie was keen to tick off her bucket list in Australia was a photo with a koala. What is on your bucket list to accomplish on a visit to Australia? On our next trip in 2015 we will be ticking off a trip to Tasmania.
Our first stop during a 2010 trip in Australia was Brisbane. I knew Lone Pine Sanctuary was the perfect place to get a koala photo. It was established in 1927 and as well as koala’s has a variety of other wildlife including dingo’s, wallaby, crocodile and lots of birds. We took the Number 430 bus from central Brisbane to the Lone Pine Sanctuary where it stops near the entrance. The bus takes around 40 minutes. There also is an option to take the boat from Brisbane to the sanctuary. The Sanctuary is open from 9 to 5pm each day. More information about what to do and how to get there is on the Lone Pine Sanctuary website:
http://www.koala.net/
There are a range of activities at Lone Pine including koala cuddling, snake holding, lorikeet feeding, bird of prey display, kangaroo feeding and a platypus presentation. I did not cuddle a koala. Debbie as you can see enjoyed the experience. The staff instruct you to stand like a tree to avoid stressing the koala. They also offer you a t-shirt to protect your clothes as the koala can pee or poop on you. Debbie chose to have the photo with her own clothes and the koala duly pooped on her. We were lucky and got their first thing in the morning and avoided the queue which was already forming when we finished. The sanctuary is not only about koala cuddling and the photo’s below give you an idea of what there is to do.
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- Koala cuddling
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- Kangaroo feeding
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- Feeding the lorikets
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- Some information
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- Friendly birds
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- A bigger bird
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- Fruit bats enjoying some sun
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- Lots to see
I would suggest going to the Lone Pine Sanctuary website where are listed all the times and schedule for the events. I was not impressed with the food at the sanctuary and would suggest you have a large breakfast or bring some snacks. There is also an area for a picnic or barbecue. I did read that they have updated the Riverside Café in 2013 so the food may have improved. It is easy to spend several hours at the Sanctuary so it is worthwhile to plan what you want to see and do while there. Entry for an adult at the site costs A$33 or if you buy it online it is $29.70. A photo of you with a koala will cost A$16.
No one told me about the fact that I could get a T-shirt, I would have! I must say I was the first person of the day and the poop was like a rabbit pellet, so no real harm done. I will say one thing about Kolas, they may look soft and cuddly and the toys, may even be soft and cuddly, but I can say, they are anything but. There fur feels like a wire brush and you can’t move an inch when they are on you. I had to get a second Kola, as the first one was getting too grumpy at being put on me – clever Kola, she seemed to know I wasn’t a tree. Whereas the guy Kola, was happy as Larry to hang there!
The sanctuary is a great day out and makes sure that you see the native wildlife, if you don’t have enough time to see it in nature. The platypus sanctuary was worth it alone, I learned a lot about this wonderful animal.
We, also, fed the Pelicans, but they didn’t like John much and almost bite him, so it’s not for the faint hearted! The sanctuary is set up for ailing animals. The Kolas are free to come and go as they please, as they aren’t all kept in cages, they just get a free meal. It was really cool to see so many of them just hanging out in the trees, including the babies.
I think the Pelicans feeding was at the Healesville zoo in Victoria.
ah i was lucky enough to tick this off the list when I was 21 at the Cohunu wildlife rescue park whilst on trip to see family in Perth – I’ll never forget it. They were much heavier than I imagined too!
I have still not done it but do it this time when I am in Oz.
Your photos are lovely! Thanks for commenting on my blog post so I could read about your perspective!
Thanks for the feedback. I am enjoying your blog too. Good luck with the Contiki tour, 52 people are a lot. My niece did one in Europe last year and she had a ball.
lovely photos
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Brisbane and Lone Pine Sanctuary