Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with Kids

If you want to go to the zoo without leaving Brisbane, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is about a 15-minute drive from Brisbane’s Central Business District. It is accessible by car, bus, and river ferry.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has plenty of Australian animals besides koalas, and it is a fun place in Brisbane to spend a few hours.

Keep reading to see how my family spent the day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and to help you decide the best way to spend your day there.

Arriving at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Free parking is available at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

Before the entrance, there are lots of picnic tables and swinging chairs. The Koala Sanctuary is right on the river, but you can not tell from the inside. The inside and outside of the zoo are both shaded with large trees.

You do not have to leave Brisbane to go to the zoo; you can see all of the animals at the koala sanctuary.

If you want to go to a larger zoo, not too far from Brisbane, the Australia Zoo is a good choice.

Animal Interactions at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

During our visit to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, they did not pass out schedules. There is one at the front that you can take a photo of, or you can check the daily schedule on your phone.

The items on the schedule don’t need to be booked in advance, though Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary does provide a few animal interactions that must be pre-booked.

Animal feedings include lorikeets and kangaroos. Kangaroo food is available on your way in, and lorikeet food can be purchased at the location.

Shows at Lone Pine include a sheepdog show as well as a free-flight raptor show. Animal talks include a dingo and crocodile talk.

Wildlife Experiences that need reservations include an all-day VIP tour, a koala discovery tour, and interactions with owls or platypuses.

Plenty of photo opportunities are available at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. In addition to having a photograph with a koala, you can choose between having a photograph with a snake, raptor, or dingo.

During school holidays, there are special workshops for kids.

Australian Animals at Lone Pine, Brisbane Zoo

Lone Pine houses over 70 species that are specific to Australia.

Platypus

Our first choice was to check out the platypus.

Platypuses are extremely rare. They are not often seen in the wild. Lone Pine has 2 aquariums inside, and each has 1 platypus. It is dark inside, and flash photography is not allowed. I took a bunch of photos, but the videos came out best.

Platypuses are strange-looking creatures. They are mammals that lay eggs. Platypus can be found in freshwater rivers and creeks and are active at dawn and dusk. They are venomous, which my kids knew from watching Octonauts.

Birds and Bats

On the way to the platypus from the entrance, there are a variety of birds, including the cockatoo, lorikeet, and kookaburra. There are also “flying foxes” or bats. They were sleeping upside down, as it was morning.

Koala

As Lone Pine was specifically started as a koala sanctuary, there are many koalas. We even got to see a baby! Most of the koalas were sitting in trees, enjoying eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are not active and usually sleep for up to 20 hours a day, but we were able to see them climbing up and down the trees.

There is a koala hospital on-site, and visitors can see in, but nothing was happening when we were there.

There is a chlamydia outbreak with koalas, and some of them were separated from the others as they were sick.

Kangaroo

We opted to see the kangaroos early on in the day, as they often get overfed.

Kangaroo food is available on the way in, for a donation.

We bought food at Australia Zoo, but by the time we went to feed them, they were no longer interested.

Unfortunately, we were late again.

I would suggest making the kangaroo your first stop if you want to feed them.

Some of them ate, of course, but they did not jump over to us. The kids had to go right up to them, and often the kangaroo would not even move.

There are emu in the same area as the kangaroo, and you could go right up and touch them if you wanted (but I did not).

Farm Animals

The only animals at Lone Pine that are not Australian-specific are the farm animals.

We saw the sheep getting herded in practice for the sheepdog show. There are also very large pigs.

Tasmanian Devil

I have seen a Tasmanian devil before, in Tasmania. It was at a wildlife sanctuary and I can still remember, 10 years later, how scary it was. The Tasmanian devil made an awful noise and ran around the cage quickly.

The Tasmanian devil at Lone Pine was calm. He walked around the pen a little bit but mostly stayed in the shade.

Wombats, Echidna, Dingo, and Cassowary

All of the well-known Aussie animals are at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

We did not see the cassowary as they have moved, but I did get to see one at Australia Zoo and they are amazing.

Food at Lone Pine

We always bring snacks as the kids want to eat all day. There is plenty of shaded seating outside the park as well as inside. There are certain areas where you are not allowed to eat, due to the animals.

Lone Pine has 2 restaurants. Riverside Cafe is on the way in (right outside the park). There is another, a smaller cafe inside. The Sleepy Koala cafe is only open on weekends and holidays.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Wrap-Up

For those who want to see Australian animals near Brisbane, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a perfect choice.

Much smaller than Australia Zoo, Lone Pine is easy to get around with small kids. It is stroller-friendly and small enough for some kids to walk.

Visitors can feed the kangaroo and lorikeets at Lone Pine. Those who want can opt for a photo with a koala, snake, rapture, or dingo.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a good place to view all kinds of Australian animals including the rare platypus and Tasmanian Devils.

More places to see animals near Brisbane

About an hour outside of Brisbane is Australia Zoo which is the largest zoo near Brisbane.

Naughty Little Kids Goat Farm is about 45 minutes outside of Brisbane. Tours are available.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the Gold Coast and is similar to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, though a bit bigger.

Wildlife HQ is located on the Sunshine Coast. Occasionally throughout the year, they offer a Night Zoo.

Summerland Camels has tours of its dairy farm and camel rides.

Ipswich Nature Center is free to enter and has plenty of Australian animals to see.

Where am I Guaranteed to See Australian Animals Near Brisbane? (Review/compare Australia Zoo, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife HQ)

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary FAQ

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