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Brisbane River Cruise with entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Badge of ExcellenceBrisbane, Australia

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Admission with Brisbane River Cruise

5 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Take a leisurely river cruise from Brisbane to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to observe native Australian wildlife. This half-day tour departs from bustling Southbank and cruises along the Brisbane River with views of iconic landmarks on the way to Lone Pine. Upon arrival, enjoy ample time to meet the animals. Observe the platypus, and watch animal shows that feature sheepdogs and birds of prey. A great experience for animal lovers.

River cruise from Southbank, Brisbane to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Explore Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world's first and largest koala sanctuary
Glimpse the elusive platypus that live at the Platypus House
Keep an eye out for the wild lorikeets (Australian parrot) that come to feed at Lone Pine

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This tour takes the scenic route to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with a cruise along the Brisbane River.

What's Included

Round-trip cruise
General Admission into Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Koala Holding Photo-bookings online https://lonepinekoalasanctuary.com/wildlife-encounters/

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Cultural Centre Public Pontoon
Cultural Centre Boardwalk, South Brisbane QLD 4101, Australia
Check in 8:30 am The pontoon is located on the riverside boardwalk, just outside the Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art Cultural precinct, Southbank.

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your own way to Brisbane’s Southbank district to board your boat. View the city’s skyscrapers, leafy suburbs, and waterside mansions pass by as your captain provides informative commentary about the sights.

Arrive at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and enjoy plenty of time to explore on your own.

More than 130 koalas reside at Lone Pine—the world’s largest koala sanctuary. Plus, you have the chance to visit the Platypus House to observe the elusive platypus.

The Birds of Prey show features owls, kites, and sea eagles, and colorful wild lorikeets fly in for feedings. Keep an eye out for Eastern Water Dragons—a lizard that grows up to three feet (90cm) long. Admire the working dogs at the sheepdog show as they round up sheep while responding to their master’s whistles, calls, and hand signals.

Meals are available for purchase on the river cruise and at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary's cafe (own expense). After discovering Lone Pine, return to your boat for the cruise back to Southbank where your tour ends.

The Brisbane River

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair: Cruise is accessible however Lone Pine has a set of 28 steps to climb from the jetty to the entrance
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
No health restrictions apply to this tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Debbie_C

Enjoyed the relaxing river boat ride with great views of the cities, beautiful homes. The crew was great and so friendly. Enjoyed the sanctuary. The bats were sleeping near the entrance and the birds beyond were very pretty. The koalas are absolutely cute and gentle as can be. Couldn’t get in for the personal picture (you really need to book that in advance as they sell out). We were happy to view them very close to fully appreciate how cute they are. The raptor show was nice and the sheep herding demonstration was exciting. Enjoyed being amongst the kangaroo exhibit. There were so many to see and touch. It took us about 1 hour and 30 minutes to see everything. Nice tour and recommend taking it.

Reviews

4.5

1,075 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 1,075 reviews

Great day out

Elizabeth_R, May 2024

A great day out . Boat trip was good fun . Crew helpful and an informative commentary. The sanctuary was amazing . Koalas and kangaroos were so cute .

So many koalas!

David_M, Apr 2024

The highlight of the trip was being able to see so many koalas. Even the cafe in the back of the sanctuary had an eating area bordered with over 20 small trees with a koala in each one. The boat ride was relaxing, scenic and educational just over an hour and 15 minute one way. I chose to avoid the shows which were full of school groups on the day I went, but found it the perfect time to interact with the kangaroos. The koalas were also very active in the morning as the keepers were refreshing their supply of leaves. I could have stayed all day just watching them.

An amazing adventure with a boat ride thrown in

Michael_R, Apr 2024

Was impressed how well looked after the animals where.I also enjoyed the commentary on the boat on the way there.

Visit to Lone Pine Kuala Sanctuary

Gordon_E, Apr 2024

Great leisurely day at the Lone Pine Kuala Sanctuary - saw a wide variety of native Australian animals & lots of Kualas.

Loved it.

Karen_G, Apr 2024

Loved it! Great river cruise with history along the way. The koala sanctuary was a lot of fun. We got to pet a koala, feed and pet some kangaroos.

Great cruise combined with Koala's

MarekJeziorek, Apr 2024

It's a ZOO where the animals appear to have lots of freedom and some are allowed to intermingle with the visitors. On top of this you get a cruise up and down the river. I enjoyed it.

A great day trip

Monique_V, Apr 2024

This was a terrific day trip. Great for families or anyone who likes to see local flora and fauna. The boat ride is lovely with good commentary about the area.

Koala Heaven

Angela_A, Apr 2024

This is a must do if you are staying in Brisbane. Get up and close to lots of Koalas, the sanctuary has many, you can book an experience and get your photo done holding a koala, This was well worth the visit, They have 100s of Roos 2 you but a bag of food to feed them, The Cruise was very relaxing and serves hot and cold drinks and snacks, They give a guide of the city and river sights,

Fab day out

Linda_M, Apr 2024

Loved the river cruise, holding the Koalas and feeding the Kangaroos. The staff were friendly. The park is clean. I loved the size, not too big, but still with plenty to see and do. The were lots of Koalas. The Kangaroos were keen to feed. Overall a great day out.

Holding a koala was a bucket list item

Sharon_M, Apr 2024

The river cruise was wonderful. The boat was comfortable and clean, and the commentary was interesting and informative. Although we did not buy food on the boat, we were told by others that the pastries were excellent. And the Koala Sanctuary was everything I had dreamed it would be, and more. We saw so many different species of native animals and were fortunate to be able to hold a koala! We had ample time to see the exhibits and even to get a snack at lunchtime and visit the gift shop. The one warning I'll give is that there is a steep climb from the boat dock to get up to the entrance of the Sanctuary, so that could be a challenge for people with mobility impairments.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you Sharon, we are glad you enjoyed your day with us. Yes it is a steep climb and 29 steps, which we have listed on our information on Viator, when booking. Can you imagine that the river rises half way up that hill, when we have a flood... which our last one was only two years ago!!

the boat ride to the zoo...

Craig_M, Apr 2024

the boat ride to the zoo was very enjoyable, crew on board were very helpful. the zoo was enjoyable, remember to book your time slot with the sloths before your trip.

Cruising to the koalas!

Robin_L, Apr 2024

This was a wonderful tour! The river cruise was quite pleasant with great views of the city and lovely scenery. The narrative along the along the way was very informative about the city of Brisbane and the sanctuary itself. And the visit to Lone Pine Koala Santuary was amazing! Great opportunities to learn about different animals in the area. The staff was very helpful and informative, providing lots of opportunities to see shows, take photos, and interact with the animals. If you want to hold a koala - make sure reserve your appointment through the sanctuary website in advance (as it is popular). But it is well worth it!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, for sharing your day with us, we are so happy to hear you had a wonderful day with us.

Koala/River tour

Debbie_C, Apr 2024

Definitely add this trip to your itinerary!

Joanne_M, Apr 2024

The river cruise was enjoyable, friendly and helpful staff. The visit to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was amazing. Plenty to see and do and all animals looked to be well cared for. Staff were friendly and caring. A great place if you want to hug a Koala or feed the Kangaroos, which we both did and it was an amazing experience. Make sure to book your koala experience separately in advance to avoid disappointment as not always available on the day.

Im a Koala not a Bear

Teresa_H, Apr 2024

Everything was well organised. The koalas were wide awake and very active. Good family fun. Recommend the trip to anyone though the boat entry side of the park would prove challenging for mobility access with a large number of steps from the boat to entry

Relaxing day seeing nature

Art_H, Apr 2024

Wonderful trip getting to the sanctuary. With the warmer weather, spotting the hidden animals was a bit of a challenge. I recommend the raptor bird show and the sheep herding dog show

Kaola Sanctury/River Cruise

Linda_S, Apr 2024

The kaolas and kangaroos. The boat ride was nice scenery. The staff on the boat were wonderful especially the captain.

Perfect Day

Michaela_W, Apr 2024

Great trip - lovely boat ride and loads of gorgeous koalas. Also booked to hold a koala which was an amazing experience and loved walking through the free ranging kangaroos.

A must see while in Brisbane

Michael_G, Mar 2024

Holding a Koala was the thrill of a lifetime! The whole trip downriver was picture perfect. Well trained tour guides. Felt like I was on a river cruise with family. Would most highly recommend this experience.

Perfection

LeeAnn_B, Mar 2024

Abundance of koalas. So beautiful. Excellent family outing!!! Would come back again and again. Caretakers were wonderful to chat with!!

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