LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY

Welcome to Lone Pine

Be awed and inspired by nature and wildlife as you experience the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is home to over 100 resident koalas and is located just 20 minutes’ drive West of Brisbane’s city centre.  This popular Brisbane attraction will appeal to families, nature enthusiasts, international tourists and school groups alike. Lone Pine is your one-stop destination to enjoy interactive wildlife encounters in a natural, conservation-focused setting. 

There’s something to suit everyone’s interests at Lone Pine. Boasting two cafes, two gift shops, and a plethora of wildlife exhibits ranging from koalas to reptiles and everything in-between, guests will usually spend between two to three hours exploring all the sanctuary has to offer. You can choose to join a guided tour, or to explore the sanctuary yourself. There are ample opportunities to purchase extra interactive experiences like a Platypus Behind the Scenes Tour or Koala Discovery Tour! Be entertained by wildlife presentations where you will witness birds of prey, reptiles and other animals showcasing their natural behaviours. Be informed by scheduled educational keeper talks where you can learn about animal behaviour, habitats and conservation. Whatever experience you’re looking for, it’s all here at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. 

Entering the Sanctuary

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is tucked amidst naturally hilly terrain in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket. As you enter the premises from the carpark, the Riverside Café will be on your left, and touchscreen ticketing kiosks will be on your right. If you prefer to purchase your tickets in person, follow a tree-lined bitumen path downhill until you reach the main ticketing office, where you can purchase tickets and speak to our friendly staff about any questions you may have. With admission sorted, it’s time to begin your exploration!

Soon after entry, the paved path forks. At this junction, you’ll find informational signage to help you navigate your way around the sprawling grounds. A QR code can be scanned here which allows you to download a map of the Sanctuary and daily schedule of events to your phone or digital device which may further assist you to plan your day.

From here, the journey is yours to choose. Turning left or right will take you to different areas and exhibits. This audio guide will explain the exhibits beginning with you turning right from the main ticket office and entry point. 

Flying Foxes, Bird Aviary and Platypus House

Once you turn right from the main entry point, you will find the flying fox exhibit on your right-hand side. Sometimes the flying foxes can be quite vocal, making a series of screeches and squawks as they communicate. Their diet of fruit and flower nectar helps distribute seeds and pollinate flowering plants, making these raucous critters an important species for our ecosystem.

Continuing straight along the bitumen path, you will pass a series of bird aviaries housing multiple species of Australian birds, including cockatoos, kookaburras, tawny frogmouths, and finches. Some of the birds (especially the cockatoos) can be quite noisy and occasionally let out a loud squawk, whilst the zebra finches, which are much smaller, make gentle high-pitched noises. 

Continuing straight ahead, past the bird aviaries, you will reach the Platypus House. The Platypus House is a dimly lit metal building that is pale green on the outside. The lighting is kept low inside due to the platypus being a nocturnal species. Lone Pine is currently home to two male platypus named Barak and Aroona. During their waking hours, they spend their time swimming around in their glass tanks or foraging for food like worms and yabbies. This enclosed building has a carpet floor and is air conditioned, keeping it nice and cool. 

Koala Pocket Area and Brisbane Koala Science Institute

Exiting the Platypus House, you will find an area with a series of koala exhibits directly in front of you, and the Brisbane Koala Science Institute to your right. The koala exhibits are enclosed by metal walls that are around 1.2 metres high, with wooden handrails around the top. Inside, they have tree poles for the koalas to relax on and sleep, and fresh eucalyptus leaves for the koalas to eat. The eucalyptus leaves are replaced daily to ensure the koalas always have lots of fresh food. Koalas spend 18-20 hours per day sleeping and resting, so it is not unusual for them to be sleeping in their trees when you pass by. In many areas of the Sanctuary, you will smell the fresh scent of eucalyptus leaves, as well as the unique scent of the koalas themselves. The male koalas are particularly pungent, due to a scent gland located in the middle of their chest which they use to mark their territory. Despite their adorable appearance, koalas can make quite a surprising sound called a bellow. It sounds a bit like a pig crossed with a motorbike. The males are especially noisy during the breeding period between September to March. 

The Brisbane Koala Science Institute Building is a large structure with a small fountain out the front of the building and a large, rounded entryway which mirrors the circular windows of the building. There is a sliding glass automatic door which leads into a relatively well-lit interior, where guests can learn more about koalas through interactive displays and educational signage. Inside the building there are also viewing windows which look into the animal food preparation area and the veterinary hospital, where procedures sometimes take place. Exiting the building from the rear will bring guests through another sliding automatic door and out onto an elevated wooden decked platform built around a large existing fig tree, which also serves as a koala exhibit. The exit from the deck consists of a series of metal stairs leading down to a bitumen pathway.  

Main Koala Area and Sleepy Koala Café

From out the front of the Koala Science Institute Building, follow a tree-lined, bitumen path downhill, past additional koala exhibits. At the bottom of the relatively steep slope, you will find a koala encounter area to the left and the Sleepy Koala Café building to the right. 

The Koala Encounter area is sheltered by a large, angled metal roof and includes a tiered seating area where a daily koala keeper presentation takes place. There is also a roped area for guests to queue up for interactive koala encounter experiences. 

To the right of the Koala Encounter area is the Sleepy Koala Café. The building’s entry and exits are accessible via automatic sliding glass doors.  At the front of the café, facing the Koala Encounter area, is the Experience Hut, where guests can purchase tickets for different animal encounters and experiences in the Sanctuary. 

The café is an ideal place to take a break and refuel with a coffee fix, cold drink or grab-and-go meal. 

Undercover Seating Area and Kangaroo Reserve

Behind the Sleepy Koala Café is an undercover seating area with metal picnic table style seating arranged in long rows. There are wooden steps leading up from the seating area to a handwashing station and the free-range Kangaroo area. Just past the seating area is the Koala Forest. This area is covered by a domed roof and houses koala exhibits on either side, and wooden tables and chairs in the middle. This is a perfect place to relax along your travels through the sanctuary.

Behind the Sleepy Koala café and seating area, and wrapping around the back of the Sanctuary, is the free-range kangaroo area. This area spans 2.2 hectares and houses around 100 free range kangaroos and wallabies, as well as an emu. The area has limited bitumen footpaths and naturally uneven terrain. You may notice the fresh eucalyptus scent of the large gumtrees that offer patches of shade throughout the grazing area. This exhibit presents the very special opportunity to hand-feed the kangaroos and wallabies with bags of animal feed purchased from the Experience Hut. Feel the soft fur of these magnificent Aussie icons, and the tickle of their gentle nuzzle in the palm of your hand as they nibble their food. It’s a magical sensory experience you won’t soon forget! Please note that all access points to the free-range kangaroo feeding area feature manual double gate systems to prevent animal escapes.

Reptile and Amphibian House and Dingo Exhibit / Crocodile / Cassowary

With the Café and Experience Hut on your right, proceed in an anti-clockwise direction past a path to the right which leads to a toilet block. Continuing straight ahead, you will approach a large, wooden bridge, with the option to go up and over the bridge to the right or proceed along the side of it to the left. 

If you choose to go left, you will end up on a pathway made of small concrete cobblestones which can sometimes have small, raised edges. This path passes the Reptile and Amphibian House on the left. This building houses snakes, lizards, frogs, and insects presented in exhibits representing Australia’s diverse habitats, including desert, rainforest and bushland displays. The building is accessed through three manual entry doors and is split into two internal levels, connected via a short staircase. Most of the animals are housed on the top level. 

To the right of the Reptile and Amphibian House is the Dingo Exhibit, which currently houses Lone Pine’s three resident dingoes. Inside the dingo habitat there are grassy hills, tall grasses, sandpits, and small ponds for the dingoes to play in. Their large habitat is split by a wire tunnel which guests can go through. At the end of the tunnel is a Perspex viewing window that looks out into the saltwater crocodile exhibit. 

The dingo exhibit can also be viewed from above by crossing over the aforementioned wooden bridge. From the top of the bridge, you can also pass by the freshwater crocodiles, cassowary and saltwater crocodile habitats. The freshwater crocodile habitat includes a pond with a waterfall and can be identified by the sound of running water. The cassowary habitat is planted with many rainforest plants to replicate the North Queensland rainforests where cassowaries usually reside.  The saltwater crocodile exhibit features a large pond surrounded by grass. A narrow tunnel allows children (or brave and very flexible adults) to crawl into a Perspex domed bubble in the middle of the pond, to view the crocodiles from within their enclosure. 

Barn, Free Flight Raptor Show Area and Sheepdog Show Area

At the end of the bridge are a series of exhibits housing monitor lizards, including Australia’s largest lizard, the Perentie. Here, guests can turn left to return to the Entry/Exit of the Sanctuary, or turn right towards the Barnyard, Free Flight Raptor Show area and Nocturnal precinct. 

Turning right towards the barn, guests will pass the Wild Lorikeet Feeding station where, twice daily, guests can enjoy an interactive experience feeding a nectar mix to a flock of wild lorikeets. Feeding time brings a flurry of excited noise and activity, both from eager guests and the feathered flock. 

If you continue proceeding past the Lorikeet Feeding area, you will enter through a double gate into the Barnyard, Sheepdog Show, Free Flight Raptor Show and Nocturnal Precinct area. This section of the sanctuary features a large, open area with a grassy hill, windmill and a small dam in the centre. It is also home to some of our free roaming male kangaroos and wallabies, which often spend the mornings grazing in the grass and snooze in the shade during the day. 

The Free Flight Raptor Show can be accessed by turning immediately to the right after passing through the double gates, up a fairly steep inclined bitumen pathway. At the top of the hill, you will find arena-style bench seating in a semi-circle configuration. Twice a day, you can experience the Free Flight Raptor Show where birds of prey such as eagles, owls, falcons and kites display their amazing aerial abilities. 

If you go straight ahead after passing through the double gates, you will come to the barnyard area consisting of an open walk-through yard and paddocks. Here you’ll find chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, miniature donkeys and guinea pigs. The chickens are free roaming and can sometimes be heard scratching in the mulch. A section of the barn area is under cover with a concrete floor, and the other section consists of unpaved pathways. 

At the back of the barnyard is the Sheepdog Show area. It has arena-style, tiered seating overlooking a grassy paddock where grazing sheep mill about. Twice a day, guests can observe Australia’s intelligent working dog breeds like kelpies and border collies demonstrate their natural ability to herd sheep by guiding the flock through a series of obstacles. Sometimes the dogs will bark during the presentation to encourage the sheep to move along.

Nocturnal Precinct

An unsealed path wraps around the left-hand side of the sheepdog paddock and up a slight hill to the Nocturnal Precinct. This area consists of a series of animal exhibits contained in metal Colourbond walls, with elevated plastic pedestrian boardwalk platforms crossing through the exhibits. The exhibit walls are approximately 1.2 metres high and have glass panelling placed intermittently for viewing opportunities. Animals in this area include koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, a tree kangaroo, echidnas and an exhibit containing small macropod species such as bandicoots, bettongs, pademelons, and potoroos. In the tree kangaroo exhibit, a raised boardwalk wraps around a huge fig tree, where the tree kangaroo often spends his days sleeping in the cool, shady branches. However, sometimes he can be found munching on leaves and fig berries or coming down to eat from his food dishes on a wooden platform. This area includes access to an unpaved walk-through section, accessed through a gate with a pool latch at the top. As the animals in these areas are nocturnal, they are less likely to be active during the day.

Accessibility

The inclusive team at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary are continuously working to further improve accessibility and ensure all guests have a fulfilling experience during their visit. Our staff have undergone accessibility awareness training and will strive to offer support wherever practicable. The Sanctuary offers complimentary entry for essential support persons or carers accompanying individuals with disabilities who hold a valid Companion Card.

We are located at 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket. Brisbane City Council buses (Route 430 and Route 445) provide direct public transport services from Brisbane’s City Centre to right outside the sanctuary entrance. Alternatively, the Mirimar River Cruise operates daily from the Cultural Centre Pontoon in South Bank, Brisbane, taking you directly to our door via the winding Brisbane River. 

Car parking is available in front of the sanctuary, with accessible parking bays conveniently located close to the main entrance and check-in area, ensuring easy access for all. 

Please note that although Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary strives to be as inclusive as possible, the natural, hilly terrain in some areas might pose difficulties for some visitors. While most paths are paved and only slightly sloping, some are unpaved or have a steeper gradient, and therefore may not be suitable for all wheelchairs or mobility assistive devices. Alternative routes are available and are clearly marked. The Koala Research Centre and Platypus Pavilion both have wide self-opening doors. 

Accessible bathroom facilities are available near the Sleepy Koala Café and Experience Hut, and near the barnyard. The barnyard toilet amenities are accessible via a ramp with tactile ground surface indicators, and include an accessible toilet with shower facilities and a fold-down changing table. 

We have a limited number of manual wheelchairs and prams available for hire at our Ticket Entrance. All guests who wish to hire a wheelchair will be asked to sign a liability waiver and pay a small maintenance fee. To book a wheelchair ahead of time, please call us on (07) 3378 1366 or email service@koala.net. 

Certified guide, hearing or assistance animals are permitted within the public access grounds of Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, including the Riverside Café and outdoor cinema areas, without prior arrangements. However, bookings are essential for access into our Sanctuary with a certified assistance animal. As a Wildlife Sanctuary, this is necessary to ensure the safety of both our animals and the certified assistance animal during your visit.

Approved handlers with certified guide, hearing or assistance animals wishing to visit the paid sanctuary grounds must call (+61) 7 3378 1366 or email service@koala.net to make pre-arrangements before visiting. Please note visits will be guided by a Lone Pine team member for a maximum duration of 2 hours.

For guests who have partial vision, yellow and white markings are placed along the road to indicate where vehicles drive and where pedestrians can safely walk. 

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is open daily from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. If you have any questions ahead of your visit, please feel free to phone our friendly team on 07 3378 1366.