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 Travellers 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 (available to purchase on Lone Pine Sanctuary website)

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Cultural Centre Public Pontoon
Cultural Centre Boardwalk, South Brisbane QLD 4101, Australia
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 koala bears 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.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

The Brisbane River

40 minutes • 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 travellers can participate
No health restrictions apply to this tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travellers

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 cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Michael_R

The staff was friendly and helpful. The river cruise was informative, interesting, and beautiful. To my surprise the sanctuary was much more than just the koalas (although there were lots of those too). If you are planning to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary I highly recommend taking this tour to do so.

Reviews

4.5

746 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 746 reviews

Great Experience!

Ella_S, May 2023

We had a great time on the cruise, it was very comfortable and the tour guide was informative. Instructions were clear in terms of boarding times and sanctuary activity times. Great experience overall!

Priceless

Anita_L, May 2023

The river cruise to the sanctuary was great. Very informative commentary. The sanctuary was great. The opportunity to hold a koala was priceless! I loved being able to feed the kangaroos and emus. It was Easter holiday so it was very busy, but we had a great time.

It was nice to see the...

David_D, May 2023

It was nice to see the city from the river. The boat ride was longer then I would have liked. It was over a hour each way. It would have been nice if the boat ride was a little faster since it was only going 10 knots. Then we could have had more time at the koala sanctuary.

Excellent way to visit the sanctuary

Michael_R, May 2023

I had a great time with...

Annabelle_N, May 2023

I had a great time with this experience. The cruise was nice an informative and we had exactly the time I needed at the sanctuary; I wouldn't have needed more or less. The sanctuary was amazing of course.

Holding a Koala a bucket list experience

Jim_M, May 2023

The crew of the Miramax were great and on time. The Koala Sanctuary was something all foreign visitors to Brisbane need to experience. Be sure to book holding a Koala online ahead of time. Feeding the kangaroos was much fun.

Great cruise and wildlife experience

zinoviev1, Apr 2023

Crew were well organised, and very accommodating. We actually got out booking dates confused and missed our date, they let us rebook for the next day no problem. Friendly crew, some funny commentary during the cruise. Koala sanctuary is great for people of all ages. We had a really great day

Must do in Brisbane

Stormy_L, Apr 2023

Very nice river ride. Sanctuary was great. Need to know that if you want to hold the koala you need to make a reservation ahead of time. We did not know that and that was sold out.

Making A Dream Come True!

Robin_R, Apr 2023

What an amazing day! From the boat ride filled with a great narrative of the area to the actual experience of Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! Such a beautiful and well maintained location and facility. We were able to easily walk to all the shows and see all the animals with no trouble at all. To be able to have the hands on experience with the kangaroos and the Kolas is a memory that will stay with us for ever! I will remember holding Sargent (the Koala) the rest of my life! Thank you for helping us fulfill a wish coming true!

Let vely

Heather_R, Apr 2023

The cruise to the Sanctuary is absolutely the best way to experience the trip to Lone Pine. The sanctuary itself was a 10 star experience, be sure to pre book a koala hold! But the return journey lacked commentary and was a missed opportunity For us to ask questions and learn more.

Cruise to Koalas

Dan_B, Apr 2023

Wonderful combo with river cruise and sanctuary visit. Beautiful place, great exhibits and the cruise was pleasant. Be sure to reserve your koala picture time ahead as they sell out each day and with the cruise your timing is limited.

Lone pine trip

luke_r, Apr 2023

We loved having our photo taken with a koala. Even our teenage son agreed to have his picture taken.

Amazing day!

Lynne_J, Apr 2023

A fantastic day combining an informative river cruise that delivers you straight to the koala sanctuary. The boat journey was relaxing and allowed you to see wonderful houses on the river banks. The commentary was very informative & the staff on the boat very helpful and friendly. The koala sanctuary was amazing. We recommend booking a photo slot in advance to hold a koala as the queues were long. Got up close to kangaroos & koalas with fantastic opportunities to smooth a kangaroo & take photos with them. The raptor & sheepdog demos were well worth watching. The sanctuary was well set out & easily covered in the time we had. If you are staying in South Brisbane this is an easy way to reach the sanctuary and combines the river cruise with your visit. Otherwise without a car, it would have been much harder to access. Great value for money & the best day of our visit to Brisbane. We highly recommend this trip.

Best little zoo around

Lori_M, Apr 2023

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was the highlight of my trip! It started with a history lesson as I cruised the Brisbane River toward Lone Pine, then I got a picture taken with a koala, fed the kangaroos and saw a couple of animal shows. Great day at the park even with the rain.

It was great to watch the...

Bren_C, Mar 2023

It was great to watch the bird flight demo and even better to get to hang out with lots of kangaroos!

Great day out

Linda_L, Mar 2023

Great river cruise, interesting and amusing commentary. Koala Sanctuary was amazing. Great snack and cuppa tea on board! All on time .

Had a great time with this tour group!

kathy_f, Mar 2023

Great boat crew,great koala holding experience...clean tidy enclosures...yummy sausage roll and sparkling wine made the journey even nicer

Well worth the money

angela_j, Mar 2023

Everything ran on time, very informative commentary on the ferry. Koala Sanctuary was very well kept and bird of prey show, sheepdog show. Crocodile show was entertaining.all in all very good trip.

Great experience!

Shane_P, Mar 2023

Fantastic customer service. The entire experience was fun, well planned, and well executed. Would highly recommend.

Kangaroos and koalas

avid_h, Mar 2023

Watching kangaroos shaking hands with people. I had such a great experience. I also loved the koalas waking up.

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