LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY

When you think of Australia, what images instantly appear in your mind? Kangaroos, the outback, maybe a few koalas? Well if it's the wildlife that you're after, then I have just the place for you to go. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the largest sanctuary for these marsupials, with 130 koalas along with kangaroos and other Australian wildlife. The sanctuary is found out in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket, about 12km away from the centre of Brisbane. With a bus going directly to the entrance from the city centre, it's easy for you to get to when staying in Brisbane. 

Lone Pine is the oldest Koala sanctuary in Australia, founded back in 1927 by Claude Reid, at a time when koalas were being culled in the masses for their fur. The sanctuary has remained open to this day with the ability to not only help the animals, but to try and educate the population on how they can help keep the koala from becoming a critically endangered species. At the moment koalas are under threat from disease brought on from stress, urbanisation causing habitat loss and the dangers of living closer to humans. From being hit by cars at night to domestic dogs attacking them, koalas don't have it easy these days.

Lone Pine costs $36 for a day pass for an adult, however they offer a range of discounts for children, seniors and students etc. If you're in Brisbane for quite a while, you could also consider an annual pass for only $70.  If you want to have your picture taken with a cuddly koala, this will cost you a bit extra but it's definitely worth it if you've never had the experience before. Where else in the world can you cuddle a koala?

If you're thinking looking at koalas is amazing but are thinking that wont take up much of your day, then you would be right. There's so much more in Lone Pine than just these beautiful marsupials. You will also find a wide range of animals with free talks and feedings you can attend through out the day. My brother and I are the type of people who love going to talks to learn more about the animals, so we made sure to get to as many as we possibly could. You can attend talks and feeds of the famous Tasmanian Devil, lorikeets, see some dingoes or a crocodile. There is a farm area where you can head in and pet all the different animals as well. From sheep, to goats and guniea pigs to actual pigs, this is a great area to head to with little ones. Be careful what time you want to attend this area, because it has to close and pen off the animals during the Free Flight Raptor Show.



This show is another one I would highly recommend attending. You get to see a wide range of birds, some of which I had never heard of before. Directly after this you can then head down to the farm area for the Sheep Dog Show. With two beautiful dogs, reacting to different kinds of commands, you can see the intelligence of these working dogs in action. And after the show is over, the dogs stay in the yard with the sheep in their pen, for you to come and give a pet (I was deeply excited by this).

Have you ever dreamed of travelling to Australia and being in a field surrounded by kangaroos and wallabies? Then this is your dream come true. For just $2 a bag, you can grab some kangaroo feed and head to the massive area that has kangaroos and wallabies chilling in it all day long - you don't have to purchase the feed to enter the area. Some of the kangaroos are really not interested in the food, probably because people are feeding it to them all day. However some will come right on over to you. The wallabies tend to be a lot more timid, so you'll find the giant kangaroos are the ones that you will actually be able to be around more. And if the kangaroos are sick of all these humans surrounding them? Well don't worry, they have their own penned off area they can come and go from to get some peace and quiet.

This was definitely one of my favourite experiences in Australia so far. Getting to sit beside a giant kangaroo and just give it a cuddle, managing to get a timid wallaby to come over to me before another one deciding to bully it away and grab my hand to steal the food, giving another one a belly rub as it asked my brother for more food. It's not an everyday occurrence for a Scottish girl and it's one that I'm so glad I can now keep in my memories.

$36 (which roughly equates to £20) is worth the experience that you get to have at this wonderful sanctuary. I got to see a joey for the first time, a koala walk on all four legs on the ground instead of being in a tree, tasmanian devils all fighting over food and getting to see a platypus, I think for the first time ever. It's a tourist destination that I wouldn't say no to going to again and again.