Brisbane River Cruise with entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Overview

Available languages

English

5 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

See Australia’s amazing animals on a day trip to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary from Brisbane. Your river cruise takes you from the bustling waterfront of Southbank to the lush parklands of Lone Pine, with the chance to see iconic sights as you glide along the water. At the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, you can get up close to koalas, kangaroos and watch platypus, sheepdogs, and birds of prey in action. Animal lovers will not want to miss this experience!

Check-in is required by 8.45 am, departs at 9am sharp, arriving at Lone Pine Sanctuary 10:15- departing Lone Pine at 1:30pm and arriving back in the city at 2:45pm

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Wheelchair: Cruise is accessible however Lone Pine has a set of 28 steps to climb from the jetty to the entrance

No health restrictions apply to this tour

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

The Brisbane River

You’ll board your boat in Brisbane’s Southbank district and leave the city behind on a relaxing cruise to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Enjoy informative commentary from your captain as you glide along Brisbane’s waterfront, passing from the bustle of the city’s skyscrapers to leafy suburbs with waterside mansions.

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Included

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

At 10:15am you’ll arrive at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where you’ll be free to explore for 3 hours. Lone Pine opened in 1927 as a safe refuge for sick, injured, and orphaned koalas, at a time when the species was being culled for the fur trade. Today, Lone Pine remains as a destination not only see native Australian animals, but to also connect and learn, and to leave feeling inspired to make small, positive changes in your daily lives to help protect native wildlife and habitats. Along with koalas and kangaroos, Lone Pine hosts a sheepdog show where you see the dogs round up a herd of sheep, responding to their master’s whistles, calls and signals. You can see owls, kites and sea eagles soar above you at the Birds of Prey show, or marvel at the colorful feathers of the wild lorikeets that fly in twice daily for feedings. Other bird species and a population of Eastern Water Dragons, a lizard that grows up to 3 feet (90cm) long also like to visit Lone Pine’s natural parkland.

3 hours • Admission Included

What‘s Included

General Admission into Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Round-trip cruise

Food and drinks (available to purchase)

Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Koala Moments (Touch a Koala)bookings online

Options

Option 1

Reviews

4.75

1,490 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

1204

222

Great Experience
Andy R,,Dec 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Brilliant experience from beginning to end - an informative cruise followed by an excellent visit to the Koala Sanctuary where you could get close to Kangaroos and Koalas as well as lots of other animals. There were also really informative talks from the staff about all the animals there which are obviously really well cared for. A really enjoyable experience which I would thoroughly recommend !!
A great day out
183ellenc,,Dec 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A couple of days before our trip we needed to change our day. This was no problem for the tour operator, they just swapped us to the day of our choice. All of the boat crew were very friendly and helpful, the commentary along the river was very interesting and the Koala Sanctuary was a really good. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Brisbane.
Keith & Gaz Ashes 2025 😬
Keith55a,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Lovely trip friendly staff. Lovely Koala sanctuary and good access to see all the animals. Highly recommend the trip for all age groups.
Quite extraordinary and fabulous
JolyonG,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was an incredible experience and very good value for money. The crew were very good and the commentary upstream was very informative. The Koala Sactuary was fabulous, the free Raptor show at 10.30 was excellent, then we moved to the Kangaroo area where they are very gentle and willing to be petted and fed from hand. After that the Koalas were very interesting aided by the talk at 12.30. Plenty of other beasts and birds to see followed by the ride back into Brisbane.
If you didn't like Koalas before you will now!
Amanda B,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Easy to find the boat, boarding was swift, easy, and on time. Commentary interesting, refreshments available / crew were all very nice - even had sun block in case you forget to bring. Sanctuary is great - very well maintained - lots to see other than the wonderful koalas - kangaroos, birds, and lots of lizards just wandering around, plus many other Australian specialities. We had 3 hours there - I went back to boat after about 2.5 and had a glass of wine - then we headed back - excellent trip.
Fun day out
Maggie W,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Boat leaves on time so don't be late. Nice trip and plenty of food and drink options so you don't have to spend time eating at the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is well worth the visit and lots to see. No maps around the place so take a picture on your phone.
River Cruise with Koala Sanctuary
Richard H,,Dec 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00
Great ride up the river away from Story Bridge. Informative commentary and great sightseeing. Recommend.Dont expect to see the nocturnal animals!
Lovely way to get to the sanctuary
Rebecca S,,Dec 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This is a lovely way to get to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, with an hour long river cruise to a bespoke dock at the entry. The cruise includes commentary to describe the history and landmarks of the river. They have an onboard cafe to order a limited selection of hot foods and a variety of snacks and drinks. The best part of the cruise was the captain of the boat, who was so calm and kind. The sanctuary has been around for a long time and has a variety of animals in addition to the koalas, all set in a natural open area. We really enjoyed the raptor show and sheep dog demonstration, and feeding the kangaroos.
Authentically Australian! Always great!!!
Caroline W,,Dec 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
I am originally from the UK and have taken many guests on this trip throughout the years… I’m so glad it remains the same every time, the commentary on the way is just so great! (Even after 16 years) A lovely morning spent… and the staff are always friendly and professional…
Great family time
Getaway399631,,Dec 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great boat ride and loved the Sanctuary. Boat ride was informative and fun, welcoming hosts. Very clean. Sanctuary was a huge hit, great displays, good food.