Brisbane River Cruise with entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Overview
Available languages
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.
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.
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
1,520 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Excellent...well worth the trip
floyd16,,Jan 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent cruise and the captain was fantastic....well worth the trip
Fabulous trip
Anne S,,Jan 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Lovely boat trip - you see some impressive properties!!!! Commentary was interesting and captain very pleasant. Loved the sanctuary - very well done. My new favourite creatures are koalas!!!!
The highlight of my Brisbane trip
N5865JFrb,,Jan 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wonderful day out from start to finish. Thank you to the boat captain and his team for the warm hospitatility and service. The delicious fresh food and good coffee were an added bonus. My only suggestion would be to allow people back on the boat earlier as quite a few of us had to stand on the steps. Loved seeing the koalas, kangaroos and other animals. Was able to stroke the koalas for $35 and was able to stroke and hand feed the kangaroos.
Pleasant activity
MAEVA C,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Good family activity. The cruise is pleasant and the koala sanctuary is a beautiful experience for adults and children. That is to be done.
Very enjoyable
Wayne S,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We enjoyed this tour. The boat is large and comfortable with great food on board. The commentary on the 1ht trip to the Lone Pine is informative. Lone Pine is a terrific sanctuary- you get very close to 100’s of Koala and can interact with the Kangaroos and feed them out of your palm. It large enough to have many areas to cost but compact enough to walk around and enjoy each area in 2.5h. Highly recommended the tour.
Very enjoyable
Wayne S,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We enjoyed this tour. The boat is large and comfortable with great food on board. The commentary on the 1ht trip to the Lone Pine is informative. Lone Pine is a terrific sanctuary- you get very close to 100’s of Koala and can interact with the Kangaroos and feed them out of your palm. It large enough to have many areas to cost but compact enough to walk around and enjoy each area in 2.5h. Highly recommended the tour.
Excellent way to get to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
MaryAnne K,,Jan 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great way to get to and from Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Cruise was relaxing and scenic. Dennis and the crew were professional and friendly. Nice selection of beverages and snacks on board. Highly recommend. Thank you.
Four family- three generations
Patricia C,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great food , scenic cruise , well-run park . Our day included: feeding the Roos , cooling off in the dark reptile shed and seeing raptors in flight .
Would recommend for a day trip!
Erin M,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Wonderful time visiting the Koala Sanctuary! Learned some history and interesting facts on the cruise there, then relaxed on the cruise back. A good amount of time at the sanctuary. Could see most everything while there.
Love the Koalas!
Lisa Y,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The staff was super friendly! And the boat ride was very fun! And the koala sanctuary was amazing!!!
Related Experiences
Operated by Koala and River Cruises