Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

So you can't touch koalas in most of Australia - except in Queensland. So guess what we did while in Queensland? We got to hold and touch a koala - and had pictures taken. Hurrah!

We spent the day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane and it was quite the experience. We arrived and were treated by a very large lizard sunning itself on the path. It followed us around for a bit. We saw birds (cockatoos, owls, hawks, parrots, kookaburras etc.) and platypus (did you know that baby platypus are called "puggles?" How cute!) which ate a crawfish messily, the watched the dingos go for their daily walk (they don't like umbrellas), and listened to a talk on koalas. Lots of interesting facts about these endangered species. Then we got to meet one. Hold it like a baby - except not as close to your chest. They have long nails.


We ate lunch with more than a dozen koalas in the trees around us eating their lunch too.




We ran off to feed the kangaroos - most of them were already fed and were lying down ignoring us. We coaxed a couple to come over and eat from our hands. Very fun! There were emus too but they peck pretty hard. So we didn't feed them.

Dad holding hands with a wallaby

Then off to see a bird show. The hawk was very majestic and the barn owl swallowed a mouse. Hannah saw it and wanted to have a mouse for her lunch too. Ugh. We headed back towards the koala exhibit just in time for a snake talk. If you see a snake just calmly and quietly walk away. Don't throw things at it or yell at it or try to get it to move. You'll just make a happy snake mad and an angry snake worse. It was really neat to see how big a snake's mouth can get - wow! And they look like they have such a petit cute nose. The python was quite large - enough so that at least 6 people could touch it at a time - which of course we did. Snakes are quite dry and their scales feel really neat. Fun! A bit of time wandering and rocking in willow chairs hung from the trees then off to the airport for our trip to Cairns!

Koala surveying her domain