Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is an

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

suburb of Fig Tree Pocket in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. Founded in 1927, it is the oldest and largest koala sanctuary of its kind in the world. The park houses approximately 80 species of Australian animals.

History

The name originates from a lone hoop pine that was planted by the Clarkson family, the first owners of the site. The sanctuary opened in 1927 to provide a safe refuge to sick, injured, and orphaned koalas, at a time when they were being killed for their fur. The founder of the sanctuary, Claude Reid, recognised the need to protect this iconic species and initiated the protection of their habitat. The sanctuary began with two koalas called Jack and Jill. Lone Pine became known internationally during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when Americans, including

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

's wife, visited the park to view the native Australian animals.

Wildlife

Until the end of June 2024, visitors were allowed to hold some of the koalas at the sanctuary for a fee with strict regulations ensure that each koala was not held for more than thirty minutes every day with other rules to ensure animal welfare, e.g. only holding captive-bred koalas with a suitable temperament. Fees paid for souvenir photos of visitors holding koalas helped fund new enclosures, research projects and eucalyptus plantations. From 1 July 2024, holding koalas is no longer allowed, but visitors will still be able to get close to some koalas. Although some animal welfare groups have long expressed concerned over the practice of visitors holding koalas, research from

Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...

showed that koalas accustomed to being held exhibited stress during lockdowns during the COVID pandemic when people could not visit the sanctuary. Visitors can feed and pet the free-roaming kangaroos in the kangaroo reserve.

Rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...

s fly to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for the specially prepared nectar meals at the sanctuary. Visitors can feed the lorikeets. Once a day there is a bird of prey show with several kinds of raptors showing off their speed, agility and keen eyesight. The "Koala Forest" is a large koala enclosure with over 30 koalas surrounding the customers. The koalas are fed mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened their new koala science and research facility, the Brisbane Koala Science Institute, on Saturday 30 June 2018. Constructed in collaboration with the Brisbane City Council, the facility is home to two full-time research staff, a research laboratory, and a "Koala Biobank" (koala genetic depository). Lone Pine hopes to improve collaboration within the science community through the use of the Institute's meeting spaces and seminar hall. Lone Pine visitors will be able to view the Institute daily from 9am to 5pm, via the public viewing area. Mammals Birds Reptiles and amphibians

Transport

There is an entrance to the sanctuary from a car park, and also an entrance to the sanctuary from the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

. One can arrive by private car or taxi, a journey of approximately 20 minutes from the city centre. One can also catch a Transport for Brisbane bus, or arrive by express boat from the Queensland Cultural Centre pontoon.

Photos

Awards

In 2009 as part of the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia ...

celebrations, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "location".

References

External links

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Wildlife, Parks and Gardens
– SunZine {{Zoos of Queensland 1927 establishments in Australia Educational organizations established in 1927 Zoos established in the 1920s Buildings and structures in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane Zoos in Queensland Wildlife parks in Australia Animal charities based in Australia Articles containing video clips Koalas