Brisbane River Cruise with entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. 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.

   1.3 hAdmission included

2. 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 hAdmission included

3. After an action packed exploration of the Sanctuary we start boarding for those of you with tired feet at 12:45pm until 1:30pm when you will embark on a relaxing cruise back to the city. Enjoy the full service of our Cafe/Bar with a chessboard and wine (to purchase on board) or just sit back and listen to the music.

   Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1,713 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Great day at the koala sanctuary.

  We had such a lovely day. The river cruise was interesting and such a nice way to see the different sections of Brisbane. We enjoyed seeing so many koalas and learning about them. The other animals are interesting as well. Staff is very informative and explains throughout the day specific animals. Definitely a must do while in Brisbane.

  Cindy_FOctober 2026via Viator

• 5A must do in Brisbane.

  This is an excellent tour. The boat ride is easy and informative en route to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. The Captain and crew have a very high customer service attitude. The Sanctuary is a wonderful place with caring and knowledgeable employees, well cared for animals, and many opportunities to see and interact with a variety of local animals. The boat ride back to Brisbane is relaxing.

  Scott_WOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Wonderful Day Excursion

  The river cruise was relaxing. The Koala Sanctuary is a must see. Captain and his crew were friendly.

  john_cOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Very nice experience!

  Really great timing for the day. Incredibly welcoming and friendly staff. Boat was very clean! Would recommend.

  Lauren_MOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Great wildlife experience

  Great sight seeing river trip with useful information about Brisbane. Sanctuary excellent for getting close up to Kangaroos , Dingoes and Koalas and sight of other animals

  O2676NKjuliansOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5The Koala Sanctuary had...

  The Koala Sanctuary had lots more to see than just the Koalas but they certainly are the highlight of the visit. The cruise was enjoyable as well. A great and reasonably priced tour!

  Scott_MSeptember 2026via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Brisbane

• Its from-price is 20% below the median of the 300 experiences we list in Brisbane.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1 of 300.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Brisbane

Brisbane is Queensland's riverside capital, a sunny subtropical city of parklands, galleries, a koala sanctuary and ferries on a looping river.

Brisbane winds along the bends of its river, with the centre on a peninsula and suburbs climbing the hills on either side. It began as a convict settlement in the 1820s, and the Old Windmill on Wickham Terrace and the Commissariat Store survive from that time. Today sandstone, glass towers and leafy streets stand together, and the Story Bridge, finished in 1940, spans the river beside the city.

Top-ranked sights in Brisbane: Brisbane River, Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park.

See all 300 experiences in Brisbane