Koalas, kangaroos, parrots, gators beckon in two Australian preserves

Here's looking at you.  Expressive eyes, and a somewhat dazed look are marks of the koala. He spends
20 hours daily munching eucalyptus leaves and is well represented in two Australia sanctuaries.

 

Lone Pine bird trainers present an engaging
show featuring various hawks, owls and
other beautiful birds of prey, some rescues.

YOU CAN TALK, WALK, TAKE PHOTOS WITH THE ANIMALS AT TWO AWARD WINNING, FUN AUSTRALIAN SANCTUARIES

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

A VISIT TO Australia without a koala encounter would be like Christmas without Santa.

A male kangaroo at Lone Pine snoozes, awaiting visitors.
 We fed him after he awakened and jumped toward us.

We had the pleasure of a double koala hit on our recent return to Down Under. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane and Billabong Sanctuary 15 minutes from Townsville beckoned.

Who can resist getting up close to a koala, that intriguing docile figure who spend 20 hours a day snoozing.

We sampled the best of Australia's wildlife at these two well known enterprises. Lone Pine is the world's oldest and largest koala sanctuary, Billabong Sanctuary has been family owned for 40 years.

View on the Brisbane River of whispy clouds
and homes and landscapes, from Mirimar II. 

EACH HAS its own unique appeal, and differing ways to enjoy the wondrous creatures, exhibits and encounters that make this country's wildlife unique. More than 80 per cent of the country's plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and found nowhere else in the world. Millions of years of evolution as the continent split from the super continent Gondwana resulted in this fascinating mix of critters and birds.

At Lone Pine, more than 100 contented koalas reside. Those sleepy residents of Australia's thousands of eucalyptus trees are the main attraction but this popular sanctuary is also home to dozens of contented kangaroos,

Cookie feeds a pair of Australian geese,
 one of the pleasures at Billabong.

shy dingos, saltwater crocodiles and a bounty of beautiful birds. Here you can hold a koala, pat a dingo, and view a saltwater crocodile from an underwater viewing dome.

Trained sheep dogs are in residence, too, along with stealthy birds of prey, who perform with skilled trainers in a breathtaking show. The bird show draws oohs and aahs, as fascinated visitors sit in grandstands. Birds are cued to fly from one trainer to the other, so close one can feel the whoosh of their wings.  

The place is best reached on the Miramar II boat, part of the popular Koala and River Cruise operation.  The crew is friendly, the Brisbane River journey beautiful and we enjoyed lovely scones and tea to enjoy during a delightful commentary.  Once at Lone Pine, one walks from a jetty through the forest, up 28 steps to a delightful complex spread artfully over 44 acres.  We especially enjoyed feeding the kangaroos, the fascinating birds of prey show and simply strolling the grounds. 

A colorful parrot at Billabong Sanctuary talked
to us as we surveyed him on his perch.

ONE MAY book the five-hour Koala cruise easily on line, traveling on the Brisbane River past iconic landscape and historical homes with a pleasant commentary to enhance the journey.  Three hours with the animals and an hour each say on the boat make a delightful outing.

More on the five-hour Koala Cruise here:

Click here for more Lone Pine 

AT THE 27-acre Billabong Sanctuary, we enjoyed the interactive talks and feeding shows, wildlife presentation and holding a koala, an opportunity we couldn't resist. The lively place is 17 kilometers from Townsville, and it's about much more than the drowsy and charming koala. 

We watched rangers handle snakes, learned about the wombat and marveled at the elusive cassowary, that handsome, large, flightless bird closely related to the emu and the heaviest bird in Australia.  

This cassowary at Billabong looks like he is
ready for war, with a striking "helmet" to help
him push through tall grasses in the wild.

WE WERE absolutely enchanted with her, in fact, and spent over an hour watching her.  The  distinctive "hood" and reddish plumage made a colorful spectacle as she ambled toward us. The goldish and brown "helmet" atop her head, above the blue feathers, is called a casque and helps her cut through vegetation in the wild. Wow!

 WE GOT UP close and personal with the adorable koalas during the koala feeding, watching as rangers hand-fed fresh eucalyptus leaves to awaken the guys and gals. We watched with fascination as they clambered through trees to select their favorite tender green tips, and we learned about the fascinating lifestyle of these iconic Australian animals. Did you know that a koala can eat up to a tenth of its body weight in leaves every day? Yet, holding one, we felt how light she is. After instruction as to the proper holding technique, we found our Maze to be sweet and accommodating, even putting her hand on my arm.

We took an Uber to the Billabong place, and the boat Miramar on the Mirimar Koala and River cruise to Lone Pine. This pleasant two-deck tourist boat has been taking visitors to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for over 70 years and for us has been a "must do" experience all three visits to Brisbane.

Cookie and Keller spend time with Maze, a
charming new friend who awakened to play.

WE RECOMMEND the cruise through Brisbane's historic landscapes, iconic attractions, pastoral scenery, mansions,  and interesting wildlife habitats. We were entertained by the recorded commentary, with occasional asides from the knowledgeable captain both coming and going.  Then we made the most of our three hours exploring Lone Pine.

 We spent another three hours at Billabong, celebrating its 40th anniversary. We delighted in strolls around the grounds, enjoyed a half dozen talks, feedings and shows on wombats, crocodiles, reptiles, koalas, even dingos.

Click for Koala River Cruise info

Click for more on Lone Pine

Click for more on Billabong

The Australian Museum in Sydney is a wealth
of fascinating exhibits, from Australia's
connection to animals to indigenous cultures.

UP NEXT: The Australian Museum is like no other. Established in 1827, it has garnered worldwide attention for its anthropological and history collections, spread out over three floors in the heart of Sydney. The permanent display spans Indigenous Australian culture, Australian fossils and local animals. Changing exhibits come from around the world.  We were fascinated to spend several hours with the Machu Pichu exhibit, which included artifacts as well as a virtual reality visit, with capsule like chairs that moved to accentuate the experience of visiting this ancient wonder. Remember to explore, live and learn and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, nature, performance, family and the arts. thanks for sharing the links, too:  

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