Day 4 - Brisbane

Alison and I were both up again at 4 a.m. this morning. Since were up we decided to walk down to the beach. We enjoyed an early morning stroll while watching another glorious sunrise. There is really no better way to start a day.

We returned to our hotel where we did a 25-minute strength training exercise routine before getting ready and packing our stuff. We loaded the car and were on our way. We stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s - really not much else was open at 7:15am so we had limited options.

We had a little over an hour's drive to our activity for the day - the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. This is an animal sanctuary where they care for a variety of species native to Australia.

We arrived shortly after they opened and headed straight to the Koala area. They care for so many Koalas here. Some of the Koalas have been socialized with humans and can be held. They limit the amount of time Koalas may be held, as well as, the number of people who get to hold them. We were there in time to have this special experience. We got to hold a real live Koala for a few moments. It was magical.

After we held the Koalas we took our time exploring the rest of the park. We saw many unique species such as dingos, crocodiles, cassowaries, monitors, and much more. We stumbled across a bird feeding where a flock of beautiful tropical birds swarmed some feeding stations - one even landed on Blake’s head. They were there eating furiously and all of a sudden they were gone.

One of the unique features of this reserve is a large open area where people can feed/interact with kangaroos. We bought some food and we went in and met some Kangaroos. They were very nice creatures and enjoyed the food. We had a really great time interacting with them.

Kangaroo selfie

We attended the sheep dog show. We watched Lucy, a border collie, herd 10 sheep through a variety of obstacles. She was a smart dog and a good herder. Watching her mannerisms really made me miss Tex. It was so fun to see a herding dog at work. You could tell how much Lucy loved herding the sheep.

After the show, we continued to wander the park. We stopped by the cafeteria area where we got water and magnum bars. Then Alison and I spent more time watching the Koalas. We also saw a Tasmanian devil and a platypus. The platypus is such a unique creature. It was smaller than we expected. It has such a striking appearance we spent a while watching it swim marveling at this unique creature.

In the afternoon we attended a bird show. They had an eagle, two owls, and a black kit fly over our heads and show off some of their unique skills. Blake even got to participate and catch one of the owls on his gloved hand. This show was really interesting.

We spent a lot of time today looking at Koalas. They are such cute and cuddly little creatures. In the afternoon the workers at the sanctuary were changing out many of the eucalyptus branches in the koala enclosure and many of the koalas were more active. It was interesting to see them climb, jump, and scamper. Koalas sleep 18-20 hours a day, so seeing them active was a treat. There were a few that would cuddle together and then some would crawl or jump over others. We probably spent close to an hour watching them play. Be prepared for cuteness overload.

One of our last stops was the reptile house. Alison came in for a few minutes before deciding she would much rather continue watching the Koalas outside. Debbie stayed out until she saw a man walking toward her with a snake wrapped around his neck (he was an employee who just finished an educational lecture) and she was also done.

We finished at the sanctuary and headed to the airport. The sanctuary was an amazing experience. Alison hates zoos because she doesn’t enjoy seeing animals in cages and outside of their natural habitat. The animals in the sanctuary were all native to Australia so they were in their natural climates. Most of the animals were also in open areas. The sanctuary was interactive so we found we could really enjoy our time with the animals. Although it was clear that their behaviors had changed to adapt to humans in their environment we could see the animals were well cared for. We really enjoyed the sanctuary!

We found a creole restaurant on our way where we at a big and delicious meal (lunch/dinner). At the airport, we caught a flight and headed to Cairns. We really enjoyed the Brisbane area. We would 100% love to come back here someday. We are excited to see how Cairns compares.