Hold A Koala At Australia's First & Largest Koala Sanctuary – TheTravel

Get up close and personal with Australia’s cute koalas and learn all about them at this important koala sanctuary.
Along with the kangaroo, the koala is one of the most famous animals in Australia. The koala is beloved around the world for being cute and for its perception of being cuddly (although Australia has plenty of cute animals that aren't koalas). The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland is one of the best places to see and hold koalas.
Kangaroos are a very common sight in Australia but koalas not so much. It is difficult to see the animals in the wild – it is much easier to go and see them in a zoo or sanctuary. Koalas are found in coastal areas of the Australian mainland (in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia).
The Koala is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) herbivorous marsupial and is the only living member of the family Phascolarctidae. Its closest relative is wombats. While it is commonly called the "koala bear" it is not related to bears (bears are closer related to humans and dolphins than koalas).
Koalas typically live in Australia's open Eucalyptus forests and the bulk of their diet is Eucalyptus leaves. The diet is very poor in nutrition and caloric content. This leads the koalas to be largely sedentary and sleep for up to twenty hours a day (not so much different from other animals on poor diets like pandas and sloths).
As they are marsupials they give birth to live young who then continue to develop in their mother's pouches. They are also asocial living by themselves.
They are considered vulnerable as they are threatened by things like climate change and increased bushfires and other habitat pressures. They are also threatened by dogs. Their populations have been in steep decline.
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The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is one of the best places in Australia to see koalas. It was founded in 1927 and today is the largest koala sanctuary in the world. It is dedicated to protecting and conserving the environment and wildlife. It is dedicated to educating people and connecting them with nature.
It has grown to be more than just a koala sanctuary, it has other Australian animals like dingos, snakes, and raptors.
Some of the upgrade options at the sanctuary are:
The sanctuary has a number of daily shows visitors should plan their trips around.
The sanctuary's Koala Discovery Tour is a great way to meet the stunning koalas in real life. It is a great choice for any koala lover. On the tour, visitors get to go behind the scenes to see the leaf sorting area and learn how the sanctuary caters for their picky leaf-eating guests.
See the koala exhibit with a guide and enjoy some extra special photo ops. Visitors also get to hold the koalas and take photographs with professional photographers.
This tour is additional to entry to the sanctuary (it does not include entry to the sanctuary). Also, all participants must be 12 years old or more.
Related: Sleep With A Kangaroo Thanks To New Hotel At Australian Zoo
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is open year-round and is one of the great sanctuaries to visit in Australia. It is open every day of the year (just reduced hours during the holidays of ANZAC Day and Christmas Day).
Admission Fees:
Next time visiting Australia, call into the Koala Sanctuary and hold a koala in real life. One of the best places to see a much more extensive range of Australian animals (and other animals from around the world) is Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.
Aaron is a first-hand traveler who has visited more than 80 countries around the world. He is passionate about traveling and opening up the world for other intrepid explorers. He can be reached on Instagram at aaronspray

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