Cute koala!

In Brisbane, I joined a crew tour to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  I signed up for the tour just to hold a koala, but ended up doing so much more!

Lone Pine

My first stop at the sanctuary was a large field full of kangaroos and wallabies.  I fed some of the kangaroos, and was able to pet a wallaby.  I loved seeing the kangaroos hop around, though they usually walked on all fours.  They have very short arms, so they looked rather awkward walking!

Feeding a kangaroo

Close up

Next, I watched a short presentation about Tasmanian devils.  The small animals are kind of cute, but they are disgusting little things!  I was also able to see platypuses, wombats, and dingoes.

It’s a wallabee!

The sanctuary had koalas of all ages.  There was a Retirement Home, Kindergarten, and a Bachelor Pad.  My favorite place was the Koala Cuddling area.  I was able to hold a sweet little guy and pose for a few photos.  Although his fur was soft, his rear end was hard and callused.  He was eating a eucalyptus leaf, and he smelled like the plant.  Considering I have a eucalyptus allergy, I was very glad I loaded up on allergy meds!

I cuddled a koala!

I caught the end of a show about sheep shearing, and got to play with a sheep dog named Rex.  While walking back to the entrance, I came across a little pony and a bird feeding area.  Although the birds were beautiful, I hated having so many of them flying around my head.  When a bit of droppings landed on my shoe, I ran out of there!

Rex, the sheep dog

I dig a pony

We were supposed to stop downtown to shop, but ran out of time.  Although I didn’t get to see the city, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Brisbane!  Up next, New Zealand!

Beautiful birds