Cruise 75 minutes up the Brisbane River from South Bank to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on Mirimar II, spend three hours with the koalas, kangaroos and platypus, and cruise back to the city by mid-afternoon. Your sanctuary entry is included, with fast-track entry at the gate.
Days
- About 6 hours, 9am to 2:45pm
Age
- All ages
Group size
- Shared cruise boat
Start / finish
- South Bank / Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary / South Bank
- Cultural Centre Pontoon, about 2:45pm
Return
- Cultural Centre Pontoon, about 2:45pm
Transport
- Mirimar II river cruise boat, 75 minutes each way
Meals
- No meals are listed as included; café on board
Route
Included experiences
- Brisbane River — 75-minute cruise with live commentary
- Lone Pine — three hours with more than 100 koalas
- Kangaroo reserve — hand feed kangaroos and emus
- Sheepdog show — dogs working a mob of sheep
- Platypus house and birds of prey show
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
4.9
Based on 90 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 90 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the boat ride itself, highlighting the relaxing journey, informative commentary about Brisbane's history and riverside architecture, friendly and welcoming crew, and on-board amenities including food and refreshments at reasonable prices. The most striking feature across reviews is the close-up animal encounters at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, particularly hand-feeding and petting kangaroos and stroking koalas, which reviewers describe as unforgettable highlights. The included entry ticket, well-organised nature of the tour, generous time allocation at the sanctuary, and the combination of a scenic cruise with wildlife experiences consistently earn strong approval. The most common caveat is that the top deck can become uncomfortably hot in summer, though blankets are provided for cooler weather, and a few reviewers mention minor logistical issues such as crowding during reboarding, limited shaded areas, or timing challenges with food service or arrival check-in.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour. Some longer trips are made up of shorter tours we also sell, run back to back — where a review was written about one of those legs, the review says so.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
“Fantastic day trip”
The commentary on the cruise out was informative and the crew were friendly. We had plenty of time at the sanctuary to see everything, pet a koala and feed the kangaroos, and were back at the dock mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free.
“An amazing experience ✨️ I highly recommend.”
Captain Robbie and crew Hayden and Taylor gave us a wonderful day, starting with an acknowledgement of country. The boat was clean, the food good, and the funny commentary on Brisbane's convict, Victorian and wartime history was a treat. Lone Pine, where the animals are so well cared for, was the highlight.
“Wonderful Experience”
The cruise gave us beautiful views of Brisbane and Lone Pine was a great chance to see koalas and other wildlife up close. A relaxing day, ideal for families and first-time visitors.
“Our experience with the tour ...”
The crew were friendly and the captain explained plenty on the way there and back, though the front speakers were a bit quiet. The sanctuary was a mixed bag for us, but the food on board was tasty and fairly priced. A good trip overall.
“Great animals and a beautiful ride”
Arriving by boat was a beautiful way to reach the sanctuary, and seeing all the Australian animals was a thrill. Highly recommended.
“Great wildlife experience”
A lovely river trip with useful facts about Brisbane, then the sanctuary, where we got close to kangaroos, dingoes and koalas.
