The story of this place
In 1927, a man named Claude Reid paid a shilling for an injured koala in a Brisbane market, nursed it back to health, and named it Jack. That single act of compassion started what would become the world's oldest and largest koala sanctuary. By 1944, Lone Pine held 130 koalas. Today it cares for over 130 koalas along with kangaroos, wombats, Tasmanian devils and platypuses on 18 hectares beside the Brisbane River.
Koalas sleep up to 22 hours a day because their eucalyptus diet is so low in nutrition that they must conserve energy. Each koala at Lone Pine eats up to one kilogram of specific eucalyptus species daily — and they are picky; different koalas prefer different varieties. Lone Pine has survived floods, world wars and urban development to remain one of Australia's most beloved wildlife experiences, hosting over 350,000 visitors annually.