March 8, 2023
Today we are docked in Brisbane, Australia and as the sun rose I headed out to explore the city and most importantly the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane is named after the river on which it sits which, in turn, was named after the Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821-1825. The port of Brisbane is the third most important post in Australia for the value of goods. Most of the port facilities are less that three decades old and most are built on reclaimed mangroves and wetlands.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was opened in 1927 as a safe refuge for sick, injured and orphaned koalas, at a time when the species was being culled for the fur trade. Last year as fire raged in Australia up to 80% of the Koala’s were killed or injured and Lone Pine took in many of the injured and orphaned koala.
The best moment of the day was when I got to hold David who had survived the fires and is now thriving at Lone Pine. As I talked to him he snuggled with me and I was sure he wanted me to take him home but they do bag check before boarding the bus so I did not get to take him but I did adopt him and my contribution will pay for his care for the year and I will get regular updates on him. Lone Pine really cares for their Koalas and each one is only allowed to be held by a tourist for up to 30 minutes a day. My 15 minutes with David were priceless.
Lone Pine also has an open area where you can feed kangaroos and that was a blast!!
A few Dingo’s (they are wild dogs), an Emo and a cute little Tanzanian Devil made this a special morning at Lone Pine.
We then headed to Mount Coot-tha Lookout for a panoramic view of Brisbane.
Then we headed into the city. I walked around the city experiencing the very busy central city then headed back to the ship just as the rain started.
Yes, another “Best Day Ever” but I miss David already!!!
Next up Sidney!!
You need David. We need David….smuggle him home.
That is so cool! I think David would have a blast with all the dogs in Mountainside!