WorldTravelReynolds

Today is the day of the Koalas and Kangaroos! We have been waiting for this for over a year. We visited the Lone Pine Sanctuary for Koalas and other animals.

As the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, Lone Pine has been a champion for these furry animals since 1927. Since Koalas sleep almost 20 hours a day, we picked the best time to visit. Lunch time! The were very active and the stars of the show for sure!

But koalas aren’t the only stars of the show. Lone Pine is a haven for over 70 species of native Australian animals. We chose to only concentrate on a few. The kangaroos were so docile and laid back. You could pet them and feed them. We had so much fun. I even FaceTimed my brother and sister in law to share my excitement. The sanctuary is also for breeding, rescue and rehabilitation. It’s not a zoo, with is very nice to see them taken care of in a natural environment.

We spent most of our day here, rain and all between spending time with the animals to being able to hold and have a photograph of the Koalas. We hated to leave but had a couple more stops before we had to get back to the ship. Today is an early sail away.

As far as some history in Brisbane, in 1823, the area was chosen as the site for a new penal colony, replacing an earlier settlement at Redcliffe. Named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales, the settlement was meant to house “secondary punishment” convicts – those who had re-offended after being transported to Australia. The land, however, belonged to the Turrbal people, the traditional owners, and their way of life was forever disrupted by the arrival of the Europeans.

By 1842, the penal colony experiment was deemed a failure, and Brisbane began its transformation into a free settlement. The rich soil and proximity to the Brisbane River attracted free settlers, and the city slowly began to take shape. John Petrie, a former convict turned businessman, is credited as Brisbane’s founding father, and his contributions to the city’s development are significant.

A pivotal moment in Brisbane’s history came in 1859. Queensland separated from New South Wales to become a separate colony, and Brisbane was chosen as its capital.

The 20th century saw Brisbane continue to evolve. The University of Queensland was founded in 1909, solidifying the city’s educational credentials. The 1920s saw the Brisbane playing a significant role in World War II, serving as a key base for American and Australian troops.

Today, there are over 2 million people located in Brisbane. Such a thriving city.

Prior to our stop at the koala sanctuary, we stopped at a lookout point before it started raining any more. It was called Mt. Coot-Tha Lookout. The name Mount Coot-tha Lookout comes from the mountain it sits on – Mount Coot-tha. Interestingly, the lookout itself used to have a different name. Originally, the mountain was called One-Tree Hill. This was because surveyors cleared the summit in 1839, leaving just one large eucalyptus tree. The solitary tree became a landmark and was even used for surveying measurements.

Later, the name was changed to reflect the Aboriginal heritage of the area. So, Mount Coot-tha Lookout honors the traditional name of the mountain, while also offering stunning views of Brisbane.

Our lunch today was at the Botanical Gardens in pouring down rain. I sure am glad Royal gave us some raincoats and umbrellas! Chuck had a chicken burger while I chose a Wagyu burger made from cattle and not any of the marsupials here in the sanctuary, thank goodness! It was very good but really huge. We did notice the ketchup here has a lot of sugar in it. Not my style. I had my sugar in the Salted Caramel ice cream. YUM!

Our last stops were to see the infamous Brisbane sign. It was very colorful and was a forefront to some very interesting buildings downtown. We even walked through a museum that had some dinosaurs from Jurassic park. One was made with 6 million lego bricks!

All in all we had a great day even with the rain. It was all about the koalas and kangaroos!

We have a day off tomorrow to rest and for me to catch up on my blog and photos and videos. WE will then be in Arlie Beach, Australia. We didn’t book anything to do here but we’ll get out and wander around to see what it has to offer.

May God bless you always!

Chuck & Lea Ann