Solstice and wildlife

[dogted]

We will be on the Solstice b2b in March, we want to see some of the Australian wildlife. We are trying to decide between going to the Healesville Sanctuary in Melbourne or the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. Anybody have any thoughts on either one

Thank you

[bazzaw]

We will be on the Solstice b2b in March, we want to see some of the Australian wildlife. We are trying to decide between going to the Healesville Sanctuary in Melbourne or the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. Anybody have any thoughts on either one

Thank you

 

It has been a LONG time since I went to either --but I feel that you will see a wider range of Australian wildlife in the Healesville Sanctuary than at Lone Pine, but conversely Lone Pine is very famous for it's Koalas.

 

Others with a more recent experience of these places will correct me if necessary :)

 

 

Barry

[cjm66]

I agree with Barry, there is a wider range of animals at Healesville. However if cuddling a Koala is one of your "must dos" then this is only possible at Lone Pine. It IS a short experience - line up for some time on cruise ship days and the koala is draped on your shoulder, a quick pose , photo taken, koala retrieved and then given to next person in line. There are free ranging wallabies and kangaroos for feeding on the hill on the other side of the gully. The enclosures near the entrance are a bit tired and very "cagey" . They are due for renewal. The koala enclosures and others on the floor of the gully are recently renewed as they were badly damaged in the Brisbane floods. The enclosures at Healesville are better (IMO), some offer contact with animals for feeding and petting, you can book animal encounters for a little extra and there is lots of shade and pleasant areas for picnicking and peaceful contemplation between animal spotting. I suggest you read the reviews on Tripadvisor to get some more up to date info. It is several years since we were at Healesville.

 

One factor that could influence your choice is where Solstice will dock in Brisbane. She will berth at the Grain Terminal (commercial) wharf which is 30 - 40 mins and a shuttle bus ride from central Brisbane. Taxis into the city are $70 AUD each way. Several people we talked to had chosen Lone Pine and the ships tour because of this. We met up with them while they were there ( we went independently) and they said there was plenty of time for wandering and the tour included a whip around the sights and a lookout visit. In Melbourne, you will have easier access to the city attractions via light rail and there is a lot worth seeing if you have not been to Melbourne before. Hope I have not made your choice more difficult.

 

 

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[lizzy77]

You can do the Lone Pone Sanctuary on your own as a group from our Cruise Critic site did it yesterday and had a wonderful time. They used the Ship's shuttle into town which was$22 pp and then got the water taxi to Lone Pine. They stayed for ages had a few photo shots whilst the Ships tour groups were in and out.

[cjm66]

You can do the Lone Pone Sanctuary on your own as a group from our Cruise Critic site did it yesterday and had a wonderful time. They used the Ship's shuttle into town which was$22 pp and then got the water taxi to Lone Pine. They stayed for ages had a few photo shots whilst the Ships tour groups were in and out.

 

This is a good plan IF your ship docks early and the gangway is cleared for disembarkation before 9am and you get onto one of the early shuttles. Not the case for our visit, so one couple did the free shuttle and then caught the public bus to Lone Pine. A long and somewhat boring journey but they were able to get the Mirimar back from Lone Pine.

 

 

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[6andy6]

We will be on the Solstice b2b in March, we want to see some of the Australian wildlife. We are trying to decide between going to the Healesville Sanctuary in Melbourne or the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. Anybody have any thoughts on either one

Thank you

 

I'm probably a bit bias but I have been going to Healesville since my school days (as an excursion) and I'm in my 40's now and still go every few years or so.

 

I have been to many zoo's and sanctuaries around the world (although not the Brisbane one so can't compare) and the Healesville Sancutary is one of the better ones (altho the best zoo's have been Singapore & San Diego).

 

It is a good size with plenty of native animals to see from eagles to snakes to kangaroos and koalas, wombats etc etc and is well run, being the rural arm of the Royal Melbourne Zoo (they operate 3 places - the Royal Melbourne Zoo in Royal Park, The Werribbe Open Range Zoo (focussing more on african or plains animals) and of course the Healesville Sanctuary). Healesville is very near a lot of the wineries in the Yarra Valley as well.

 

 

http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville

 

The other thing to consider is that with Healesville, due to its location you will also get to see a bit of the countryside (not that you don't in Brisbane but I just checked Google Maps and it seems still part of the urban area albeit well treed). Healesville however would be hard to do on your own unless you were renting a vehicle.

[sparky-elpaso]

We went to Healesville (ships tour) and loved it. I don't know if it was just our tour but we had a guide to show us around. He was very interesting and informative. I don't think we would have gotten as much out of the visit if we had been on our own. And the drive to and from the park was beautiful.