Hold a Koala at a Wildlife Sanctuary: The Complete Guide for Visitors
Holding a koala is one of those Australian experiences that sounds simple but is actually subject to considerable variation in availability and ethics. Not all states permit it, not all sanctuaries that offer it do so responsibly, and the koala itself — despite its appealing appearance — is under genuine conservation pressure across much of its range. Doing this experience well means choosing the right sanctuary in the right state, understanding what “ethical” looks like in practice, and knowing what to expect from an animal that is considerably less cuddly in temperament than it appears.
To start with the basics: koalas are marsupials (not bears), eat primarily eucalyptus leaves (which are toxic to most other animals and highly nutritious for approximately nobody, which is why koalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a day to conserve energy), and have strong claws designed for gripping smooth-barked trees. They will use those claws on anything they grip, including a human holding them — which is why every koala photo you’ve seen involves a thick towel between animal and person. They smell strongly of eucalyptus oil. They are not, in experience, soft or cuddly. They are, however, genuinely extraordinary animals up close, and a well-run koala encounter at an ethical sanctuary is one of the more remarkable wildlife experiences available to Australian visitors.
📋 TL;DR — the quick version
- 🐨 Koala holding is legal in 3 states: South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland permit koala holding at licensed sanctuaries. New South Wales, Victoria, ACT, and Tasmania only permit “close encounters” (touching and photography beside the animal).
- ✅ Choose an accredited sanctuary: Look for Wildlife Queensland, WAZA, or state wildlife authority accreditation. Accredited sanctuaries comply with welfare standards including daily holding time limits per animal.
- ⏱️ Encounter times are limited: Responsible sanctuaries limit each koala to 30 minutes of total holding time per day (across all visitors) and rotate animals frequently. This is the key welfare indicator.
- 💰 Expect to pay AUD $20–$50: The fee usually includes a professional photo with the koala. Smartphone photos are typically allowed at responsible sanctuaries.
- 🐨 They smell like eucalyptus and grip firmly: Not the soft teddy bear experience most people expect. But the encounter with a wild-descended marsupial face-to-face is genuinely remarkable.
🗺️ Where koala holding is legal
☀️ Queensland
Queensland has more koala encounter venues than any other state, ranging from wildlife sanctuaries to zoo settings. The best-regarded include Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane (the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, established 1927, with over 130 koalas), Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast, and Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast. All three are large, well-established facilities with strong welfare records and extensive wildlife beyond koalas. Lone Pine in particular is regarded as a benchmark for koala welfare in a captive setting.
🌺 South Australia
South Australia’s Cleland Wildlife Park, in the Mount Lofty Ranges above Adelaide, is one of the most highly regarded wildlife sanctuaries in Australia for koala encounters. The park operates at high welfare standards, the koalas live in naturalistic enclosures, and the encounter experience is unhurried and personal. Kangaroo Island also has free-ranging koalas (introduced in the 1920s and now at high density) that can be observed in the wild, which is a different but equally memorable experience.
🌊 Western Australia
Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth’s Swan Valley and Cohunu Koala Park in Byford are the primary koala holding venues in WA. Both are established sanctuaries with good welfare records. Caversham is the larger of the two and is frequently included in Perth day-tour itineraries.
Worth adding to your itinerary: Best Wildlife Experiences in Australia.
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✅ What ethical looks like
The key welfare indicator for a koala encounter is rotation time: responsible sanctuaries rotate koalas out of encounters after a maximum of 30 minutes of total handling per day, and give each animal multiple days off per week. Ask about this directly before booking. Other positive signs include naturalistic enclosures where koalas spend the majority of their time, trained keepers who monitor animal stress signals, and the ability to observe koalas resting naturally (not just in the encounter area). Facilities that keep koalas in prominent display positions all day, or that don’t limit handling time, are not operating to recommended welfare standards.
In states where holding is not permitted (NSW, Victoria), the “close encounter” — standing beside a koala on a perch or branch while a keeper holds the animal, allowing touching and photography — is still an excellent experience. The Taronga Zoo (Sydney) and Melbourne Zoo both run koala encounter experiences at this level that are worth doing even without the holding component.
🐨 About the koala
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are listed as vulnerable under Australian federal law, with the Queensland, NSW, and ACT populations additionally listed as endangered following catastrophic population declines due to habitat loss, chlamydia disease, and deaths from vehicle strike and dog attack. The population has declined by at least 50% over the past 20 years in some regions. Choosing a sanctuary that supports genuine koala conservation — habitat restoration programs, rescue and rehabilitation, disease research — is part of making a koala encounter worthwhile beyond the photograph.
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The koala encounter is not what most people expect — the animal is stranger, more self-contained, and more firmly-gripping than the teddy bear of popular imagination — but that’s precisely what makes it so interesting. You’re interacting with a marsupial that has evolved over 30 million years to eat poison and sleep for 20 hours a day. The photo is just the souvenir.
Looking for more wildlife experiences in Australia, read our guides to most beautiful places in Australia, best places Australia in december, best places Australia in november, and best places Australia in october.
