Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary 2026

How much is the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary in 2026?

A$28 for adults, A$15 for children aged 3 to 17, A$19 concession and A$72 for a family of two adults and two children, per the Sanctuary's ticket page. Children 2 and under enter free.

Concession needs a valid student, concession or seniors card shown when you buy. Parking is free on site, with accessible spaces in every section. The general admission ticket on GetYourGuide is from $19 (prices there are in USD), covers the Storywalk and the SKYwalk, and can be cancelled up to 24 hours before for a full refund. The listing warns it is likely to sell out on busy days.

What is the Koala Sanctuary 3-day pass?

A free add-on: general admission now includes all-day entry on three consecutive days, counting the day you buy. It is issued at the gate.

Port Stephens Council announced the pass as a way to see the koalas at different times of day, when they are more or less active. The rules are short. Show the pass with matching ID each time. It cannot be transferred, refunded or extended, and a lost pass is not reissued.

Use it. A koala that slept through your 2pm visit may be climbing at 9:15 the next morning. If you stay two nights in Nelson Bay, go once on arrival and once before a morning cruise.

What are the Koala Sanctuary opening hours?

Seven days, 9am to 5pm in summer (last entry 4pm) and 9am to 4pm in winter (last entry 3pm). Closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

The Sanctuary SKYwalk and viewing platform close 15 minutes before the gates: 4:45pm in summer, 3:45pm in winter. Arrive by 3pm in any season and you have time for the whole loop without watching the clock. The Koala Hospital viewing window depends on clinic times, so a treatment is never certain; the 3-day pass gives you more tries.

Can you hold a koala at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary?

No. Holding wild koalas is not permitted in NSW, and the koalas here are wild animals in care after injury, illness or trauma.

The Sanctuary keeps close contact with people to a minimum so the koalas stay as wild as possible and can be released. What you get instead is a real look at the work. Jennifer, who visited in August 2026, wrote that staff "brought koalas in baskets to window so we could get a close look" and explained what tests the koala was having. Emilie, in July, said "the volunteers knew each koala and their stories".

The Port Stephens Koala Hospital lists more than 230 volunteers, about 60% of them trained wildlife rehabilitators. If you see an injured koala on the road, its 24-hour rescue line is 1800 775 625.

What is there to see at the Koala Sanctuary?

Three parts on a loop of about 1 km: the 250 m Storywalk, the Koala Hospital viewing window and the 225 m SKYwalk through the treetops to a viewing platform.

• Sanctuary Storywalk: a 250 m path with large koala sculptures and the story of the koala and its habitat. Good for kids.
• Koala Hospital window: look into the clinic, with intensive care units, a treatment room and rehab yards behind it.
• Sanctuary SKYwalk: 225 m of elevated boardwalk at canopy height, where the recovering koalas sit in their trees. Bring a zoom lens.

Paths and platforms are built to be wheelchair friendly, with an incline on the SKYwalk and limited benches along the way. No pets, apart from registered guide and assistance dogs, which still cannot enter the SKYwalk or the hospital. Wear a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes; most visitors spend one to two hours.

How do you fit the Koala Sanctuary into a Port Stephens day?

It sits at One Mile, 10 minutes from Nelson Bay, 30 minutes from Newcastle Airport and 55 minutes from Newcastle. Pair it with a morning cruise and an afternoon on the dunes.

From Sydney it is about 2.5 hours by car. Without one, Port Stephens Coaches buses stop on Gan Gan Road, a minute's walk from the gate, per the Sanctuary. A tidy local day: the dolphin sail from d'Albora Marina in the morning, koalas around lunch, then unlimited sandboarding at Anna Bay, a short drive south.

Short on time and coming from Sydney? The Port Stephens day tour includes the Sanctuary (Storywalk, hospital and SKYwalk), a dolphin cruise and 4WD sandboarding. It is a long day with about 5 hours in Port Stephens, so you see all three without driving. See our day trip from Sydney guide for the timings.

Frequently asked questions