Brisbane With Kids: Which Tours Take Children, and From What Age
6 min read
Brisbane’s best-known day trips are not equally open to children. The age limits sit on the booking pages, not in the tour titles, and the lowest starts at 4 while the highest is 17. Below is what each page says, so you can rule trips out before you plan around them. Where the table gives no age limit, ask the operator before you plan.
The age limits, tour by tour
| Trip | What the page says about children | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary day pass | Page calls it “perfect for families”; the sanctuary sells child tickets for ages 3 to 13 | €38.84 |
| Australia Zoo with transfer | Australia Zoo admits under-3s free; child tickets cover 3 to 14 | €116.51 |
| Moreton Island guided full day | Children aged 3 and younger not allowed | €116.51 |
| Moreton Island ferry and adventure pass | Under 6 listed as unsuitable | €91.85 |
| Tangalooma snorkel day with dolphin feeding | Minimum age 6 | €149.79 |
| Story Bridge Adventure Climb | From 6 and at least 110 cm tall; one adult per child at 6 to 10, one adult per three children at 11 to 16 | €92.46 |
| Stradbroke Island wildlife day | Under 7 listed as unsuitable; under 18 with an adult | €91.85 |
| Guided river kayak tour | Under 8 listed as unsuitable; 8 to 16 with an adult | €52.40 |
| Rainforest and glow worm cave tour | Under 5 listed as unsuitable; no strollers on the bus | €122.67 |
| Tamborine Mountain winery tour | Under 17 listed as unsuitable | €159.66 |
Our Story Bridge guide covers the climb itself, including the supervision ratios.
Toddlers and under-5s
The realistic list is short. Lone Pine is the easiest fit, with koalas, keeper talks and a free-range kangaroo reserve. The booking page lists the day pass as wheelchair accessible; confirm access with the sanctuary if you need it for a stroller or chair. Our Lone Pine guide compares the day pass with the river cruise.
The river itself is easier than the islands. The morning sightseeing cruise on the river lasts 1.5 hours, with a covered upper deck, and costs €30.21. Bathrooms are on board. The page lists wheelchair users as unsuitable. Our river guide covers the shorter and longer options.
South Bank’s Streets Beach is free, according to the official South Bank FAQ, and lifeguards patrol it. Opening times change with the season and the lagoon closes for maintenance from time to time, so confirm on the day.
Ages 4 to 7
Australia Zoo is a long day: the booking page gives 9 hours in total, about 6 of them in the zoo, with hotel pickups between 7:30 and 8:00 am and the zoo leaving at about 3:00 pm. Australia Zoo itself admits under-3s free; ask the transfer operator how a small child is ticketed. That is a lot of bus for a small child, so be honest about how your child copes with a 1-hour drive each way. Our Australia Zoo guide has the details.
Moreton Island opens up at 4 on the guided full day, and at 6 for the ferry pass and the snorkel day. A child who is 6 can snorkel on the Tangalooma day, which is also the one with the dolphin feeding; read the late return time in our dolphin feeding guide first. The resort also sets a height rule for the feeding: children need to be 102 cm tall to walk in and feed, and smaller ones from 3 are carried.
Older children and teenagers
From 7, the Stradbroke Island wildlife day is possible, from 8 the river kayak tour and from 6, with a minimum height of 110 cm, the Story Bridge climb. A teenager can do all of these. The Story Bridge climb has a rule for older children too: 11 to 16 need an adult at a ratio of one adult to three children. On the kayak tour, 8- to 16-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult.
When it is a bad idea
Skip the ten-hour rainforest tour with a child under 5 or a stroller: the booking page lists under-5s as unsuitable and says the bus cannot carry strollers, and it is a full day on a bus. Skip the winery tour at any age under 17. And be sceptical of the Moreton Island ferry pass, whose ferry leaves at 7:30 am, if your child does not wake early.
For more on koalas and animals, see the wildlife tours around Brisbane, 18 of them from €38.84.
