Tom was a wealth of knowledge. What an awesome guy that was incredibly knowledgeable about his environment and its little inhabitants. He made us feel welcomed and like part of the team. He answered all our questions and gave us a heartfelt and sincere tour of the grounds. We heard stories of heartache and prevailing plants, we heard about the variety of animals, plants and insects that called the surrounds the acreage. Tom gave us a great experience with lots to take away from this. We both really really appreciated the time and effort Tom goes to ensuring guests still see the animals they came for without the restrictions of fencing. It really stuck with us when he discussed losing the animals in the 2020 fires to being stuck in fencing. A great guy, a great cause and well maintained land too. Do the nocturnal tour if you can!

A heartfelt experience at Hanson Bay – Thank you, Tom!
Visiting Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was one of the most touching and memorable experiences of our trip to Kangaroo Island. Tom, the owner, is a local who was born and raised here — and his deep love for this land is truly inspiring.

After the devastating fires that affected much of the island, Tom has worked incredibly hard to rebuild everything on his own. His dedication, resilience, and passion shine through in every corner of the sanctuary.

Thanks to him, we had the unique opportunity to see koalas in their natural habitat, completely free and undisturbed — no fences, no enclosures, just nature as it should be. It was magical.

Thank you again, Tom, for everything you’re doing to protect and preserve this special place. 🐨

We saw several koalas & learned a lot We did the nocturnal tour. Our tour guide was very friendly & knowledgeable. We walked around & saw several koalas & tons of wallabies while it was still daylight. We briefly saw a male koala bellow. We then drove to a field & saw geese with their goslings. Then, after it got dark, we walked back & saw several koalas again with flashlights. Unfortunately, it started to rain, so they weren't very active, but we still enjoyed the experience. We asked lots of questions & felt like we had a better knowledge of the park, the koalas & the island afterwards.

Me and my dad went on the koala walk, was fantastic. Tom the guide was a local who was had incredible insight into the local wildlife and fauna. He was also just a really nice bloke. We managed to spot somewhere round 10 koalas, lots of kangaroos, wallabies, and geese aswell. Information about the local plants was very interesting also (plants might not sound that fun but trust me they were!). Was brilliant to see these animals in the wild in their natural habitat, as opposed to caged up in a zoo. Tom also gave some insight into why it’s a much safer and healthier environment for them rather than a zoo.

Fun and Informative Experience We did the sunset waking tour with Tom. It was just our family. Tom was a great guide and a wealth of knowledge. We saw many kangaroos and a number of koalas. Well worth the time and money.

Kangaroo Island Great tour to see Koalas in their natural environment. Tom was very knowledgeable & friendly we saw plenty of Wallabies Kangaroos & bird life well worth it.

Absolutely fantastic experience. We'd booked the afternoon tour and when we arrived, there was just the two of us. Fiona was our guide and she was amazing. She gave us so much information about the animals, plants and trees - and explained all about the 2020 bush fires and subsequent regeneration. We particularly wanted to see koalas and kangaroos in the wild ( not in an enclosed, 'zoo' type environment), and that's exactly what we got. Fiona knew exactly where to look so we could see the koalas up the trees, as well as how to tell where they were. 😃 There were lots of kangaroos. They'd just come out to start grazing, as we were there late afternoon. It was so lovely to see them in their natural habitat, just going about their business.
We absolutely loved our tour, an amazing experience that we will remember for a long time. For anyone visiting Kangaroo Island, this is a ' must do' experience.

Come here to see koalas in the wild. Fantastic walking tour round the site (evening / sunset tour also highly recommended) with a local guide whose key job is to keep track of which trees might currently host a koala (or two). Informative and very friendly. But be aware that there are no facilities on site other than the car park (no accommodation / food / toilets etc.)! If you need anything, try the Discovery Park (camp / caravan / mobile home site / chalets) or the visitor centre.

Amazing guided walk Our walk with guide Fiona was amazing. She was so knowledgeable and clearly had such passion and care for the animals and environment. We learnt so much from her and had a great time.

a must trip while in kangaroo island wonderful guide with a lot of knowledge.
interesting tour. we saw many wildlife animals and koalas. we learned a lot about the wild fire. a must tour in Kangaroo island

Amazing experience in Nature’s true habitat Amazing Experience in Nature’s True Habitat
The nocturnal tour at Hanson Bay was an unforgettable experience. Tour guide Tom was incredibly passionate about the surroundings and truly transmitted that energy to the group. It was amazing to get close to wildlife in their natural habitat—not behind cages, but roaming freely as they should be. We saw koalas, joeys, kangaroos, wallabies, and so much more, all while enjoying a stunning sunset. A once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll always remember!

If you only get to do one thing on Kangaroo Island, this is definitely it! Its amazing to see the animals in their true habitat in de wild. Not being caged or forced to interact with humans. Our guide Tom had amazing stories and a true love for nature.

We did the evening tour which I highly recommend as the animals are more active. We were lucky to be able to watch a baby koala learning to climb which was incredible. Our guide was passionate and informative. Great evening walk!

The wildlife walkabout tour with Tom was genuinely superb. His knowledge of this place is simply second to none and he shared so much interesting information about the local ecology and the impact of bushfires throughout the tour. My 71 year old Dad was with me in Australia for 3 weeks, and he said this was one of his favourite things overall during his trip. Thanks Tom, keep up your exceptional tour guiding abilities and thanks for providing a great customer experience.

We had a lovely stay here. Cabin was exceptionally clean and had everything we needed. Everything is spread out over a massive area so you don't have to worry about your neighbours making noise. The shop had everything we needed, can definitely recommend the frozen whiting which was delicious! Kangaroos and Cape Barren geese strolling around the park. Friendly service at the front desk. Kids were sorry to leave.

Great Tour! We did the nocturnal tour and saw a lot of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and even an echnida :-)
We learned a lot about plants and flora and fauna, as well as regarding bush fires.

The place really is a sanctuary with absolut priority on the animals and their freedom and independent living, no tracking / tagging of the animals, no fences, no feeding.

Fabulous wildlife tour! Outstanding tour! Our guide Fiona was extraordinarily enthusiastic and knowledgeable about wildlife. We saw an amazing number of koalas, as well as many wallabies, kangaroos, and even an echidna. Fiona made sure we had plenty of time to see each animal and even extended our tour close an hour past normal ending time to give us even more viewing opportunities. Altogether a terrific experience. Very highly recommended.

Unforgettable night with guide Fiona! What a unforgettable night it was! Guide Fiona is simply the best, she has so much knowledge and she is so good at this! Under the sky full of stars we saw two (!) echidnas wandering around, brushtail possum with baby, many koalas up in the tree and moving around on the ground, lots of kangaroos and Tammar wallabies! People have no idea what's going on at night! This is a must do when on KI! Thank you so much!

An exceptional guided walk. We visited Hanson Wildlife Sanctuary on a recommendation. We were not disappointed.
Tom our guide was fantastic! He is a wealth of knowledge on the local area including history and major events. We were able to view Koala's, Cape Barren Geese, Western Grey Kangaroos & Tammar Wallabies as well as the native flora. The casual walk through the bush was so enjoyable having Tom point interesting things out as he saw them and answering our questions.
A wonderful experience thank you Tom.

Great tour Great tour. Saw two mothers and joeys and several males who were being very vocal and then even mating happening which even the guide hadn’t seen before. Tour lasted an hour and a half and included a short minibus ride to see the other wildlife but tge koalas were the stars.

Evening views with lots of animals Loads of wallabies, kangaroos, birds and koalas plus lots of explanation about the life cycles and habits of the animals. Our guide was a woman who knows a lot about the history of the island and the habits of the specific animals that live in the area. Excellent tour.

Do This tour! This was the best wildlife tour ever! As second time visitors to Australia, we had never seen wallaby’s or koalas in the wild before and this tour certainly fulfilled this wish. The guide had scoped out the area before we arrived and she showed us right where to look for several male and female koalas and their babies. We got to see and hear males making their mating calls! Amazing sounds indeed! After dark, walking with red lights (these don’t disturb the animals and allow us to see them) we saw koalas on the ground, walking between trees. We also saw lots of kangaroos, wallaby’s and Cape Barren geese. This is a wonderful place and you’d be lucky to do a tour here!

We were doing a private tour in the Sanctuary and it was amazing. Tom was our guide, he was born in the island and you can feel how much he loves the nature!
No fences, no cages, you will see animals being totally free! Do not hesitate and visit them!

Take a tour and your money will help the sanctuary get back on its feet. Very enjoyable and informative walk through the sanctuary. We did the 10.30am tour and sighted 5 koalas in trees and a number of kangaroos and Cape Barron geese. I suggest taking a pair of binoculars as the koalas can be quite high up in the tree and difficult to spot. There was a short video to watch at the end of the tour which included footage of the fires that destroyed almost everything in early 2020.

What an extraordinary experience! We did book the Koala walk on short notice for the next morning and didn't know what to expect, but for sure not to see so many koalas and even a koala joey:-) there were also a lot of kangaroos and wallabies. There are no fences and you keep your respectful distance to the animals - there is no cuddling in the sanctuary. Our guide Keira did an amazing job and we had an awesome time. The sanctuary is still struggling after being completely destroyed by the wildfires in 2020 and can use all the support. Thank you for this unique opportunity!

A Big Disappointment! We were not able to take this excursion. We arrived on the island on a cruise which docked on the opposite side of the island than the excursion meeting point. I called the excursion provider and they informed me we were 75 minutes away from the meeting point. They did not provide a pick up or any transportation. There were no taxis, Ubers or buses on the island. No refund was offered or provided by the excursion provider. Disappointing.

Our guided tour walk of the sanctuary with Ciara was really enjoyable. We saw many koalas, kangaroos, birds, and unique flora. The guide was exceptionally knowledgeable, personable and full of information. We thoroughly enjoyed it! Great value!

A KI must do! The nocturnal tour was an awesome experience. The tour guide Ciara was super knowledgeable about the animals and environment, and her passion for both were evident in the way she led the tour. She helped us spot several koala, wallaby, and even an echidna, and shared details about the 2020 fire impacts and recovery. Overall excellent experience and would recommend!

Kiera was an excellent guide - explaining the impact of the wildfires and how the sanctuary was recovering. She took us for a short walk around the sanctuary to spot wild koalas. Many spotted - the highlight being two koalas (at head height) bellowing at each other!

Educational, a night to remember! I wanted to do this tour for a little while as a 'local' who lives nearby. I used to run the Koala Walking Tour out of little sahara and was keen to see the difference. Off the bat the reserve is a very different location, as its a bit further west and has been affected by the fires. Our guide Ciara was lovely and knowledgable, and the tour was fun from the get go. We found cute koalas with no issue. There are heaps of grassy areas as the reserve used to be a farm, which actually attracts heaps of kangaroos! Then we hopped in a van and drove out to a field after sunset, where we met heaps of kangaroos, wallabies, and even the elusive possum. What I appreciated about this tour is that they do an indoor seminar on the fires that affected the area, showing videos of wildife and before/after photos of the fires. Very illuminating and educational, and happy I had the chance to go! It's one thing to learn about the fires, but another thing to see it.
So if you're in-between the LS or Hanson Bay koala tours, I'm of no help as they are both amazing. LS boasts a prettier walk and a land untouched by the destructive fires (so tall trees, and a chance to walk on the breathtaking sand dunes). But as they are a daytime walk, less of a chance to see other wildlife, and they don't teach about the fires as in-depth as Hanson Bay does, as Hanson bay has videos and artifacts to show (great for visual learning). Personally, as a bit of a wildife and KI fanatic, I'm happy to have done both!

Great tour We took the nocturnal tour as we were staying nearby, and wanted to see how the park is recovering from the fires in 2020 (we had visited before).

Our tour guide Ciara was enthusiastic and excellent, taking us through various areas, finding kangaroos, echidnas, wallabies and of course koalas. The final display of jumping from tree to tree by a baby koala will be one we remember for a long time.

Great guided wildlife tour. Very interesting tour with friendly and knowlegable guide. We saw koalas up close and learned a lot. Highly recommended.

My wife and I took the evening tour and had such a good time. Jim was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and it was clear that he really cares about the land and the animals. We saw multiple koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Great tour to see Koalas and other wildlife up close in their natural environment. The tour was part minibus, part walking. Josh the guide was extremely informative and made it a lot of fun. We learned a lot about the wildlife and we got to see things we would have probably missed. Definitely a tour worth doing and good value for money.

Excellent koala in their natural habitat tour. Great tour, booked only the night before, glad we did. You can do the trip on the way to or back from Flinders Chase National park. Very knowledgeable guide on all things koalas, kangaroos, other wild animals and the local vegetation. Saw numerous koalas, some with joeys and a large male, along with kangaroos including a rather large male. Part of the trip is done in the minibus to get you to locations, the rest on foot. At the end we were giving a very informative short talk on the fire of 4 years ago with footage, along with interesting artefact’s collected on the estate. Well worth calling in and doing.

Go for it The guide knew all about the Koalas and there beloved Trees, Kangaroos, the history of the Island and that not enough was interested in his customers!

We had a wonderful experience with our guide, Josh at the Wildlife Sanctuary.
We did the evening tour and saw plenty of koalas, kangaroos and an echidna. Josh was excellent and made it interesting for all on the tour.
Learning about the impact of the fires and understanding that further was very eye opening.
Great tour..

We really enjoyed the walk. The tour guide was very passionate and had a vast knowledge on both nature and conservation. A fun family activity that we did with our 8 month old. We had some great koala and kangaroo sightings. Really sad listening to the tragic fire stories across the island but great to see how quickly nature has bounced back already.

Great experience Great experience! Easy walk and lots of koala sightings. Guide was great. Saw also birds, kangaroos, black swans. We were there with our 23 months old and it went smoothly. Learned about the 2020 bushfires and how nature recovers! Very interesting.

A wonderful, mini Australian safari It was a very special experience to join the nocturnal tour at Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. We saw koalas, kangaroos, black swans and wallabies (and a possum as we we leaving the park) and Josh’s knowledge and enthusiasm made the tour (on foot and by vehicle), enjoyable and enlightening. More than that though, was the privilege of being in the park, as the sun set, and learning about the devastation caused by the great bush fire - but also how the wildlife and plants are recovering. Visit this great place and help to be part of this regeneration.

We loved the walking tour to see koalas in their native habitat. The tour guide has a passion for the sanctuary and is knowledgeable about all things koalas. We're locals on the island and took our almost 2 year old on the tour as she loves koalas. We found it family friendly and easy enough to walk around carrying our little one. Definitely recommend to anyone keen to see koalas. The nocturnal night tour is on our bucket list next when our kid is a bit older.

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Hanson Bay Sanctuary on the sunset tour. Josh was our guide and did a fantastic job of showing us around and finding so many animals living in the wild. He pointed out the male koala territories and we heard them grunting! Lots of mothers and joeys too. Wallabies and kangaroos everywhere with gorgeous sunset scenery. We saw some of the remains of the bushfire as a powerful reminder of the destruction, but also the amazing way nature heals itself. I highly recommend visiting if you want to see animals in their natural habitat. Be careful driving afterwards; so many animals on the road!

Tour guide was funny and informative, answered questions and included everyone in spotting Koalas. Would recommend doing with the family. More of a down to earth experience than a zoo.

No accommodations at this time. Josh did an amazing job of keeping the group engaged on our nocturnal tour. Sunset was amazing and we saw tons of koalas very close! Definitely worth it! Highlight of our stay on KI

We had an absolutely wonderful time. Josh, our guide was very friendly, knowledgable and we had an unforgettable time. We saw lots of wildlife including koalas with their joeys, kangaroos and black swans. We learnt so much and this was definitely one of the best highlights of the trip.

On the short walk and drive we saw lots of koalas including moms and babies. We also saw many kangaroos and birds. No echidnas. Nice to see everything in the wild and definitely worth the cost for the daytime tour. Josh was a great guide. Note this a review of the nature tour, not the accommodations (but Google forces you to rate the accommodation questions).

I recently had the most incredible experience on a wildlife tour that i would most definitely remember. From start to finish, every moment was filled with wonder and excitement. The tour guide (Josh) was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and made the journey so educational. Me my Mum and Sister had a unforgettable time

Fantastic experience! We did a Guided Koala Walk and bush fire ecology tour yesterday and it fulfilled all our expextations and more. The guide took us on a walking tour first and showed us the koala's Hidden in the trees while explaining how they live.
After this, we stept in a van and he showed us the rest of the domain, explaining the flora, fauna and impact of the fires.
It's impressing how nature can recover in 3 years from such a fire and I hope the Wildlife Centre will be rebuild too...

Great experience. We saw plenty of koalas and joeys, and even an echidna. Our guide explained a lot and was very happy to answer any questions. We were a small group and had plenty of opportunities to watch the animals properly.

Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary a must visit experience. We had an amazing time walking with Josh our expert and friendly guide. We saw so many Koalas in the wild close-up, three with Joey's. Josh also took us (a small group of 6 people) in the minibus to where the geese and roos hang out too. I highly recommend this tour, informative, fun and relaxing. And the short film afterwards regarding the devastation of the 2020 bushfires really makes you appreciate the environment, the army and the Wildlife Sanctuary even more. Afterwards, drive down to Hanson Bay and experience the rugged coastline, sandhills and the many shore birds.

Amazing sanctuary tour with Josh who was very knowledgable and passionate about wildlife conservation. We saw lots of Koalas and some with Joeys. Also Kangaroos galore close up and rrare Cape Burren Geese. Can not recommend this tour highly enough. Thankyou Josh

An excellent wildlife tour - Highly recommend ! We went on this tour with Josh as our guide who was highly informative about the range of wildlife on the estate, the impact of the 2020 forest fire and the regeneration efforts made since.

A group of 6 of us set off with Josh on foot initially and saw about 8 Koala bears, two with their baby joeys.

Josh gave us tips on how we might locate koalas in the wild by looking at markings on the bark and for fresh poo.

We then set off with him in his van and saw several kangaroos, as well as cape bitten geese and black swans.

He provided us with lots of information about yucca plants, the regeneration project and the scale and impact of the fire.

Also info about different species of koalas and their susceptibility to certain infections.

An excellent tour well worth the money

We took the sunset wildlife tour with Josh and had a wonderful time! He was so knowledgeable about the wildlife, and particularly the koalas. He spent so much time with us - and when he learned how much we loved koalas, we walked and spotted so many - he was very patient and we never felt rushed.
We learned so much about the sanctuary, the animals and the impact of the bushfires to the local area. I highly recommend this evening tour - when the wildlife is quite active. It was the highlight of our trip to Kangaroo Island.

Sunset tour - the highlight of our trip to Kangaroo Island! We booked the evening tour and found that we were the only customers and they still took us out for the full tour. Josh was our tour guide and he was amazing! Even though it ended up being just us - we never felt rushed and he showed us so many koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and Cape Barren Geese. I loved seeing the koalas so active - and in a natural setting (not a zoo)! I highly recommend this tour. We learned a lot about the bushfires and the seeing the regeneration of vegetation and about the koala management program that the sanctuary is working on with partners to ensure their health and survival. I consider that this was the highlight of our time on KI.

We took a 2:30pm tour here, with Josh as our guide. He was really informative and engaging and a really nice guy. We were lucky enough to see a koala crawling its way to different trees. Also saw kangaroos and geese and other koalas in including their baby joeys. It’s definitely one of the highlights on Kangaroo Island!

I highly recommend this tour. If you like koalas in their natural environment, this experience is for you. The must is Josh, the guide, a really nice guy. He knows what he is talking about.
Don’t miss it

We had a fabulous day with our guide Josh and an excellent sized small group. The tour exceeded expectations both in the koala sightings we lucked on and in the easy sharing of knowledge imparted.
However the website is very difficult to navigate and booking is more difficult than it should be.

Highly recommend the Sunset Nocturnal Adventure Tour! For wild life, sunset is their active time. Josh is such a nice and kind guide and we are lucky enough to see koalas with variou activities (baby koala climbing out of the pouch, male koala being rejected by a female with baby in pouch). Even the office lecture session opens our eyes too! Happy to see how great nature to recover itself after the bushfire 3.5 years ago. Great Tour!

We had a lovely tour with Josh that accomodated our last minute request! We saw kangaroos and koalas. He was very knowledgeable and also shared some stories about the devastating fire that took place 3y ago. We enjoyed it very much and would definitely recommend!

Beautiful tour, make sure you don’t miss it! We booked the Guided Koala Walk at 10.30 and we had the opportunity to see several koalas, wild gooses and 2 kangaroos in a fully natural context. Jos, our guide, was extremely accurate and passionate in his explanations. Very interesting also the part on how the fires of 2020 affected the Sanctuary and the way nature is recovering since then. Highly recommended if you look for a “real” experience in KI!