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Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Lyell Deer Sanctuary

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Australia
Mount Samson, QLD
Lyell Deer Sanctuary

Rescue for orphaned, injured & displaced deer in Brisbane. Come meet and love them! Open weekends.
(89)

02/08/2024

Gorgeous winter vibes! Pop out and visit this weekend, 10am-4pm. 📷 by the wonderful

26/07/2024

A taste of spring-time weather for a few days, aaahhh! Take some time out to sit in the dappled sunshine with a little smile for a minute. Just breathe! (And cuddle some animals 😊). Open every weekend, 10am-4pm

19/07/2024

Cuddling a deer is like cuddling a cat
Except
For the hoofs
Which are actually sharp as blades
Stuck on the ends of long, thin, powerful legs
That jerk in a panic when the sweet little deer is half-asleep and a door suddenly slams.
I am sliced and bruised now.
But it was really nice
For a moment.
(Part of my ever-evolving ‘Ode to a Baby Deer’ 🤣). It’s really cold and windy, but we’ll be open this weekend if you want to adventure and write your own poetry

15/07/2024

Sooo cold this morning! 🥶 May your day warm up like a little deer soaking in the morning sunshine

03/07/2024

Yay, rain is drying up for the last few days of the holidays! We will be open today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday), 10am-2pm, and the weekend as normal (10am-4pm) for deer cuddles and a little winter adventure! No need to book, just pop in

02/07/2024

Wednesday Edit! Too muddy and slippery to open today! Hopefully Thursday and Friday will dry up🤞 Announcement: We are planning to open this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am-2pm, but this is WEATHER-DEPENDENT! Rain is forecast all week, and it’s pretty yucky here when it’s wet, so check back here in the morning to confirm!

25/06/2024

Open Wednesday June 26, 10am-2pm, for deer kisses and cuddles, fresh air and winter sunshine!Open Saturday and Sunday as normal (10am-4pm), and next Wednesday too!

19/06/2024

OK, looking for something to do with your little chickpeas in the holidays? We are always open Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-4pm, but we will also be open both Wednesdays in the school holidays (June 26 and July 3), 10am-2pm. If there’s another day in the second week that works better for you, let me know below and I’ll decide!

08/06/2024

I think he’s asking for a beanie?! Those leaves aren’t going to keep his little ears warm at all! We are open as usual this weekend. Wear warm things!

24/05/2024

So amazed and proud to be identified as a Best Of Queensland Experience again this year! We are NOT a zoo or ‘farm experience’; we rescue deer and open up our property to share the magic, beauty and education, and give you a peek at animal sanctuary life. Being with animals, and being in nature, feeds your soul, boosts happy hormones, gives you great memories, and inspires you to live your best life in harmony with animals and the environment. This is the experience we try to offer, and we are so joyful that we seem to be succeeding, despite our simplicity and uniqueness! We are open this weekend as normal, 10am-4pm!

18/05/2024

Warm sunshine-y deer fur for your cold and windy morning. The deer are getting their fluffier winter coats now and are nice and cosy, and they make my heart warm 🥰, but uuugggghhhh I hate winter! 🥶

11/05/2024

OK, I’m sorry, apparently it’s a chickens-on-the-lounge kind of day, a wet-and-soggy paddock kind of day, a where-has-the-mountain-gone kind of day. Not the best kind of day to bring Mum out to cuddle deer. BUT happy, happy day to all the mothers out there - chicken mums, cat mums, dog mums, guinea-pig mums, horse mums, cattle, goat, reptile, bird and human mums (let me know if I left you out. Oh, deer mums! and of course 💗). Your load of love and care and nurture and constant, never-ending worry is seen and so appreciated

10/05/2024

We are open as normal for Mother’s Day, but keep an eye here for weather updates, unless you love muddy surprises! Peggy the peahen is doing so well with her four little chick-peas - and you can see how much sass she is passing along! (I left the little poo in the photo because, you know, , of course the baby would do a poo in the photo 🙄)

04/05/2024

Sun is out, for now! But it’s still muddy so wear your boots for a visit today. We are closed tomorrow for the public holiday

02/05/2024

The birth of a weapon…🔪🔪 REMEMBER: This is a natural process and doesn’t seem to bother the deer at all! The velvet is automatically shed to reveal the newly formed bone underneath, ready for the mating season. The annual gruesomeness never ceases to shock me though. That bright red blood! 😱🦌

29/04/2024

Hi Mum, I got you some flowers! 🥰 We’ll be open as normal on Mother’s Day, so bring her out for a little walk and oxytocin from deer cuddles. You can give her flowers too, but deer loooooovee flowers, so expect to share them! 🦌 💐 😋

24/04/2024

No, we are not open today. We are an army family, and we’ll be watching our soldier march. AND… I hate war. I seeth over men and their fights. I rage over the inability of humans to find peaceful solutions and have empathy and be better. This John Williamson song is so poignant and too shocking to play here, but go listen to it and hug everyone and love everyone and let’s be better humans so things change

20/04/2024

If they had thumbs, they would have gotten out the guitars and started singing around the fire. They were so warm and cosy 🥰. Cows love bonfires! (They don’t love BBQs 😬.) It’s raining a little and looks like it will keep raining all night and into tomorrow, so if you are coming to visit us, wear boots, raincoat, old clothes, cosy things and expect mud and wet cuddles!

12/04/2024

Lovely Autumn sunshine! Happy deer, fresh air, a hill to wander and get your heart singing 🥰. Cows, goats, horses, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, cats… rescued and living their best lives. Open 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday

09/04/2024

Look at this dirty boy! Spa day for Sparky and Kenny tomorrow (Wednesday April 10th)! We’ll be open 10am-midday if you want to pop in and help help brush, plait and pamper the mini horses, or just hang out with the deer. So grateful for the sunshine and fresh breeze today!

08/04/2024

Yes, we will be open tomorrow (10am-2pm, Tuesday April 9th)! A day of sunshine and hopefully no more rain overnight means there will be some dry paths to tread and wander with the deer. On Wednesday, we’ll be giving the miniature horses a bath and brush, so if you want to pop in between 10am and midday, you can help give the old boys some pony pampering! Kids can help brush, plait, and glitter Kenny and Sparky up after their muddy week 🦄. (Little Fur, the albino deer, REALLY needs a bath and makeover, but unfortunately he’d kill us in the process, so we just have to wait for him to groom himself and busy ourselves with the horses instead 🤣) #

07/04/2024

After a stressful day of mud-rolling and fence-fixing and apologising to disappointed people who wanted to visit today, I sat down to read our story to my deer-babies. Lulu tried to eat it, but in general I think it made us all a bit teary to look back at our journey and realise just how crazy it was, and how far we’ve come, and how lucky we are to have the opportunity and ability to help these beautiful animals

06/04/2024

CLOSED TODAY (Sunday April 7)! It rained all night and it’s still pouring down. The ground is thick and slippery with mud. Even if the rain stops, it won’t dry up in time to be safe to open today 😩. I’m so sorry to anyone who was planning to come out. We will be open on Tuesday and Wednesday this week for school holidays (assuming everything dries up!)

05/04/2024

Saturday edit: Yes we are open today, but it’s very, VERY muddy, so dress accordingly!!!
Hmmm, what’s that? Rain again? But now the sun’s out?! Oh, and more rain. And mud. And maybe lots more coming. Or maybe just down south? Aaargh!!! I know lots of people want to visit the deer this weekend, but please keep in mind that rain = sloppy mud and slippery paddocks and wet deer that like to rub themselves all over you… If it is too wet, we will close for safety reasons. We’ll make a decision and post in the morning, so please check back here before you come out!

04/04/2024

We had a big Easter morning surprise… Someone appeared with four little babies in tow! 🥰😳 Anyone want to guess whose cute little fluffies these are? Hint: the main resemblance at this point is the bossy looks on their faces - take after both mum and dad there 🤣

01/04/2024

Wow, what a massive weekend! Thankyou so much to everyone who visited over the last four days, thanks for being patient if you had to wait in line to get to admission, and thanks for your smiles and joy when you were with the animals! We love sharing our work with you! Just a reminder that we are a family-run animal rescue, not a big zoo or ‘farm experience’. Expect a warm welcome, education, a relaxed vibe, and friendly animals that are part of the family and love to get up close to you (except for Ember, she hates you 🤣). We are open weekends, 10am-4pm for visitors. No need to book, just pop in! Thanks for sharing your selfie with Lulu

23/03/2024

Hilarious shot of Tulip this morning, singing the screechy song of her kind as she laid her egg right at the admissions desk this morning 🤣. Thanks so much to Aaron for sharing it with me!

22/03/2024

Easter opening hours! We’ll be open Good Friday, 10am-2pm, Easter Saturday and Sunday as normal, 10am-4pm, and Easter Monday, 10am-2pm! So pop in on your holiday adventures or if you want to cuddle fluffy creatures with long ears (not quite as long as rabbit ears, but just as soft and lovely 🥰)

08/03/2024

Happy Friday from gorgeous baby Falkor! He’s popping in with his dark liquid eyes and sweet snoot to say hi to his rescuers 👋, and to say that he’d love to meet anyone with gentle hands and maybe a piece of apple this weekend!

01/03/2024

Just hanging out with friends on a hot Brisbane Friday afternoon… Come join us this weekend if you’re out and about!

Address

6 Lyell Court
Mount Samson, QLD
4520

Opening Hours

Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.lyelldeersanctuary.com.au/

Alerts

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Videos

Big announcements about to drop! Make sure you are on our email list because I want to speak directly to our biggest supporters first 💗🦌. Some good things and some not so good! Link in comments below, or click on our story at the top of your feed ⬆️ #lyelldeersanctuary #visitmoretonbayregion #visitbrisbane #brisbaneanyday #thisisqueensland #brisbanekids #christmasinbrisbane #animalsanctuarylife

Gum leaves and cicadas and barefoot children with deer and beautiful dresses - that’s our Aussie Christmas! Atmosphere here captured perfectly by @bella_and_lace for their new summer dress collection #christmasinbrisbane #beisbaneanyday #visitmoretonbayregion #reacuedeer

Mesmerising Lulu, captured so magically by @deer_briar. She may get bullied by the other deer, but we all love her, don’t we?! #visitmoretonbayregion #visitbrisbane #brisbanekids #rescuedeer #animalsanctuarylife #deer

Thanks for visiting, Scott and Ty! What a great video 💜

Pop-Up Holiday Fun Day next week! Come and get happy with us after lockdown lifts. Get your hair braided with extensions in the colour of your choice by Boss Babe Braiding, decorate your own gorgeous antler crown, feed and play with the deer and have a mini-photo shoot with them too! Very limited spots so book now! (Tickets are fully refundable in case of lockdown extension) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rainbow-deer-day-tickets-161473263879

Felicity the fallow deer came to help me feed the calves this morning 😊🦌🐮 #friends #frisky #rescueanimals #deerofinstagram #calvesofinstagram

Andy dropped an antler! Here he is just after it fell, trying to adjust to a lopsided head. Imagine how strange it would feel! His head keeps sort of sinking down to one side

One of the Wild Boys rubbing the last of the velvet off this year’s antlers. So gorgeous, reminds me of a cat washing itself 😍 #velvet #deer #samfordvalley