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Kookie the kookaburra is Brisbane Airport’s latest customer service recruit, only you won’t find him at the Visitor Information Desk with our other friendly Airport Ambassadors.
Instead Kookie prefers to fly around our International Terminal welcoming guests, taking selfies and helping passengers with Brisbane travel information. When he is working at his desk, this helpful bird is answering questions about travelling through Queensland and how to transfer, where to buy duty free or find good coffee at Brisbane Airport on Weibo and WeChat – did we mention Kookie is also fluent in Chinese?
When Kookie’s not working he loves flying to new places and discovering new heights, seeing local comedians to give his infectious laugh a good work out and visiting his family. Bluey belongs to the Brisbane–based Kingfisher family, which has symbolic connections with peace, prosperity, intelligence, and loyalty.
If you find Kookie in the terminals, he also likes to take selfies with new friends – so go on over and say g’day!
Where to find Kookie
Kookie is often flying around the International Terminal, saying hello, cracking jokes and taking selfies with passengers. Here are some other ways you can play with Kookie:
- Take a selfie with Kookie at the Welcome Wall on Level 2 in the Arrivals Hall near the terminal transfer desk.
- Check out what's on to see if Kookie is making an appearance.
Kookaburra fun facts
Kookie is a blue-winged kookaburra and there are some facts you should know about these kingfishers to get to know Kookie better.
- There are four species of kookaburra, the Rufous-Bellied Kookaburra, Spangled Kookaburra, Blue-Winged Kookaburra (like Kookie) and the Laughing Kookaburra.
- While the blue-winged kookaburra is slightly smaller than the Laughing Kookaburra, they are a lot brighter looking with beautiful blue wings and blue tails for the males.
- Found in savanna woodland areas through coastal north Australia from the Pilbara in Western Australia to just south of Brisbane.
- Kookaburras are carnivorous and you may see the birds whacking their prey against branches before chowing down on insects, small mammals, lizards and snakes.
- You can often hear a Kookaburra’s call at dawn and dusk and is also known as the ‘Bushman’s Clock’.
Kookie's origin story
Our beautiful Kookie mascot was lovingly created by Brisbane local, Rilla Alexander.
Currently based in the United States, Rilla is a designer, illustrator and picture book maker whose work has appeared on everything from toys and tea cups to busses and now airport terminals.
You can explore Rilla's work here:
