Monarto Safari Park

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:17): I rise to talk about some of the history and some of the new goings on at Monarto Safari Park, and certainly the new resort. Back in September 1982, the then minister for environment and planning announced that 1,000 hectares of Crown land would be allocated for the establishment of an open-range zoo. Stage 1 of the development was completed in 1983 when the Department of Environment and Planning established Monarto as a breeding and pasture area. A feasibility study was conducted in 1990 and the decision was made to change Monarto from a special purpose breeding area, closed to the public, to an international standard zoo.

Two young female bison were imported from Auckland Zoo and they were the first residents at Monarto. This was followed by roughly 150 animals from Adelaide Zoo and another 40 animals that were being held on pasture at a Penola property. Adelaide Zoo had been experiencing overcrowding, so the transfer of animals to Monarto helped ease this issue.

In October 1993, Monarto Safari Park opened to the public with an official opening ceremony, which was attended by 260 guests. In 2008 the Chimp Viewing Platform was opened by renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, and the chimp home is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. On 21 April 2022, I had the privilege of opening the new $16.8 million visitor centre, alongside the member for Barker, Tony Pasin. This included $11.25 million from the federal government and $4.55 million from the former Marshall Liberal government.

It was with great joy that in the last week of May I attended the opening of the brand new Monarto Safari Resort. This was built by Gerry Ryan, who is the owner of Jayco. It was quite pleasing to see those Victorian funds come in to support something in South Australia. It was more than a $40 million investment. It was pleasing to see that Gerry's wife and daughter were there for the opening. Gerry had to be overseas, but he has done a magnificent job with the build team getting the resort in place.

There are rooms overlooking the watering hole or the wild plains. There are two outdoor pools at this resort, two bars, a restaurant and a luxurious day spa with massage facilities. Visitation numbers are well over 200,000 per annum and are only going to increase with the opening of the resort and the glamping tents, which are hoped to be available early in the new year.

Monarto Safari Park has grown to more than 1,500 hectares. To put that into perspective, you can fit every major zoo in Australia inside the park and there will still be room left over. Over 500 animals now call the park home, the newest of which are the five Asian elephants. We have Burma, Permai, Putra Mas—who is still on his way, Pak Boon and Tang Mo.

Burma was the first to arrive back in November from Auckland Zoo. This was followed by Permai, who settled in at the end of January following a 40-hour, 2,700-kilometre journey across the Nullarbor from Perth Zoo. The newest additions were Pak Boon and Tang Mo, who made the journey from Taronga Zoo, Sydney, back at the end of April. That just leaves Putra Mas, who is set to be relocated to Monarto later this year. He is the big male elephant. I think they are sorting out the logistics of a big box to transport him across from Perth as well.

This development also complements developments like the Lions 360, where you can go in the cage and the lions can crawl all over the top of the cage, which is quite an experience. I must congratulate all involved, especially with Gerry Ryan making that commitment to build this resort. It has taken three or four years to get it where it is. I congratulate Journey Beyond on teaming with the Monarto Safari Park to operate the resort. I encourage everyone to get out to Monarto to have a good look and enjoy all the facilities.