Open and ready for action! Monarto Safari Park unveil their new Visitor Centre

 

 

Monarto Safari Park’s new Visitor Centre opened its gates on the 25th of March with a Welcome to Country and Healing Ceremony by Uncle Moogy and a speech by Elaine Bensted, CE of Zoos SA.

“The completion of the new Visitor Centre is the first of three phases that will see Monarto become the largest safari experience outside of Africa. Phases two and three will see the completion of a luxury hotel by private developer Gerry Ryan and the Wild Africa safari expected to finish late 2022 – early 2023 – an experience that will see guests driving through vast areas with animals such as cheetah and giraffe and waterholes bobbing with Nile hippopotamus and thriving birdlife.”

The Visitor Centre Project received $11.25m in funding from the Australian Government under the Community Development Grants Programme and $4.55m from the Government of South Australia towards a total $16.8m cost of building the new entry and Visitor Centre. The Rural City of Murray Bridge also contributed to the project through the construction of a new slip lane entry from Monarto Road. The centre is now large enough to comfortably welcome an additional 55,000 visitors to the park and the surrounding region.

Benefits for the region created by the new Visitor Centre include a growth of jobs with the building of the centre creating 136 jobs and 89 ongoing positions for the region.