The new Visitor Centre at Monarto Zoo has been officially opened today, with Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP unveiling a plaque to mark the occasion.
The $16.8 million project has delivered a new Visitors Centre that provides an entry to one of the largest safari parks in the world.
The new facility includes a retail shop, café, seminar room, meeting facilities, office space, children’s play area, an exhibition facility, level 1 lookout, new toilet facilities, a new entrance road and a 900 space carpark.
Mr Pasin said the iconic Monarto Safari Park has become an absolute must visit destination when visiting South Australia.
“The new visitors centre will create significant local job growth, offer improved community facilities and attract visitors to the area, boosting tourism and the local economy with an estimated 55,000 people making use of this facility each year,” Mr Pasin said.
“The completion of this exciting project marks the beginning of a new era for the Monarto Safari Park. This state-of-the-art visitor facility has transformed the park into a world class tourism experience bringing many thousands of first time visitors including international tourists.
“I argued strongly for the Morrison Government to invest $11.25 million into the Monarto Safari Park redevelopment because I understood the positive flow on benefits for communities across the wider Murraylands.
“It’s very exciting to see this project come to fruition.”
The Visitor Centre project received $11.25 million from the Morrison Government and $4.55 million from the South Australian Government 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 completion of the new Visitor Centre is the first of three phases that will see Monarto become the largest safari experience outside of Africa.
Only the Morrison Government will continue to deliver a better future for Barker, and this is part of our plan to build a strong economy and a stronger future.
-ENDS-
