Work continues on Monarto Safari Park’s Visitor Centre

Despite restrictions, lockdowns and wild weather, Monarto’s new Visitor Centre is taking shape with the team from Mossop Construction + Interiors and Zoos SA celebrating the completion of the internal roof and rammed earth walls.

The latest accomplishments include the completion of the roofing for internal areas and the rammed earth walls. The natural materials of rammed earth and corten steel have been chosen to complement the surrounding environment and to provide good passive cooling and insulating properties with little to no ongoing required maintenance.

Mossop has worked on the site since the building began in January 2021 and are still working to a completion date of February 2022, challenges permitting.

Commenting on the $16.8 million project, Zoos SA Chief Executive, Elaine Bensted noted “progress is being made at great speed. The building is now visible from around the site and it’s getting much easier and exciting to imagine it welcoming visitors.

“The new Visitor Centre will welcome more visitors than we currently can and provide visitors with the perfect start point to begin an adventurous day or days at Monarto Safari Park, soon to be the largest safari experience outside of Africa.”

Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin added "this is an exciting project that marks the beginning of a new era for Monarto Safari Park. This state of the art visitor facility coupled with other exciting developments will transform the Monarto Safari Park into a world class tourism experience bringing many thousands of first time visitors including international tourist to the Murraylands which will benefit the national, state and local economy,”

Neil Mossop, Managing Director of Mossop Construction + Interiors advised “Mossop are passionate about supporting South Australia. This project directly lifts the social, economic and environmental fabric of our state, the community and surrounding regions of Monarto and the Murraylands by providing direct employment and tourism driving local trade and businesses - we are proud to be a part of that.”

The state of the art Visitor Centre project received $11.25 million of funding from the Australian Government and $4.55 million from the State Government towards a total $16.8 million cost of building the new 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 which can already be seen.

The new Visitor Centre will support the growth of Monarto Safari Park and allow an estimated additional 55,000 people per annum to visit as well as expanding educational offerings for school-aged and Tertiary students within South Australia.

The completion of the Visitor Centre will be followed by the opening of the Wild Africa precinct including a 560-hectare safari experience and luxury hotel and glamping accommodation being built by private investor Gerry Ryan.

Images: Credit Geoff Brooks, Zoos SA