Maru Koala and Animal Park in Grantville is set to benefit from a Federal tourism grant of $74,591 to create a dinosaur-themed children’s playroom.
The playroom will overlook the kangaroo paddock and will contain interactive displays where visitors can learn about the dinosaur dreaming fossil dig site that extends along the Bunurong Coast.
Maru Koala and Animal Park is a terrific educational centre where visitors can get up close to nature. They can pat a koala, hand-feed kangaroos or hold a python.
The popular tourism park attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year and the team does an excellent job at educating people about some of our native Australian species.
It has been a family business for more than 30 years and is a valuable part of the community. Husband and wife team Ian and Neroli Heffer are passionate about local tourism and drawing visitors to this beautiful part of Victoria.
Mrs Heffer said she hoped the extension would encourage visitors to extend their stay in the region.
“We wanted to create something that would highlight the whole region and would educate children and adults about the local history,” she said.
The grant is part of the T‑QUAL (Tourism Quality Projects) Program, which is designed to improve the quality of the
visitor experience in Australia.
These grants will provide stability to a number of tourism operators, enabling them to refurbish, update or expand their
facilities.
The grants are part of the Coalition Government’s commitment to support the tourism sector, which is one of our major economic industries.
About 88 tourism businesses across Australia will share in grants worth approximately $8.5 million.
To view the media release on the tourism funding for Maru Koala and Animal Park click here.