Boutique resort with crocodile views among Top End tourism grant recipients
Giles, Adam
Country Liberals
Media Releases for 12th Assembly 2012 - 2016; Media Releases; ParliamentNT
2016-01-31
Made available by via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT)
English
Tourism; Crocodiles; Hotels
Northern Territory Government
application/pdf
Issued as a Media Release
Northern Territory Government
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/259618
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/494719
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/494720; https://hdl.handle.net/10070/494722
Outback Floatplane Adventures Ultimate Outback Tour has proven extremely successful and the new resort will help them diversify and grow their business, providing high-end destination accommodation showcasing the beautiful Finniss River region, he said. Site preparation is underway now ahead of construction in 2016/17. Twelve units will be built using materials native to the area with the accommodation to be elevated on stilts and situated along a moat dug out in the shape of Australia. The units will include a kitchenette, a bathroom, a king size bed, air conditioning and modern furnishings and fittings. Outback Floatplane Adventures also propose including durable, transparent bathroom walls that will reveal each units very own 15-foot crocodile in a secure fenced area that ensures there is no interaction between the guests and the crocodile. Mr Giles said the Northern Territory Government was also supporting tourism businesses operating in the Mary River region. With the help of a $75,000 Northern Territory Governments tourism grant, Wildlands Wetlands Safaris will build a permanent pontoon in Corroboree Billabong which will be a unique location to provide food and drink, to entertain and to host functions, he said. The Government will also provide a $54,000 grant to the Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge to upgrade the entrance and road way from Point Stuart Road to Lodge, improving visitor access, particularly in the wet season. The flow on effects will be significant as Point Stuart is an ideal base from which to explore Shady Camp Reserve, Mary River National Park, and Kakadu National Park, while coaches use the roads to access other facilities and services in the area. The funding we have announced today will also increase the accommodation options for visitors to this region with Lords Safaris to upgrade four of the tents at their camp and their main eating tent in Kakadu National Park, while the Mary River Wilderness Retreat will purchase and install safari-style eco tents with frontage on the Mary River. Mr Giles said Crocodylus Park would receive a tourism infrastructure grant towards building an exotic animal enclosure and an escarpment waterfall feature. Large cats are the most popular exhibits within zoos around the world, except for crocodiles in the Top End, he said. The new tourism product will extend the amount of time visitors spend in the park and add diversity for visitors that are in Darwin for a short period, such as cruise ship tourists and airport transit passengers. It will also provide ongoing employment and training opportunities, with the owners contributing $100,000 to the development on top of the Government grant.