Critter-led recovery

By Tania Martin
A GEMBROOK couple is hoping to reinvigorate the town’s tourist trade as they get ready to open an animal sanctuary.
Andrew and Steph McKenzie moved to the area more than six months ago and started planning for the centre.
They wanted to create something similar to the popular Bimbimbie Wildlife Park which closed down in January 2008.
The McKenzies have been running a mobile reptile trailer for years which has even featured at the town’s market.
They are currently working to get all the enclosures on the 11-acre property finished so they can open by June.
“We had planned to open in January but we kept running out of money,” Ms McKenzie said.
The Animal Track Sanctuary will feature a reptile shed, wallaby enclosures, sugar gliders, quolls, a crocodile and even a few rabbits and chooks.
Ms McKenzie said after Bimbimbie closed down there was a huge need to find a way to attract visitors back to the region.
The couple now needs to get a licence before opening their doors.
Dandenong Ranges Tourism’s Michael Axel said the sanctuary was just what the area needed.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” he said.
“One of the things that is lacking in the area is places like this where you can see, learn and experience the local beasties.”
Mr Axel said the Dandenongs had a great range of birds, animals and wildlife.
“We have interesting things up here that you just don’t see in the suburbs,” he said.
“It’s a totally different experience to be able to see animals like the Powerful Owl in person, rather than getting the information from a book.”
Mr Axel said the sanctuary would be a great way to get people back to Gembrook.
“We get inquiries all the time from people wanting to see stuff like this (the sanctuary),” he said.
“People still remember the days of the Monbulk Animal Farm and Bimbimbie.”
Mr Axel said animal parks and sanctuaries were a great way to draw families to the hills for day trips.
“This will certainly help attract people to the area … people moving through other parts of the hills will include it on their itinerary,” he said.
Ms McKenzie said the sanctuary would also offer activities for children in the school holidays.
Visitors and local children can make the change to be a ‘zookeeper for a day’ learning how to look after the animals.
The McKenzies also plan to run courses for people studying animal husbandry.
Ms McKenzie said the main aim of the centre was to bring tourism back to the town.
She hopes to tie the sanctuary in with Puffing Billy and local eateries to provide visitors with a whole package.
“It will bring people back to Gembrook and it’s not just the businesses but the whole community that benefits from it,” Ms McKenzie said.
Jerry the lace monitor lizard, one of only two in Victoria, will be one of the main attractions.
The lizard believes it’s a dog.
“At night he likes to crawl into my lap while I’m watching television and goes to sleep, just like a dog would,” Ms McKenzie said.
The sanctuary in Gembrook-Tonimbuk Road is expected to open by June.