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Monarto Safari Park

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Monarto Safari Park - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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• NEWS & INSIGHTS

• NEWS & INSIGHTS

MONARTO SAFARI PARK VISITOR CENTRE REACHES PRACTICAL COMPLETION

Intro are proud to announce the recent completion of the Monarto Safari Park Visitor Centre Project with client Zoos South Australia and contractor Mossop Construction. This world class facility is the gateway to the Monarto Safari Park, offering a revitalised entry experience to the world’s largest open range zoo and soon to be completed Wild Africa Tourism Accommodation.

The visitor centre, designed in conjunction with  Studio-Gram  – includes a café, retail shop, seminar facilities, exhibition areas, nature play spaces and associated car and bus parking to accommodate the 160,000 local, national, and international visitors annually.

The project started as a design competition in 2018 – the successful Intro / Studio-Gram team delivered a concept which was derived from two key influences: the first being a celebration of Ngarrindjeri land, with the second being a message of conservation and education about the protection of our endangered species.

The built form is subsequently divided into two distinct ‘curved ribbon’ elements. These converging elements represent the intertwining of Aboriginal and African Cultures and their inherent connection with their land, plants and animals. The construction of these elements is varied, one is heavy with the use of rammed earth walls, the other is light, using corten steel construction and cladding each providing a distinct identity. The iconic, yet implicit expression of the forms invite engagement, interpretation and discussion by visitors. The two forms wrap a central outdoor ‘heart’ space which provides a sheltered zone to watch zoos exhibitions, meet with friends and family, and to gather before venturing into the zoo.

An amphitheatre space and lookout to the south side of the building provides unobstructed views and the setting for performances, events, education, contemplation, and play.

Corten steel is featured prominently throughout the design, which will organically evolve its appearance over time forming a unique patina as it weathers. This intertwines with the soft textural qualities of the rammed earth walls, which both provide sustainability benefits, and a low maintenance, evolving aesthetic through time.

The projects simple material palette was designed to fit organically within its environment, resulting in an unobtrusive built form nestled within the landscape.

The Intro team would like to thank Zoos SA for providing us the opportunity to deliver this unique offering for visitors, volunteers and staff of the Monarto Zoo Safari Park.

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Stavros Zacharia Architect

Stavros has over 10 years experience in the architectural industry partaking in a diverse range of projects including multi-storey residential, hotel, mixed-use and civic facilities.

His experiences have provided him with a sound foundation in concept design, design development and contract administration phases with a keen focus on spatial design and detailing.

Stavros’ strengths include project design, visualisations, feasibility, documentation and project delivery through his lead role in BIM (Building Information Model).

M +61 450 901 011 [email protected]

Samuel Toole Senior Architect

A dynamic addition to Intro, Samuel is the pre-eminent youthful exuberant with a thirst for architecture. The craft of design, embodies Sam’s approach to work, with clients constantly requesting his presence across their projects. The immersion of the conceptual form drives Sam to create, foster and chauffeur an exemplary design outcome.

His consistent approach of thinking outside the box, paired with strong conceptual ideas and knowledge drive highly responsive, efficient and contemporary designs.

Samuel was also the proud recipient of the Philip Nayda Architecture Prize and Australia Institute of Architecture SA Chapter Architecture Prize for the highest quality project and overall academic performance in his 2017 graduating year at the University of Adelaide.

M +61 425 815 593 [email protected]

Jack Foster Graduate of Architecture

Jack brings diverse experience in various design disciplines to the team at Intro.

Since graduating with a Masters of Architecture at the University of Adelaide in 2017, Jack has explored his interests in multiple fields, working and completing projects in industrial design, furniture, sculpture, and graphic design.

Jack brings a strong understanding of 3D modeling, parametric and generative design. This, along with his broad scope of experience across multiple disciplines allows him to bring a unique skillset and perspective to a variety of different aspects of architectural projects.

Jack provides thoughtful conceptual design iteration and a creative approach to design resolution.

M +61 8 8410 0453 [email protected]

Mara Markoski Office Manager

Mara is Intro Architecture’s Office Manager. She is responsible for overseeing Finance, HR processes, WHS processes, and Quality Assurance programs/policies. Mara brings more than 15 years of experience in office management and administration. Overall Mara’s experience, attitude, and personality are great assets for Intro Architecture.

Mitchell Heynen Graduate of Architecture

Mitchell is an enthusiastic graduate and brings a lively presence to Intro. Having been immersed in the construction industry from a young age, Mitchell has a sharp architectural eye and is actively involved during the project realisation.

Although his career is only just beginning, he has a mature understanding and outlook on architecture. Look for his attentive engagement throughout your project from start to completion as he seeks to impress while he develops as a Graduate of Architecture.

M +61 431 242 803 [email protected]

Brendan Scarborough Associate

Brendan has successfully delivered a considerable number of projects across multiple industry sectors with core experience in sketch design, design development and contract administration.

Brendan has experience in a range of successful educational buildings, apartment complexes, defence projects, high rise office buildings and community centres with budgets ranging from $300K to $400M. Brendan has a strong focus on spatial design resolution and external appearance

M +61 409 093 175 [email protected]

Timothy Stead Associate

With over 8 years in the field of architecture, Timothy has a wide range of experience across many portfolios including residential, tertiary education, retail, commercial and health. Most recently he has played a key role within the hotel and residential portfolios as a project architect, contributing to the successful documentation of the University of Adelaide’s Braggs Building, 157 Waymouth Street Hotel, Addington Raceway Hotel and several affordable housing projects across New Zealand in conjunction with Housing New Zealand.

He has extensive experience in all phases of architectural services from early project feasibility through to design, documentation, tendering and contract administration. Timothy brings a high level of professional skill, with a strong focus on spatial design and attention to detail. Resulting in fully-resolved, thoughtful functionality and amenity in projects.

P +61 8 8410 0453 [email protected]

Damien Ellis Managing Director

Damien is an experienced development manager and town planner who uses his strong communication skills and grounding in land use planning, design management and economics to manage the delivery of highly complex projects.

Damien provides high level strategic and land use advice to a broad spectrum of clients, from both the public and private sector, and manages the delivery of quality and valued projects. His experience in managing complex, multi-disciplinary project teams has enabled him to deliver large scale, high profile developments in a timely and effective fashion.

His breadth of project experience has forged strong personal relationships with high calibre local, national and international repeat clients, who frequently call on his expertise to optimise development projects from the outset.

M +61 402 359 653 [email protected]

Linda Sawers General Manager

Linda is Intro’s General Manager with over 20 years of experience working with small and medium businesses across Europe and Australia. Her background in human recourses management and organisational development has seen her provide critical strategic advice and direction for businesses across a broad spectrum of disciplines including multi-disciplinary urban consulting firms, construction and trades, ICT and recruitment companies.

Linda brings to Intro her commitment to integrity paired with a solution-focused, efficient and collaborative approach. She effectively supports and steers our team to provide exceptional service and outcomes to Intro’s broad-range of Clients. Linda takes care of business.

Anthony Gatti Senior Planning Advisor

Anthony is an Urban and Regional Planner with diverse experiences in the planning arena. Anthony’s project experience relates to strategic planning, statutory planning and planning policy, while also expanding his knowledge base in Urban Design Frameworks, Structure planning and Master planning.

Anthony is a skilled mediator in the community and stakeholder engagement process, having utilised this expertise in a range of forums. Anthony is also experienced in strategic site selection for various land use types and clients.

Anthony is confident and an enthusiastic learner, and seeks to expand his knowledge on all planning matters at every opportunity.

M +61 402 424 403 [email protected]

Terry Boxall Director

Terry has been involved in a number of projects across multiple industry sectors with core experience in sketch design, design development and contract administration.

Terry’s experience in civic facilities, retail centres and multi-storey residential projects have resulted in a strong focus on spatial design resolution. Terry’s skill in 3D design aids in his ability to convey information quickly and precisely to clients and colleagues.

Terry’s other fields of experience include defence, commercial, aged care and master planning.

M +61 407 798 475 [email protected]

Luci Ward Planning Advisor

Luci is an Urban and Regional Planner with a number of years of experience within large infrastructure companies and multi-disciplinary consulting firms. She thrives on collaboration with other disciplines to inform and enable rigorous and elegant solutions that contribute to healthy, inclusive and inspiring environments. Luci brings her experience in master planning, development assessment, community engagement and stakeholder management for complex development projects. Luci’s well-rounded communication, facilitation skills and understanding of a broad range of social, technical and environmental issues have seen her successfully navigate numerous and varied projects through the Development Approval process.

Her experiences include major linear infrastructure upgrades, the establishment of university facilities, aged care centres, medical centres and residential subdivisions as well as high-rise mixed-use developments. Luci thrives on the challenges presented within sensitive heritage, environmental and social contexts. The overlap of urban planning with her skills and experience in landscape design, horticulture and ecotourism bring a unique skill-set and knowledge to projects.

M +61 406 603 123 [email protected]

Monarto Safari Park

Review Highlights

“ Monarto zoo is the largest open range zoo in the world and the enclosures are more like open fields - like seeing them in the wild. ” in 6 reviews

“ It was amazing though, especially seeing herds of Giraffes , something that you don't get to experience in your standard city zoo. ” in 7 reviews

“ It was a bit confusing how to start the day, so, I would recommend taking the bus for orientation reasons. ” in 6 reviews

Location & Hours

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3401 Old Princes Hwy

Monarto South Australia 5254

Amenities and More

About the business.

Monarto Zoo is one of the largest open-range zoos in the world spanning more than 1,000 hectares of fauna and flora and the only zoological park to be completely power neutral. Opened to the public in 1993, Monarto Zoo represents a unique blend of a conservation and zoological park. Its principle purpose is to provide a place for the conservation of Australian and exotic wildlife, public recreation and education. Monarto Zoo is located 45 minutes (70 kilometres) from South Australia's capital city, Adelaide, and is the gateway to the picturesque Murraylands region. The zoo is open every day of the year from 9:30am to 5:00pm and focuses on African and Australian animals. The zoology and botany of these continents is reflected in the zoo's major exhibits; Chimpanzee, Cheetah, African Painted Dog and Lion viewing platforms, Southern White Rhinoceros Boma viewing area, African Waterhole viewing platform and Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby walk-through exhibit. …

Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

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Overall rating

This was my first time at Monarto and it's impossible to choose a favorite exhibit. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly and we had a great cappuccino in the morning with our breakfast sandwiches, and refreshing lemonade and cold beer in the afternoon with delicious chips. It was a bit confusing how to start the day, so, I would recommend taking the bus for orientation reasons. But my next visit will be walking most of the park because I love to hike through the aromatic eucalyptus. Go on a cool day if that's your plan. If you're walking, you won't always make it to the feeding times, which I highly recommend.

See all photos from Judi M. for Monarto Safari Park

Apparently this is the biggest zoo in Australia, and the main reason for this was because the land where it is located was originally set aside for a massive housing development that never actually eventuated. Yeah, this place is pretty big. In fact it is so big you pretty much need busses to get around to see the best parts of the park. It was amazing though, especially seeing herds of Giraffes, something that you don't get to experience in your standard city zoo. Oh, and they also have cheetahs, which is pretty cool as well. Mind you, it is pretty far out from the city, so it can be a bit tricky to get to (though I believe there are tours).

See all photos from David S. for Monarto Safari Park

Zoos often make me sad because of the enclosures and sad faces on the animals. Monarto zoo is the largest open range zoo in the world and the enclosures are more like open fields - like seeing them in the wild. The viewing platforms and fences are cleverly and thoughtfully designed and executed to blend in - it seems that no expense was spared to keep these animals in the most natural habitat possible whilst delivering great viewing for us too. It was nice to see so many pregnant animals and young animals which is proof of happy animals. I was fortunate to get to see some of the animals quite close from the bus but I will be back when I have time to walk/ride the paths to really take it all in. Our volunteer tour guide was fantastic and had a pleasant manner and was knowledgable. Everything was also nice and green after the rain so cold July worked out to be a nice time of year to go - plus I can imagine many animals would hide away in the summer heat! The cafe is great for a quick meal with the family. The prices are on the high side for cafes but I don't mind that knowing that it helps keep the zoo running. I think this place should be called a conservation park rather than a zoo!

Monarto Zoo is an amazing place that continues to evolve and grow from its ambitious original vision. Loved patting the white rhinos and feeding the giraffes - the wallabies were also a highlight. The keepers are committed, approachable and knowledgeable. Didn't love the surly approach of the cafe staff so much - smiles are free and make a huge difference - even if you think you have a captive audience. We were here for work so didn't see all of the animals, but will definitely be back to explore more in the future.

I have mixed feelings towards zoos normally. I love that they are trying to preserve species of animals and that they are focused on conservation. I also love seeing the cute little animals. However I feel torn because the animals don't have heaps of space to move around, so I feel bad when I'm looking at a lion that doesn't have enough room to run. No such problem at Monarto Zoo! The zoo is open-range, in fact Monarto Zoo is the largest open range zoo in the Southern Hemisphere, pretty cool right?! The animals have (literally) acres of space and you get to see them in as close to their natural habitat as possible. you jump onto a bus and get driven through all the different areas while a tour guide up the front teaches you all about the animals, it's actually pretty interesting stuff. The bus gets you super close to the animals and there's also drop-off points when you can get out and walk to viewing platforms. It takes a whole day to see Monarto Zoo, but it's worth it!

When you're broke, extremely busy and don't own a car, it can be pretty difficult doing anything other than riding your bike back and forth between home and uni everyday. Home, uni, home, uni, home, uni. 'First-world problems', as they say on the twitters. So anyway, recently my housemate got a car. And we all decided to go to Monarto Zoo for an 'adventure'. I was suspicious, zoos are often a let-down. Monarto Zoo was not a let-down. Monarto Zoo was fun. Top Tips: 1) The weather is hotter out here. Bring a hat and lots of water. Preferably your hat should be some kind of ironic safari-style hat. It's dusty, don't wear sandals. 2) The animals are mostly out in the open-range. Which means you might not get as close up, but they have much more space, so they can do all their normal animal things and be happy. 3) Don't miss out on the giraffes. Really elegant in a sort of lanky, awkward way. I can relate. 4) The shuttle buses go around the zoo all day. Don't miss the last one back to home base. Mix it up a little by walking between some pitstops. If you get bored walking for thirty minutes, sing annoying ditties to amuse your companions. 5) When you're on the lion bus, don't tap the windows. The tour-guide in this section - who is more lioness than the lions themselves - DOES NOT LIKE IT. 6) Plan your day around one or two of the special feeding sessions - you'll get an up close experience. I recommend the cheetahs. 7) Look out for the frozen coke machine in the kiosk. This will save your life with vital liquids and blood sugars. That said, go with the smaller size, that much glucose just can't be good for you.

Great zoo to visit with the family and gives a great picture of the African wildlife. Would recommend for all ages as you can get around very easy with buses every 20 minutes or so.

Cheetahs running

I went to Monarto as a kid and only remember snippets of it - occasional animals, dusty dead grass, hot rattly buses. Honestly, nothing seems to have changed. I went today with my family, and was slightly disappointed. The tour guides were very old (no offence), talked quietly, the buses were stifling with no air con and the park seemed a little run down and uninteresting. We also found it very hard to organize to see everything because you need to take buses to get everywhere and they only loop 1 way. We spent 4 hours in the park, and only managed to see one animal feeding, get the bus a few times round and est lunch quickly in between. The animals were ok, some rhinos, giraffes, deers/antelope, lions, cheetahs etc. But they were mostly resting in shady trees or far away from the bus, some were even in an enclosure in an enclosure! It was ok for a once off, but it costed $30 each and I really expected a bit more.

I love zoos and I have been to at least 30 different zoos all around the world - many numerous times. I think that Monarto Zoo is almost the best in the world! It is absolutely magnificent! I had been twice before and loved it both times, but since I hadnt been for about 5 years I held off writing a yelp review about it until now after visiting again today! As a member of Zoos Victoria (which covers Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary) you get in free to government run zoos in other Australian states - so in South Australia, this means Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Zoo. So we got in free and then drove to the car park and entry point (you pay about 2.5 kilometres earlier at the main gate). At the visitor centre, there is the gift shop and cafe and all that sort of stuff as well as a lot of very interesting touch tables - with animal skins, bones, antlers etc on them - this is a great interactive experience for the kids. There is even a whole giraffe skeleton - in a pit about a metre deep looking over the room! To get around the zoo, you take a shuttle bus which has about 4 pickup/dropoff points - so you go around on the bus and get off where you like - most of the enclosures for the larger animals are seen best from this bus, however many of them can also be seen on foot - whereby you can walk around the zoo also. In my opinion, you have 2 ways of going about this: 1. Do the whole circuit on the bus first and then go around on foot to what most interests you (or do the circuit again on the bus and get off at those places). OR 2. Get off at every stop and just get back on again after seeing the specific things at the pickup/dropoff points. Quite a few of the animals can not be seen best from the bus - including the chimpanzees, Tasmanian devils and rock wallabies. So make a point of getting off the bus to see these. The other 2 exhibits which you should see on foot are the White Rhinos (they have 8 or 9 of them including a little baby) and the African Waterhole (which has giraffes, zebra, ostrich and eland antelope all together). These 2 are great on foot as they have excellent viewing areas. Of the animals in general, there are giraffes, white rhino, black rhino, zebra, ostrich, meerkat, chimpanzees and various antelope species representing Africa. Asia is represented by Indian antelope, spotted deer and others. There are also North Ameican bison, a few Australian animals and a large carnivore section with lions, cheetahs, African painted dogs (known as Cape Hunting Dogs to us old school folk), and hyenas. What is nice is that the shuttle bus actually drives through the carnivores enclosures! The enclosures for the animals are absolutely huge, and actually look like their natural habitats! Effort has been put in to this side of things! The animals also appear to be very happy - evidence of which is that they are breeding! During todays trip, I saw 5 baby cheetahs, 2 lion cubs, a baby white rhino, a baby chimp and a baby zebra. Its not often that you see that many baby animals in a zoo! Id also recommend going to this zoo in winter as the grass is green and lush and the place looks very pretty. Ive been in summer previously and it was much much drier. Some other advice: arrive as early as possible - this place is huge and while 3 or 5 hours is enough to see it, it doesnt really do it justice! Id also plan the day around the feeding times and keeper talks - they are very informative and while I didnt do any this time (which I regret slightly) I actually got to pat one of the white rhinos last time (something they do occassionally depending on which rhino is in the paddock and only if the group of people is small enough - so dont count on this). I could rave on even more about this place, but I wont - all I can say is that if you live in Adelaide, make sure you get down to Monarto and if you are visiting, then this is a huge drawcard for an Adelaide trip!

When I first went to Monarto I was just a twinkle in my mother's eye. Well maybe not, but I was young and so was the zoo. We hopped on our school excursion bus and taken through the park and shown where the giraffes were eventually going to be kept, and the rhinos, and elephants and pretty much ended up seeing some donkeys and zebras at the time. Last year I unwillingly returned on a Mother In Law's "Day Excursion" and was pleasantly surprised! Did you know Monarto is one of the largest open plain zoos in the world? Spanning 1,000 hectares they have built up the entire area since opening in 1983 to include natural flora and fauna. With a huge focus on breeding and conservation programs, the Monarto Zoo is worth the trek to now see the cheetahs, african dogs, giraffes, white rhinos, baby lion cubs, ostriches and yellow footed rock wallaby. And don't worry, you will actually get to see them from viewing platforms as the zoo is flourishing! You can walk the tracks but it is definitely worth catching the Zu-Loop to make sure you get around to see everything. The bus also times this with zookeeper talks as well which is a bonus. At $32 per adult it isn't a cheap day out but you could also make use of their Two Zoos Pass and pay only $47 per adult to see both zoos within 3 months of each other. Bonus!

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Monarto Safari Park Officially Open New Visitor Center

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: March 25, 2022 2:32 pm

A view over the new visitor center and the surrounding landscape at Monarto Safari Park

Photo Credit: Zoos SA

Monarto Safari Park have opened the doors to their new visitor center for the general public after two days of member previews. The center officially opened with a Welcome to Country and Healing Ceremony by Uncle Moogy and a speech by Elaine Bensted, CE of Zoos SA.

The visitor center has been under construction since early 2021 with building by Mossop Construction + Interiors with lead architect Intro and design architect studio-gram. 

“This is a very exciting moment in the history of Monarto Safari Park. Since Monarto Safari Park first opened its doors to the public in the early 1990s it has been hugely popular. We had to move with the times to accommodate more visitors and also elevate the entire visitor experience," Elaine Bensted, CE of Zoos SA, said.

“As caring humans, the desire to see and connect with animals is huge. The appeal of visiting Monarto Safari Park is only bolstered by the knowledge that by coming, taking part in experiences, buying items in our store and a drink and bite in the cafe helps us to continue our conservation work here in South Australia and also around the country and the world.

“The new Visitor Centre is large enough to welcome an additional 55,000 visitors who will then go on to hopefully explore the rest of the region. And while that might sound like a lot of people as we come out of COVID, the space we have is so large that it won’t feel packed at all.  

“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. Phases two and three will see the completion of a luxury hotel by private developer Gerry Ryan and the Wild Africa safari expected to finish late 2022 - early 2023 - an experience that will see guests driving through vast areas with animals such as Cheetah and giraffe and waterholes bobbing with Nile Hippopotamus and thriving birdlife. 

“The Visitor Centre is surrounded as far as the eye can see by the Monarto Plains. When our members and visitors come here to see the animals I think they’ll experience a whole lot more that they might not expect - space, serenity, exploration and, of course, the wild!” finished Elaine. 

Funding for the new center was provided by a number of entities with $11.25m of funding from the Australian Government under the Community Development Grants Programme and $4.55m from the Government of South Australia 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.

It will create and additional 89 ongoing positions for the region.

Learn more about Monarto Safari Park on their website – Monarto Safari Park

A view over the new visitor entrance at Monarto Safari Park

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