JURASSICA is a nature-based theme park designed to showcase a large living collection of the world’s most natural ecosystems of animals, plants and their habitats. While existing ‘green spaces’ such as parks, botanic gardens and zoos already provide some respite from the urban environment, these spaces remain quintessentially manmade. Our vision is for JURASSICA to faithfully recreate nature and i
ts raw beauty. JURASSICA will entertain, educate and promote conservation. The JURASSICA name was chosen for the project as the Jurassic era is a familiar time to almost all people, particularly the younger generation. This huge public profile has massive potential to gain a much larger audience and stir an interest in nature and conservation than has traditionally been achieved by places such as zoos and botanic gardens. The Jurassic theme also has the capacity to capture the imagination of a much younger age group and plant a seed of appreciation in nature and encourage environmental participation. The JURASSICA Project is a venture than can be established at any suitable site from compact to expansive locations. Spectacular botanical collections of primitive plant species, aquatic and terrestrial animal exhibits will dominate the presentations. Far North Queensland is a natural choice of location for the first JURASSICA Project. The Cairns region has land resources close to the city and its services, the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest destinations and is affordable by normal standards for a significant nature park venture. High volume tourist movements and visitations, linked with the increasing development of the international inbound tourist market and Australia’s largest regional international airport will bring a new wave of tourist interest to existing and proposed hotel developments in Far North Queensland. Unlike many larger cities, Cairns has a large reserve of saleable land located in its hinterland that is close to the airport.
