Monarto Safari Park Visitor Centre

The design and construction of the Monarto Safari Park Visitor Centre (MSPVC) - Gateway Project was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Mossop to work with Zoos SA and the project team to create a World Class destination in South Australia that connects people with Wildlife, a facility that supports and protects the World’s finite species from extinction.

Our team and our trades shared the overall vision for the project and developed an understanding from the outset of the importance that this project, beyond its built form and the role the new Visitor Centre would play in creating an understanding that conservation starts with people developing an appreciation of nature.

The MSPVC is the first stage of the Safari Park's major redevelopment and will be yet another drawcard for the Park which attracts around 160,000 local, national and international visitors in a normal year. The new Visitor Centre supports the overall growth of Monarto Safari Park and allows for an estimated increase of 55,000 additional visitors per annum, with over 900 car parking, including RV spaces, along with the creation of over 130+ jobs throughout its construction.

The new state-of-the-art Visitor Centre project received $11.25m of funding from the Australian Government and $4.55m from the State Government towards a total $16.8m cost of building the new Visitor Centre. The Rural City of Murray Bridge contributing to the project through the construction of a new slip lane entry from Monarto Road.

Designed by Intro Architecture Pty Ltd and Studio-gram, the building is a celebration and acknowledgement of both Indigenous land and African fauna and reflects the species that are cared for at Monarto Safari Park.

The project involved complex site and civil works, along with upgrading of main essential services. The expressive architectural design and complex curved structural engineering and services engineering systems required a collaborative approach between the architects, engineers and the extended project team to achieve the dramatic results for the new MSPVC project.

The MSPVC provides multiple functions and world class facilities for staff and volunteer operations, exhibition and lookout spaces, meeting and function spaces, retail and cafe area with a commercial kitchen, ticketing/Information areas, a natures play area, extensive amenities, along with shared, common areas for community and recreational activities along with back-of-house infrastructure.