Visitors will soon get the chance to fly through the treetops at Kuitpo Forest, or to travel across the sea to spot rare seabirds and experience the state’s  most beautiful coastal regions and islands with a $2.5 million injection into South Australia’s nature-based tourism sector. 

The three new experiences will be made possible thanks to $1 million worth of grants from the state government’s Nature-Based Tourism Co-Investment Fund and should create more than 50 jobs across the state.

The innovative new tourism initiatives include a new boat tour of a unique part of Encounter Marine Park on the Fleurieu Peninsula; a new aerial adventure park to be built in Kuitpo Forest and two new nature-based commercial tour on Eyre Peninsula.

These projects have all demonstrated local conservation, community and economic benefits and as part of their development, operators will contribute to conservation programs such as restoring habitats, revegetation and rewilding projects.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs says the Nature-Based Tourism Co-Investment Fund is a key part of the state government’s Parks 2025 strategy and record funding for the environment.

“We are investing record amounts to revitalise our parks, improve conservation, boost nature-based tourism and create jobs across the state,” he says.

“I congratulate the three organisations we have invited to partner with us in leveraging our investment to drive the visitor economy further and faster. 

“All of these new nature-based tourism ventures offer visitors special experiences in these natural places that nurture and broaden their environmental and cultural understanding and importantly contribute towards conservation projects such as restoring habitat or revegetation.”

Big Duck Boat Tours has been granted $332,500 for total project cost of $700,000.

A multi-generational tourism operator on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the fund will ensure the operators can purchase a new boat.

They will set up a new tour that showcases the beautiful scenery and marine life found in the region between Wirrina Cove, Rapid Head, Cape Jervis and Victor Harbor in Encounter Marine Park.

TreeClimb SA, Australia’s first inner-city Aerial Adventure Park, will establish a new site at Kuitpo Forest with 12 tree climb courses.

The grant of $600,000 for a total project cost of $1.4 million will build a new site that includes more challenging courses with longer ziplines and higher platforms.

Innovations will include Australia’s first aerial net course, which will enable users with a disability to participate while accompanied by family or carers. 

Calypso Star Charters, a highly successful tourism operator running shark cage diving tours out of Port Lincoln, has been granted $181,442 grant for total project cost of $362,884.

Big Duck Boat Tours Managing Director Michael Veenstra says being a successful recipient of the fund would allow his business to set up new boat tours through the region’s most spectacular and ’Instagram-able’ coastline, from Wirrina Cove to Victor Harbor.

“It’s hugely exciting and will allow us to invest in a new specifically designed boat which will enable us to set up these new tours through Encounter Marine Park,” Mr Veenstra said.

“There’s a very high capital cost and outlay to invest in a new boat, which means it’s also a great risk to my business, so to be the successful recipient of a grant which can reduce this cost and risk is a huge bonus.

“It’ll not only allow us to showcase our very special part of the world to visitors from all across the globe. It will also allow us to grow our team of experienced skippers and guides from 15 permanent part-time, casual and full-time staff by an additional two Full Time Equivalent positions.”

Fund applicants can seek grants from $20,000 to $1 million and are expected to contribute at least half of the total financial costs of their project.

The fund will remain open until June 2022 or until the $5 million SA Government investment is exhausted.

Image by AaronHM from Pixabay