OPERATORS for Gunnedah's new koala park are in the final stages of choosing the location with the new base expected to be known in August.
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The NVI spoke to CaPTA Group's research and development manager Andrew Hearn, who said the group was "very eager to push the project forward as quick as practical". The company has been named as the park's operator.
Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey, the council's general manager Eric Groth, and director of corporate and community services, Colin Formann, have just returned from Cairns in Queensland to look at some of CaPTA Group's already existing nature parks.
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"Myself and a couple of the owners will return to Gunnedah and work with [council] at confirming a site for the park," Mr Hearn said.
"We're keeping an open mind for several sites at the moment and no final decision will be made until a return visit is complete."
"We took them for a tour of our various parks to show them what experiences we offer and for a tour of our tropical animal care centre," Mr Hearn said.
"Just like in Gunnedah, the discussions involved an animal care centre. We currently run one in tropical north Queensland that treats native wildlife."
The research and development manager said three-out-of-four parks that the group owned had koalas that they cared for every day, so it had the experience to treat the sick and injured critters at the new Gunnedah park.
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"We're going to ensure the koalas have the best care possible," Mr Hearn said.
"The CaPTA Group has a lot of in-house specialists. To supplement that we have a vet on contract that specialises with some of our key animals.
"We have experience in treating various forms of wildlife."
But he wasn't spoiling any detail of the plan, just yet.
"It's very early days. We're trying to keep an open mind to open to all the experiences that will be offered," Mr Hearn said.
While he couldn't give the NVI any clues of big ideas, Mr Hearn said he didn't believe the distance between Cairns and Gunnedah would affect the development process.
"There are a few kilometres but I wouldn't say that it's a distance that can't be overcome," he said.
"It's a half-day travel, telephones work well these days, and we see it as a chance of doing something special."
Gunnedah's koala activists are backing the project as it pushes ahead, and say the care facility was the most important part of the project.
WIRES' volunteer Martine Moran and Project Koala's chairperson Marie Low are both hoping the new park will help with "the survival of Gunnedah's koalas".
Mayor Jamie Chaffey told the NVI in April construction could start this year to meet the "high demand" for the facility.
The $6.48 million project is funded by the state government's Regional Communities Development Fund.