Gorge Wildlife Park

What Gorge Wildlife Park does

Gorge Wildlife Park is a privately held, family-operated zoological attraction located on a 14-acre site in Cudlee Creek, South Australia, approximately 25km from Adelaide CBD. Founded in 1965 and continuously run by the same family, the park holds one of Australia's largest privately owned collections of native and exotic animals, birds, and reptiles, including over 150 bird species and rare holdings such as ghost bats, bilbies, and albino kangaroos. It is ZAA-accredited and operates daily from 9am to 4:30pm, closing only on Christmas Day and Catastrophic Fire Warning days.

The business sells a tiered set of experiences: general admission (adult $26, concession $23, child $15, family pass $72), paid animal encounters (koala holding, meerkat, ring-tailed lemur, reptile, capybara, and quokka encounters, each priced individually), a subscription annual membership ("Friends of the Gorge") providing unlimited entry and discounts, on-site retail and food-and-beverage, and curriculum-aligned school visit programs priced at $12-$15 per student. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the park's website (bookings via Rezdy), walk-up gate sales, the Join It membership platform, and partnership with the LinkSA public bus network.

The go-to-market is regionally focused on the Adelaide Hills catchment with digital marketing through Instagram and Facebook and earned media through conservation partnerships such as Rainforest Rescue's Save the Cassowary campaign. Revenue is generated entirely from a single physical site, with multiple recurring and transactional streams layered on top of core admission.

Name

Gorge Wildlife Park

Legal name

Gorge Wildlife Park

Website

https://gorgewildlifepark.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gorge Wildlife Park is a family-owned wildlife park in Cudlee Creek, South Australia, selling general admission, paid animal encounters, annual memberships, school programs, and on-site retail and food to families, tourists, and school groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Park and Zoo Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAAAG), Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums) (THAAAFAG), Wildlife Sanctuaries & Rescue Centers (Visitor Operations) (THAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Wildlife park admission
• Animal encounter experiences
• Zoo educational programs
• Annual membership programs
• Wildlife conservation tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Cudlee Creek

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: One-time admission fees charged to visitors for park entry. Pricing tiers include adults, students/concession, children, and family packages.
2. Animal Encounters: Paid experiences including koala holding sessions ($20 per person), meerkat encounters, ring-tailed lemur encounters, reptile experiences, capybara encounters, and quokka encounters. These are add-on paid experiences beyond general admission.
3. Annual Membership (Friends of the Gorge): Annual membership program offering unlimited entry for 12 months, 10% discount on encounters and gift shop purchases, and free koala holding. Provides recurring revenue from repeat visitors.
4. Retail (Souvenir Shop): On-site gift shop selling souvenirs including novelty items, cards, t-shirts, soft toys, and upscale items. Offers 10% discount to members.
5. Food and Beverage (The Kiosk): On-site kiosk selling fresh take-away food (pies, pasties, hot-dogs, chips, sandwiches), hot and cold drinks, ice-creams, confectionery, and animal feed pellets for visitor use.
6. School Visits/Educational Programs: Structured educational experiences for school groups with two pricing options: self-guided visits at $12 per student or structured keeper sessions at $15 per student (minimum 15 students).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gorge Wildlife Park operates a 14-acre family-owned wildlife park in Cudlee Creek, South Australia, founded in 1965, offering general admission and paid animal encounters (koala holding, meerkats, ring-tailed lemurs, reptiles, capybaras, quokkas) with one of the largest privately owned collections of Australian and exotic animals, birds, and reptiles in Australia. Revenue is generated through entry tickets, encounter add-ons, school educational programs, an annual membership program (Friends of the Gorge), and on-site retail including a souvenir shop and food kiosk.

Product overview

Gorge Wildlife Park is a privately-owned wildlife attraction operating as a single unified experience rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is general park admission, which provides access to the 14-acre property featuring one of Australia's largest private collections of Australian and exotic animals, birds, and reptiles. Visitors can purchase animal food to feed kangaroos and wallabies. The park offers various paid animal encounter add-ons including Koala Holding (public and private sessions), Meerkat Encounter, Ring-Tailed Lemur Encounter, Reptile Encounter, Capybara Encounter, and Quokka Encounter. Additional services include a Kiosk serving food and beverages, a Souvenir Shop, and free undercover BBQ and picnic areas. Educational offerings include two School Visit options with keeper-led sessions. The Friends of the Gorge annual membership provides unlimited entry with encounter discounts. All offerings are sold separately and do not interlock as a modular platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission Day entry tickets to explore the 14-acre wildlife park featuring Australian and exotic animals, birds, and reptiles. Pricing tiers include adults ($26), students/concession ($23), children ($15), and family passes ($72 for 2 adults and 2 children).
• Koala Holding (Public Session) Public koala holding experience offered daily at 11:30am and 2:30pm, allowing visitors to hold or pat koalas and take photographs at $20 per person. Minimum height 130cm required and limited tickets per session.
• Koala Encounter (Private Session)
• Meerkat Encounter
• Ring-Tailed Lemur Encounter
• Reptile Encounter
• Capybara Encounter
• Quokka Encounter
• School Visit Option 1 (Self-Guided)
• School Visit Option 2 (Keeper Session)
• Friends of the Gorge Annual Membership
• Kiosk and Food Services
• Souvenir Shop
• Gift Cards
• Animal Food Sales

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rainforest Rescue (Save the Cassowary Campaign)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGorge Wildlife Park is a Campaign Partner of the Rainforest Rescue Save the Cassowary campaign, which highlights the plight of the endangered Southern Cassowary. The park participates in this conservation initiative in collaboration with Zoo Aquarium Association partner zoos, government departments, local councils, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation and business partners. Current estimates indicate fewer than 1,000 birds remain in the Australian wild.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Healesville Sanctuary: Zoos Victoria-operated wildlife sanctuary in Victoria focused on Australian native animals with keeper presentations and conservation programs. Comparable in wildlife education and Australian species focus but as part of larger Zoos Victoria network.
• Adelaide Zoo: Major metropolitan zoo operated by Zoos South Australia in Adelaide, offering extensive animal collection and keeper experiences. Overlaps with Gorge Wildlife Park on South Australian visitor market and ZAA-accredited wildlife experiences but at significantly larger scale.
• Australia Zoo: Major privately-owned wildlife park in Queensland operated by the Irwin family. Comparable in being family-owned and featuring Australian wildlife with interactive encounters, but operates at vastly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Taronga Zoo Sydney: Iconic large-scale Australian zoo operated by Taronga Conservation Society. Competes in the broader Australian wildlife tourism category with extensive animal collection, though at much larger scale and institutional backing than Gorge Wildlife Park.
• Monarto Safari Park: Large open-range safari park operated by Zoos South Australia near Adelaide. Competes for the same South Australian wildlife tourism market as Gorge Wildlife Park but offers a fundamentally different large-scale safari experience.

Direct peers

• Symbio Wildlife Park: Privately-owned wildlife park south of Sydney offering close-up encounters with Australian and exotic animals, koala holding, and family educational experiences. Directly comparable private wildlife park with similar encounter and educational product mix.
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary: World's oldest and largest koala sanctuary in Queensland offering koala holding experiences and Australian wildlife encounters. Closest comparable peer in product mix (koala holding, native animal encounters, school programs) though operating in different geography.
• Cleland Wildlife Park: Government-operated open-range wildlife park in the Adelaide Hills offering close-up encounters with Australian native animals including koala holding. Directly comparable to Gorge Wildlife Park in geography, target market, and product offering.
• Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: Long-established (1947) wildlife sanctuary on the Gold Coast offering Australian wildlife encounters including koala holding and lorikeet feeding. Comparable heritage private wildlife park with similar encounter and educational offerings.
• Australian Reptile Park: Privately-owned wildlife park in NSW featuring Australian reptiles, spiders, and native animals with hands-on encounters and keeper presentations. Comparable in private ownership structure, encounter-based revenue model, and family-friendly positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gorgewildlifepark
• Instagraminstagram.com/gorgewildlifepark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gorge-wildlife-park

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gorge Wildlife Park