Australian Butterfly Sanctuary

The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, the biggest aviary in the southern hemisphere, is located just 27 km. west of Cairns. The 3666 m.³ aviary, which was established in 1987, is a home to more than 1500 beautiful local and international butterflies like the electric blue Ulysses butterfly and the Cairns or Australian Birdwing, which is the largest butterfly in Australia.

History

Paul Wright is the owner and the operator of this butterfly Eden. While he was still living in Malaysia, he was fascinated by the beauty and diversity of the tropical butterflies there. Knowing that a glimpse of these lovely creatures with their color, grace and beauty, warm the heart of any person, he envisioned of creating an environment where people can see and experience watching butterflies.

When he visited Kuranda, Australia in 1986, the owner became acquainted with the locals and was fascinated by the local butterflies. He then realized that North Queensland local butterflies are just as beautiful and diverse as those he had seen in Malaysia. This encouraged him to establish his own butterfly sanctuary.

The Aviary

The aviary and the landscape found within the area, took three years to design and build. During the aviary's opening in 1987, it was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest butterfly aviary in the world. Today, however, it holds the record as the biggest aviary in the southern hemisphere.

Being located just 27 Km west of Cairns, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is readily accessible for the people. Cairns is also full of rainforests that can provide an ideal environment for the butterflies. The sanctuary was designed to become self-sustainable for the butterflies, so only plants where caterpillars can feed and lay their eggs are abundant within the sanctuary's premises.

Since butterflies are rainforest species, the aviary's landscape was created to imitate the rainforest environment, with special attention given for the needs of the Ulyses butterfly. It is complete with a running stream, a waterfall and a rainforest under-storey and canopy. As such, the aviary is not only a paradise for butterflies, but is also a wonderful place for people to experience.

The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is open from 9:45 to 4:00 pm daily except during Christmas Day. Tours are available throughout the day, the first guided tour around the aviary starting at 10 am and the last tour leaving at 3:15 pm. Visitors over ten persons can also book for a group tour.

The guided tour, which lasts for 30 minutes, is presented in a friendly and informal way. Various facts and other interesting details about the butterfly's behavior, courtship displays and life cycle are discussed as the visitors explore the beautiful aviary and museum where different types of butterflies from all over the world are displayed. In addition, a free educational brochure is handed out to all visitors. The brochure is available in different languages such as French, English, German, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Hebrew, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, to suit the needs of many nationalities. So if you want to learn more about this lovely creature, visit the Australia Butterfly Sanctuary.