DReamworld offers bilby education program

One of the biggest tourism players in Australia has sharpened its pencil on the issue of conservation and today launched a hands-on education program aimed at raising awareness about one of Australia’s most endangered animals, the bilby.

With a reported 600 of the tiny creatures remaining in the wild in Queensland, Dreamworld has teamed up with the Bilby Brothers, Frank Manthey and Peter McRae, to create a one hour on-site education program designed to encourage students from grades four to seven to help save the embattled marsupial. Dreamworld hopes to attract at least 1000 students to the program in the first year of operation. 

With more than 1.5 million visitors passing through the Dreamworld gates annually, including 60,000 school students on excursion, the program aims to take the conservation issue off the whiteboard and into an environment where both guests and children are relaxed and receptive to learning.

The bilby education program takes students on a journey through the changing world of the bilby beginning with an overview of the current situation and ending with simple tactics for action.

Students visit three stations: Dreamworld’s specially-built bilby enclosure and breeding centre; a food web activity that highlights the dramatic and devastating effect introduced species such as foxes and cats have on the bilbies’ natural environment; and a billboard of the two metre high 25 km2 fence that has been built at Currawinya National Park. The fence provides a safe haven for captive-bred bilbies – including those from Dreamworld - to be released into the wild.
Students end their journey with the opportunity to see and touch a real Bilby.

Mrs Hilary Cozier, Dreamworld’s Education Manager says, “this program uses a real conservation issue to push the awareness of a relatively gloomy environmental situation. Not many kids can get out to Currawinya National Park to see conservation in action, so this course is designed to bring it to them.”

Following the program, students are offered the chance to tour through other endangered species located at Dreamworld including the Tasmanian Devil, the Cassowary and the exotic Sumatran Tiger.

Bookings are essential and can be made by calling 07 5588 1184 or emailing: education@dreamworld.com.au.