The Alice Springs Desert Park is celebrating its birthday with a free open day on Sunday April 9.

The world renowned attraction celebrated its 20 year anniversary in late March and has planned a day of festivities to mark the milestone.

ASDP Director Paul Ah Chee said the free open day is a way for the Park to say thank you to the community for their ongoing support.

“We have planned a fun and educational packed day of festivities, that highlight and celebrate everything the Alice Springs Desert Park has to offer and best of all it will be free entry all day,” said Mr Ah Chee.

“The Park’s attractions have wowed locals and visitors from all around the world for two decades by providing an immersive experience of the natural flora and fauna in Central Australia and we are excited to be able to celebrate this on Sunday.”

More than 1.4 million people had walked through the gates since the Park opened in 1997.

“There will be special keeper talks, flying bird shows, boomerang throwing, basket weaving, kids activity zone with face painting and nature activities, a photo display covering the 20 years, food stalls, cutting of the birthday cake and in the afternoon the courtyard will become a chill out zone with live music including entertainment from Ted Egan AO and Apakatja,” added Mr Ah Chee.

Gates open at 7.30am and entry is free until the Park closes at 6pm.

A snapshot of key milestones:

• Renowned naturalist and television personality David Attenborough visited the park when it opened in 1997 and is quoted as saying "There is no museum or wildlife park in the world that can match this."

• 1997 Differential GPS Mapping commissioned as a first for Botanical Collections in Australia

• 2000 Bushtucker garden installed

• 2004 Commenced agreement with Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre for the Participatory Domestication of the Bush Tomato (which is coming to a close this year)

• 2004 Commenced agreement with Millennium Seed Bank (Seed Banks still sits at the ASDP, 600 species, Germination Trials continue)

• 2008 Created a new habitat the Mulga Walk to hold the Nocturnal Tour which operates five nights a week

• 2011 Desert Park begins to go green with installation of a Solar system

• 2014 Developed and opened new Dingo Enclosure

• 2014 Installed New Emu enclosure and carpet python exhibit

• 2015/16 connected the Park with the Alice Springs community with development of  Shared Pedestrian Bike Path

• 2016 Successfully propagated and cultivated Pityrodia loricata, a near threatened plant species in the Northern Territory

Animal Breeding Milestones:

• This year Alice Springs Desert Park welcomed the 30th Bilby to be born at the Park and it is destined for release into a predator-proof area at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Mt Gibson property in Western Australia.
  

• In 2005, Alice Springs Desert Park bred Cinnamon Quail-thrush for the first time, with 25 chicks now bred at The Park. Some of these have gone to zoos in Sydney and Melbourne to help educate hundreds of thousands of visitors about the   wildlife of Central Australia.
  

• In August 2011, Alice Springs Desert Park became the first institution to breed Dusky Grasswrens. This species lives exclusively in the arid zone of Australia.
  
  
• Alice Springs Desert Park has pioneered the husbandry of a number of arid zone bird species never before kept in zoos including Redthroat and Grey-headed Honeyeater. Desert Park staff have studied biological information such as egg incubation time, fledging period and division of parental duties.

Follow the Alice Springs Desert Park on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceSpringsDesertPark/

And #desertpark20

For Media interviews please contact: Department of Tourism and Culture: Media Manager – 0476 844 832