TreeClimb plans third aerial adventure course despite serious trunk fall
TreeClimb’s owners say they are planning a third aerial adventure site in SA, just a week after a large falling tree caused the temporary closure of a children’s course.
SA News
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TreeClimb is planning a third aerial adventure park – this time in the northern suburbs – as it deals with the aftermath of a large gum snapping and falling last weekend.
The company expects the children’s course at its city park to reopen this week, after the trunk last Sunday snapped close to children.
But owner Seb Packer said despite the incident, the company was confident it already had the best measures in place to reduce risk at its parklands site on the corner of Greenhill and Unley roads.
He said the company’s safety procedures, including daily, weekly and quarterly checks, were “industry-leading” and last Sunday’s incident was “completely unforeseen”.
“What it showed with the tree that fell – the internal decay – there was no way that could be seen with an external review,” he said.
“We were just so blessed that no-one was injured and that the safety lines that we use (that stopped the trunk falling to the ground) did their job.
“The staff were amazing … and since then our customers have been so supportive and our numbers have still been good.”
Mr Packer said the company was “extremely excited” about a third course it hoped to build at a northern suburbs location, with an announcement on that site to be made soon.
The northern TreeClimb destination is expected to open in 2023.
That’s on top of another aerial adventure park the company has planned in Kuitpo Forest next to Forestry SA’s Chookarloo Campground.
“We’re really comfortable with the business and the safety model we have,” Mr Packer said.
“The intricacies of the (northern suburbs) course design will take shape later this year.
“We want to keep evolving it – Kuitpo is evolution two, the northern suburbs site is evolution three and we want to keep making it challenging for visitors.
“We have to put our head down and bum up and get on with it.”
Work at the Kuitpo site is expected to begin in July, with visitors welcomed from November.
The Kuitpo and northern suburbs TreeClimb parks will each employ four or five full-time staff and about 45 casuals.
Kuitpo will have longer and higher ziplines and Adelaide’s first suspended net course, which Mr Packer described as “interconnected rooms of nets that are elevated in the trees”.
“People will be able to come out for half a day and really experience the park and the wineries of the region,” he said.
The Kuitpo and northern suburbs sites will each cost about $1.5m to build.
TreeClimb’s city-based adults course is back up and running and the company hopes to reopen the children’s course before the end of the school holidays.
That’s pending final sign-off from SafeWork SA, after the receipt of technical data from the course’s Europe-based builders.
Witnesses last weekend said there were two children just a metre from where a 12m long tree trunk snapped.
Glenelg North man Iliano Puccini, 72, said he heard “an almighty crack’’ before seeing the trunk fall and become suspended by the course’s cables.
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