New Dolphin Marine Conservation Park owners Tiga and Brian Cross plot path for expanded Coffs Coast wildlife sanctuary

A young mum took matters into her own hands when she realised a “knight in shining armour” wasn’t coming to save Coffs Harbour’s troubled Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. Now, the park is set to expand.

Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary managing director Tiga Cross with Australian sea lion Hugo. Picture: Chris Knight

Coffs Harbour’s beleaguered Dolphin Marine Conservation Park has found a saviour – and the answers lay within its four walls all along.

In July, the owners of the 53-year-old institution placed the tourist attraction into voluntary administration.

Tiga Cross was among 40 staff who hoped someone would take on the business and keep the doors open.

“I contacted lots of big companies and tried to find millionaires online, but after a while I realised there was no knight in shining armour coming along,” she said.

Tiga and Brian Cross with their daughter Akira. Picture: Chris Knight

“We tried to fundraise to save the park and I told everyone ‘I will save the park, I will save the park’.”

But in the end, few options were available, at least when it came to parties open to keeping the site as it was.

The iconic Coffs Harbour tourist attraction is being rebranded inside and out. Picture: Chris Knight

So Ms Cross bit the bullet, took out a loan, and together with husband Brian, lodged a bid to take it on.

They were in the mix of a tender process which included investors who wanted to turn the Park Beach site into an apartment block.

Flashback: Best of friends Jet the dolphin and Miri the seal play at the what was then known as the Pet Porpoise Pool at Coffs.

While cagey about how much she paid for it, Ms Cross said: “I was the top bidder”.

“It was an appropriate value for the assets and the value of the land,” she said.

Some 60,000 people a year visit the park at Coffs.

The change in ownership of the property bordering Coffs Creek is one of many on the drawing board.

The park is now in the hands of a not-for-profit entity, with Ms Cross serving as managing director.

Tiga Cross with little blue penguins. Picture: Chris Knight

“We’ll be expanding into other wildlife rather than just marine – birds, reptiles, frogs and small mammals,” she said.

A name change to Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary is well underway, as are other things.

One of the park’s resident peacocks, and for those old enough to remember former Liberal leaders, his name is Andrew. Picture: Chris Knight

“I want to showcase the Coffs area and the Dorrigo rainforest,” Ms Cross said.

Some things are non-negotiables, as the park will remain an animal rescue, rehabilitation and release centre.

Flashback: Members of National Parks and Wildlife, ORCA and what was then the Coffs Harbour Pet Porpoise Pool help release dolphins into the Hastings River at Port Macquarie after they had been stranded upstream for two weeks.

“The rescue work, I want to amp that up,” she said, noting that as a not-for-profit the enterprise could lobby for public funding.

At present the park – working alongside other agencies like SeaWorld and National Parks – provides animal rescue services within a three-hour road radius, from the Gold Coast in the north to Forster in the south.

A long list of celebrities have visited the park over the years, including Bondi Rescue boys.

The sanctuary has a long and proud heritage on this front.

“We rescue 200 sea turtles a year and 195 shearwater in the last financial year,” Ms Cross said.

The eco cafe at the park is a popular spot for locals and visitors, as it gives a great view of Coffs Creek. Picture: Chris Knight

The work is never done though and today the attraction is home to endangered Australian sea lions, little blue penguins, turtles, peacocks and dolphins Zippy, Bella and Jet.

It’s those latter residents which have caused occasional grief from animal activists who are opposed to dolphins in captivity.

Sea turtles on the mend in the rehabilitation centre. Picture: Chris Knight

“But we can’t release those animals because they wouldn’t survive (in the wild),” Ms Cross said.

“So they have to stay but we’re not going to continue to have dolphins in the future.”

Ms Cross with Clamity the dolphin and Maxine the seal back in 2016.

For decades the park – in its various guises – has been entertaining and educating people about wildlife.

Alongside the Big Banana Fun Park, the marine conservation sanctuary has been wowing families since the 1970s.

The park had its genesis in the 1950s, when The Jack Evan’s Pet Porpoise Pool was established at Tweed Heads.

Hec Goodall and brothers Greg and Spencer Pickering were among the volunteers there and had the idea of creating a similar facility on the Mid North Coast – the result was the Coffs Pet Porpoise Pool.

Today the rich legacy is being reimagined by Ms Cross who starting working there when she was in Year 10 at school, and rose through the ranks to the Life Sciences role, helping all manner of animals from seals to sea turtles.

The stakes are as high for the new owners as they are for Coffs Harbour which was mortified at the thought of potentially seeing the doors close at the much loved attraction.

“We have 60,000 people come through here a year,” Ms Cross said.

“And we’re confident this place has a future.”