Visit Australia’s largest private collection of macaws

FAMILY holidays on the Gold Coast tend to conjure images of glitz and theme parks but did you know it is also home to Australia’s largest private collection of macaw parrots –the rainforest rock stars?

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FAMILY holidays on the Gold Coast tend to conjure images of glitz and theme parks but did you know it is also home to Australia’s largest private collection of macaw parrots –the rainforest rock stars?

For almost 30 years, Top Parks, Ashmore Palms has nurtured a collection of hundreds of different rare birds including Macaw Parrots, helping to conserve the endangered species and to delight guests at the holiday park.It’s been a labour of love to build the tropical parrot sanctuary for the Illich family; Son Ken first spotted the colorful creatures while staying at a friend’s house in Miami in 1990.Since then Frank, Dad, has become obsessed with the intelligent birds and has searched high and low to find as many species of macaws as possible to display at Ashmore Palms.“I’d been to Miami and became fascinated by macaws – they are such spectacular birds and so clever. They’re thought to be as clever as an average toddler,” says Ken.“Initially we began with an aviary of Black Cockatoos and Major Mitchells because Macaws just seemed too expensive and hard to obtain. There had been no macaws legally imported into Australia since the 1950’. This left a very small selection of birds and most of them were in private collections and many were too old to breed.“Fortunately in the 1990s the Australian Government allowed a limited number of Macaw Parrots to be imported into the country. This is when Frank seized the chance to obtain several young and healthy birds to start the collection.”“It was quite a process having the hatchlings hand-reared, but the collection started to grow and our guests absolutely loved them! Next thing you know we were theming the whole park around the birds and gardens. Today, if you stay in a Macaw Mansion you can have a 24-hour view of the birds!So, while families use Ashmore Palms as a stepping stone to the local theme parks – Warner Brothers Movie World, Dreamworld, Seaworld and Wet’n’Wild — many are unexpectedly delighted to find a rainforest sanctuary full of birds made famous in movies such as Rio, Dr Doolittle and Ace Ventura - Pet Detective.The tropical rainforest park and the birds have become as much an attraction at the park as the lagoon pools and daily kids’ activities.“We have Macca the Macaw mascot, and staff employed especially to care for the birds, to entertain them, to clean the cages, to feed them fresh fruit and give talks to guests – it’s an opportunity for families to have morning tea with a beautiful macaw,” Ken says.The park has Hyacinth Macaws, Blue and Gold Macaws and Green Winged Macaws just to name a few– as well as the very rare Lutino variation of the Blue and Gold macaws with bright yellow-orange feathers and white features.The large birds, famous for their spectacular plumage and their uncanny conversational powers – just like ‘Blue’ in the movie Rio - are so popular the park is only able to allow in-house guests the pleasure of viewing them.“It’s such a special thing to get up close and personal with a macaw. You feel their magic when you connect with them – as you do when you see the whales. They are so intelligent.“The aviary is an extravagance but it is a wonderful opportunity for kids at the park to learn about these rainforest treasures. It’s not your typical Gold Coast holiday experience,” says Ken. For more information or to book at Top Parks Ashmore Palms: Ken Illich CEO Top Parks Brisbane Holiday Village and representative of Top Parks Ashmore Palms Holiday Village on 0419 393 222, www.ashmorepalmsgoldcoast.com.au or Jane Ford 0414 539 542 or [e-mail] Top Parks group of family-owned parks are part of the G’DAY network owned by Discovery Parks.Headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, and majority owned by Sunsuper, Discovery Parks is the largest owner and operator of lifestyle parks in Australia.