Cairns business: New start for Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours at Cape Tribulation, after tragedy
The company that bought the Cape Tribulation site of a terrible 2019 zipline tragedy has new plans for the tourist attraction.
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TOURISM giant Experience Co has bought the property where Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours operated until the tragic death of a South Australian tourist three years ago.
Dean Sanderson, 50, was harnessed to wife Shannon, 48, when they both fell from the flying fox.
Witnesses said the zip line “snapped”, leaving the South Australian couple hanging before they fell to the forest floor on October 22, 2019.
Mr Sanderson was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife was flown to Cairns Hospital.
Late last year, Mrs Sanderson and her son Bailey filed a claim in the Cairns Supreme Court against Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours and the engineering company EDMS Pty Ltd.
They are seeking $1.8 million for Mr Sanderson’s death and $624,000 for Mrs Sanderson’s injuries.
Mrs Sanderson is claiming Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours owed her a duty to take reasonable care as the owner and operator of the business, and that EDMS owed her a duty to take reasonable care in providing advice to Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours in the design, manufacture and registration of the facility.
After the Adelaide father-of-three died, the business, which had operated since 2003, went into liquidation.
Jungle Surfing, on a 7.47ha site adjoining Daintree National Park rainforests, closed its doors in early 2020.
A liquidator was appointed and the property was marketed by Stacey Quaid of Colliers International.
The buyer is Treetops Adventur – which was snapped up last September by Experience Co for $46.9mk.
Treetops Adventure has 14 parks nationwide and has operated since 2010.
It said in a development application to Douglas Shire Council seeking to build 27 new platforms it was excited about the opportunity to revive the jungle surfing facility at Cape Tribulation.
“Treetops Adventure maintain high safety standards providing safety equipment for use onsite, and maintaining daily, monthly and annual inspections to ensure that all equipment, gear, activities and courses have a high safety rating,” it stated.
“The company does not intend to redesign the facility but is interested in updating the site to create a treetop obstacle course that will attract local, interstate and international visitors to the Cape Tribulation area.”
It intends to replace the existing five platform canopy run with a new run of 27 platforms.
The canopy tours would involve a series of nets, ladders and ziplines supervised by two guides to a group of twelve visitors.
The human hamster wheel that was part of the old canopy run would be decommissioned.
Treetops Adventure was contacted for comment and the Cairns Post was advised the manager was on leave.
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Originally published as Cairns business: New start for Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours at Cape Tribulation, after tragedy
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