Karumba's Barramundi Discovery Centre has been named a finalist in the Grey Nomad Awards cementing the Gulf's reputation as a bucket list destination for mature age tourists.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Barramundi Discovery Centre & Hatchery Karumba has been shortlisted in the '2020 Best Grey Nomad Attraction or Tour' category for the second consecutive year.
The winners will be announced on Tuesday March 2 at a celebratory event on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.
The world-class interpretive and visitors centre, which includes the only hatchery in the world to breed the Southern Gulf strain of this iconic fish, is free and explains the history, stories and habits of these sought-after fish.
A permanent wrap-around viewing platform over the large lagoon, café, dog minding, mangrove and crocodile displays, and a film in the theatrette round out the experience all add to the educational enjoyment.
To complement these features, the centre installed fishing pontoons, additional research facilities and a 10-metre diameter tank during 2020, plus enhanced Catch-a-Barra and Feed-a-Barra tours. Both tours provide mature-age visitors, who make 80% of all visitors to the Gulf, with key insights into the barramundi's lifecycle, size, feeding and breeding.
Awards Director, Kim Morgan, said the Grey Nomad Awards provide vital, credible information to these and other mature-age travellers while supporting positive aging through soft adventure and social inclusion.
"The COVID situation has meant that some older Australians felt uneasy about travelling in 2020, with health and safety becoming an even greater factor in their decision making," she said.
"That is why the Grey Nomad Awards' criteria focused on the actions that tourism operators, caravan parks and campground managers took to make the lives of grey nomads happier, healthier and safer."
The judges congratulated the Shire of Carpentaria and the Karumba community on a successful second year of operation.
"We love that such a dedicated team of scientists, commercial fishing folk, tour guides and tradesmen run the centre to deliver what is a truly genuine and memorable experience steeped in Outback Australian hospitality," judges said.
"It is a testament to the type of passionate people who work at the centre that the forced COVID closure in the first half of 2020 was adopted as an opportunity to further enhance their offerings based on feedback from hundreds of grey nomads."
READ ALSO: One in 50 drivers over the alcohol limit
While you are here, subscribe to our email delivered to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday.