By VANESSA VALENZUELA
WESTERN Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn believes Woodlands Park could become a major tourist attraction if a pathway is built from Melbourne Airport allowing visitors to see kangaroos in their natural habitat.
In a speech to Parliament last month, Mr Finn called on the Minister for Tourism Louise Asher to create a safe access path between Melbourne Airport and Woodlands Historic Park in Tullamarine to allow visitors to see kangaroos in the plains.
The call comes after a kangaroo was captured in the long-term car park at Melbourne Airport in October.
Mr Finn said the number of kangaroos at Woodlands Park has increased in the last few years.
“Now that the drought has broken and we have had significant rain, there is plentiful food, so there are huge numbers of kangaroos roaming through the park and getting onto the roads,” Mr Finn said.
“There has been considerable concern expressed about the numbers of kangaroos in the area, particularly by people who have been driving cars that have struck kangaroos.
Last year, Melbourne Airport handled more than 28 million domestic and international passengers, and numbers are expected to reach 40 million by 2020.
Mr Finn said he believed creating a safe access path could turn Woodlands Park into a major tourist attraction for Melbourne where international visitors could see the native animals as they arrive in Victoria.
“We already have the best airport in Australia, and such a facility could only add to it,” Mr Finn said.
“The prospect of selling Melbourne overseas as the place where you can fly in and head across the road and have lunch with a kangaroo could be very appealing to millions of people.”
