Atlas, Elanor buy Hunter Valley Zoo
Elanor Wildlife Park Fund – which is co-held by Atlas Advisors Australia and Elanor Investors Group – has acquired Nulkaba’s Hunter Valley Zoo.
The deal is understood to be worth $10 million.
The vendor and operator, Jason Pearson, picked up the four hectare tourist attraction in 2006.
That seller was Beresford Smith which set up the property as Rusa Park Zoo in the early 1990s.
Nulkaba is about three kilometres north of Cessnock.
Hunter Valley Zoo
EWPF holds two other assets – Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney’s west Doonside, on the Blue Mountains tourist route, and Batemans Bay’s Mogo Zoo.
Atlas executive chairman Guy Hedley said the Nulkaba property was a prime asset which will thrive in the long term.
“Nature-based and eco-tourism is a rapidly growing sub-sector of the tourism industry in Australia and around the world,” he added (story continues below).
“Hunter Valley Zoo boasts amazing diversity of native and exotic wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, lions, giraffes, meerkats, monkeys and reptiles,” according to the executive.
“Wildlife parks and zoos have remained resilient and profitable despite COVID-19 posing the greatest challenges the Australian tourism sector has ever faced.
“Individuals and families are keen for outdoor adventures that connect them with nature and our unique environment while also providing life-long education experiences”.
Mr Hedley said the fund, now worth $60m, is ready to expand.
“We are looking forward to taking on more opportunities in this thriving tourism subsector while also expanding our asset portfolio to include nature retreats, luxury resorts and high-quality hotels,” he added.
Atlas is a fund manager operating in China and Australia.
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