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The story behind the sanctuary.
A flower grower’s lorikeets, a gift to the National Trust and a wildlife hospital offer several ways into the story of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
On this page
Lorikeets and flowers
Alex Griffiths opened the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary in 1947 as a small lorikeet feeding display, partly to keep the birds away from his flowers. A National Geographic photographer documented the feeding in 1956.
The sanctuary stands on the traditional land of the Yugambeh language region, whose Traditional Custodians the sanctuary acknowledges.
A gift to the National Trust
In 1976 Griffiths gifted the sanctuary to the National Trust of Australia (Queensland), and it became a not-for-profit organisation. It took the name Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in 1995.
In 2009 it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register and named one of Queensland’s Q150 Icons.
A wildlife hospital
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital opened in 1989 as a free community service for sick and injured wildlife. In 2020 scientists at the sanctuary bred the critically endangered Kroombit tinker frog in captivity for the first time.
This history belongs to the sanctuary and the people who shaped it. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: Our history
- Wikipedia: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
- Wikipedia: Currumbin, Queensland
Links lead to the original publishers.
