The re-development of the new entrance on Obley Road will include a visitors precinct, a recreation and visitors area opposite the Streets Milk Bar and a new children’s playground.

The new precinct will set the scene for the discovery and exploration of the zoo and its animals and act as an information hub, showcasing the zoo’s role in Australian and international conservation.

By 2010 the local community will be able to gain free access to the new visitor precinct and children’s playground area, which will be open to the community providing new opportunities for lakeside picnics, themed events, exciting play, animal discovery and a relaxing meal and drink on the lakefront.

A new system will be adopted where visitors buy their tickers in the new entry and arrival area, as opposed to through the window of their vehicle.

“It will allow better movement of people into the area (and)get traffic off the road quickly so there is no conflict between queues of cars and vehicles on the road,” Taronga Western Plains Zoo, general manager, Matt Fuller said.

“It will give us the ability to bring people off the highway, they can recreate and come to the cafe and have kids in the playground.

“The redevelopment of the front entrance and visitor precinct will revitalise a 30- year-old building, allow us to better manage parking and traffic and improve access to the lake foreshore,” said Mr Fuller.

The projects form the next wave of the zoo’s 12-year master plan which will see about $21.5m spent redeveloping a number of areas of the site over the coming four years.

Numerous exhibit upgrades, construction and redevelopment are also scheduled to be carried out within the next year for African wild dogs, White Rhinos and Siamang Apes as well as an additional off-display, multi-purpose breeding facility to be home to the zoo’s Tasmanian Devil insurance population.