The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is a butterfly sanctuary and exhibit situated in the centre of

Kuranda, Queensland Kuranda is a rural town and locality on the Atherton Tableland in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kuranda had a population of 3,008 people. It is from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by tropical rain ...

, Australia. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as Australia's largest butterfly flight aviary and exhibit. The sanctuary rears a variety of butterflies, most of which are native to Far North Queensland, including the vibrant Cairns Birdwing Butterfly. The lab breeds about 30,000 caterpillars each year, and sends about 24,000 pupae to be released in the aviary. There are around 1500 free flying butterflies from a variety of species.

History

The sanctuary was conceived, designed, and built by Paul and Susan Wright in 1987. In July 2004, Charles & Pip Woodward of the CaPTA Group joined Paul and Sue right in an equal partnership. The CaPTA Group bought the remaining share of the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary a few years later. In April 2005, the breeding laboratories were upgraded to allow viewing by educational groups.

Butterflies and moths

The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is home to around 1500 free-flying butterflies. All butterflies are raised in the sanctuaries laboratory from caterpillar to pupa stages. Butterflies are released daily from the laboratory into the aviary. Species on display include: * Ulysses butterfly (''

Papilio ulysses ''Papilio ulysses'', the Ulysses butterfly (also commonly known as the Blue emperor), is a large swallowtail butterfly of Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Its size varies depending on subspecies, but the wingspa ...

'') * Cairns birdwing butterfly ('' Ornithoptera euphorion'') * Red lacewing butterfly (''Cethosia chrysippe'') * Cruiser butterfly ('' Vindula arsinoe'') * Australian lurcher butterfly (''

Yoma sabina ''Yoma sabina'', the Australian lurcher, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the northern Australasian realm and in Southeast Asia. The wingspan is around 7 cm. The larvae feed on ''Dipteracanthus bracteatus'' and ''R ...

'') * Orchard swallowtail butterfly (''

Papilio aegeus ''Papilio aegeus'', the orchard swallowtail butterfly or large citrus butterfly is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. The larvae of this species are sometimes considered ...

'') * Orange lacewing ('' Cethosia penthesilea'') * Hercules moth (''

Coscinocera hercules ''Coscinocera hercules'', the Hercules moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae, endemic to New Guinea and northern Australia. The species was first described by William Henry Miskin in 1876. Description Adults have a wingspan of about , makin ...

'') * Silk moth (''

Bombyx mori The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

'') * Common eggfly butterfly (''

Hypolimnas bolina ''Hypolimnas bolina'', the great eggfly, common eggfly, varied eggfly or in New Zealand the blue moon butterfly is a species of nymphalid butterfly found from Madagascar to Asia and Australia. Appearance Race ''bolina'' ''H. bolina'' is a blac ...

'') * Blue banded eggfly ('' Hypolimnas alimena'') * Monarch butterfly (''Danaus plexippus'')

Television

The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary appeared in Better Homes and Gardens in which Dr Harry Cooper explored the aviary and met its colourful residents. The park was also featured in the first season of Helloworld with

Bec Hewitt Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music albu ...

References

External links

* {{Zoos of Queensland 1987 establishments in Australia Zoos established in 1987 Buildings and structures in Far North Queensland Wildlife sanctuaries of Australia Tourist attractions in Far North Queensland Zoos in Queensland Butterfly houses