Operating for an incredible 76 years, the 45-hectare Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (originally the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary) is one of the Gold Coast’s most beloved community assets, and is also a significant regional employer and training centre, with 1000+ workers, volunteers and trainees. Today’s guest Michael Kelly, who until recently was the Sanctuary’s General Manager, gives us an insight their world-class conservation projects around the region, the newly launched ‘Homestead’ fine dining and event facility (a game changer for the Southern Gold Coast), and a mind-boggling 33 other projects in the works. We also talk about Michael’s new role overseeing all strategic and major projects for the National Trust of Queensland, which includes the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Michael commenced his career in operational management within the theme park, hotel and casino industries before joining Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in 2013. During his tenure with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Michael has overseen unprecedented growth in visitation and revenue with his strengths in connecting strategy, visitor experience and business outcomes. This has allowed the commercial revenue arm of the business to almost double during his tenure. After leading the Sanctuary for seven years, Michael is now the General Manager of Strategic Projects for the National Trust of Queensland, which is headquarted at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.