Australian export case study
 A small tour company that guides its explorers through Queensland’s Wooroonooran National Park has achieved local and international recognition.
Wooroonooran Safaris was recently awarded the 2005 Australian Tourism Export Council Excellence Award for Best Tour Operator. The tour company attracts travellers from across the globe, with a high proportion of visitors coming from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.
Oliver Schreiber, Managing Director of Wooroonooran Safaris and a German migrant lived in Brunei for three years before moving to Australia in 1988.
“I’d trekked the deep rainforests in Borneo and wanted to be in a country with a great natural environment without political uncertainties,” Mr Schreiber said.
“My cousin travelled in Australia and recommended Cairns as a place with a great future. I thought I’d stay for a couple of years but have been here ever since,” he said.
Once in Cairns, Mr Schreiber sought work that would reflect his love of nature and draw on his hospitality background. He underwent substantial research to find the Wooroonooran National Park a relatively untapped tourist destination, yet boasting Queensland's two highest peaks, Mt. Bellenden Ker and Mt. Bartle Frere.
It also featured numerous rivers, waterfalls, swimming holes and some of the world's lushest and most ancient rainforests. He found the main tourist destinations of the Daintree/Cape Tribulation National Park and Kuranda to be very crowded at times with trekkers and tours therefore decided to go south to set up his tour company.
After establishing Wooroonooran Safaris, Mr Schreiber guided the tours mostly by himself for more than two years. He worked 12 to 14 hour days and took a second job as a waiter in order to make ends meet.
The company now has 15 employees, all of which are bilingual speaking at least one other language other than English. Travellers can book their tour guide service in Chinese, Japanese, German, English, French, Italian or Spanish. “It’s a real defining aspect and a feature we’ve been able to maintain for ten years,” Mr Schreiber said.
Wooroonooran Safaris has received financial assistance through the Austrade administered Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme, a support Mr Schreiber says has been well appreciated.
Mr Schreiber said: “I heard about Austrade through one of its seminars and have found it a very useful and beneficial service for everyone involved.”
Company information:
Wooroonooran Safaris
PO Box 2670
Cairns Qld 4870
Tel: 07 405 15512
Fax: 07 405 11227
Email: oliver@wooroonooran-safaris.com.au
Website: www.wooroonooran-safaris.com.au
June 2005
www.austrade.gov.au
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