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Australian Butterfly Sanctuary (Visit this link)

The aviary has been visited by over a million people since. The butterfly's beguiling aerial dances and their tendency to land on brightly coloured clothing, has inspired and delighted young and old alike.

The aviary, and the garden within it, took three years to design, build and landscape. At the time of opening in 1987, the sanctuary gained a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest butterfly aviary in the world. To date it still holds the record as the largest aviary in the southern hemisphere.

Whilst living in Malaysia ,Paul Wright, who still owns and operates the sanctuary, was fascinated by the diversity of the tropical butterflies there, albeit that they were never seen often or for long enough. Knowing that a glimpse of these creatures lightens the hearts of all, he had a dream to create an environment where there was opportunity to experience these creatures in all their gracefulness and glory.

On visiting Kuranda in 1968, Paul became acquainted with the locals, people and butterflies alike, and realised that the diversity and beauty of north Queensland tropical butterflies was equal to all those he had seen in Malaysia.

Situated just 27 Km west of Cairns, Kuranda offered the advantages of being readily accessible to people, as well as easy living for the butterflies, it already being their natural habitat. The sanctuary was designed with the concept of it being a self sustaining operation, hence allowance was made for all food plants to feed the caterpillars to be grown on the premises.

http://www.australianbutterflies.com