So much so that the award-winning tourist facility, which is situated near the intersection of Nelson Bay and Lemon Tree Passage roads at Salt Ash, is quickly gaining a reputation as one of Australias leading animal sanctuary parks.

Adding to its growing list of innovations was the acceptance last week of the rare [to this region] Lumholtz tree kangaroo.

We are thrilled to be the first and only facility in NSW to house the Lumholtz, said owners Kent and Leanne Sansom at a opening ceremony of a new $100,000 enclosure attended by Port mayor Ryan Palmer.

Oakvale is excited to work collaboratively with a collective breeding program which includes Dreamworld and Tree Roo Rescues Dr Karen Coombes.

We intend to successfully breed these species to then be released into their natural habitat to improve connectivity of populations and encourage genetic exchange.

The newcomers Csi, aged nine, and Adele, eight, are at the optimum breeding age.

Mr Sansom said that Oakvale staff would be partnering researchers Dr Rayn Witt and Dr Alex Callen from the Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of Newcastle, in order to learn more about the reproductive behaviour of the Lumholtz tree kangaroo.

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This is so important because the rainforest habitat of the Lumholtz on the Atherton Tablelands is becoming increasingly fragmented and their range is now restricted to forests at altitudes above 300m due to land clearing, he said.

The more which is learned about this macrapod the better prepared we may be to assist in population recovery efforts of this and other macropod species.

Mr Sansom said the $100,000 sanctuary built to house the tree kangaroos was a worthy investment. We have also set up the Oakvale Save Our Wildlife program and people wishing to donate can do so online.

Mayor Palmer said he was surprised by the growth of the wildlife park over recent years and paid tribute to the work carried out by staff in the conservation and rescue and rehabilitation fields.

This is a tremendous tourist attraction and educational facility for Port Stephens and the wider community. I believe that educating our school students in areas of animal conservation is important.

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Opened by the Sansom family 40 years ago, Oakvale which sits on 50 acres of land has grown exponentially as a tourist attraction and wildlife sanctuary, employing more than 30 staff.

Visitors to the park will be able to walk around the enclosure and look at the roos through a glass window. It is expected that the effect would be like peering into a rainforest.

The pair of Lumholtz tree-kangaroos will become the 11th threatened, vulnerable or endangered species to be kept and cared for at the Salt Ash park.

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The Lumholtz is the smallest of the 14 tree kangaroo species. They can climb trees by gripping the trunk or branch with their forelimbs and then pushing up with the hind limbs.

The head and body length of the Lumholtx tree kangaroo range from 480-650 mm, and their tail 600-740 mm, weighing an average of 6.6kgs. The species is endemic to the wet tropics of far north Queensland and can be found in the tropical rainforests.