The Australian Reptile Park did something 30 years ago no Australian zoo had ever done before: it packed up and moved.
Every animal, every exhibit and one very large, yellow dinosaur made the 10-kilometre journey from Wyoming to Somersby on the Central Coast.
"Ploddy the dinosaur is part of the Central Coast's identity," Australian Reptile Park executive director Liz Gabriel says.
"Celebrating 30 years at Somersby is an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary move that secured the park's future, while also celebrating the community that welcomed us and has supported us ever since."
Ploddy has been a part of the Australian Reptile Park story since 1963, when founder Eric Worrell commissioned the design and construction of a 26-metre concrete replica of a Diplodocus dinosaur, hence the name Ploddy.
Weighing in at almost 100 tonnes, she took two months to build.
Ploddy is believed to be Australia's first giant roadside icon, predating the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple and every other oversized landmark that followed.
Ploddy stood proudly at the park's original Wyoming location for 33 years, but when the decision was made to relocate the park to Somersby in 1996, there was never any question: Ploddy was coming too.
Moving a 26-metre, 100-tonne concrete dinosaur was not easy. It took a team of specialised people. To celebrate, Ploddy was given a full street parade through the main streets of Gosford. Local school children painted giant Ploddy footprints along the route and more than 10,000 people lined the streets to watch her journey.
Ploddy was far from the only one making the journey. About 1000 animals were relocated from Wyoming to Somersby, including the park's entire alligator population, Miss Piggy the pig-nosed turtle, Galapagos tortoises Hugo and Dippy, and Terminator the alligator snapping turtle.
The park's life-saving antivenom program also made the move, along with the keepers and staff who had devoted themselves to its work. Among them was Mick Tate, better known as "Ranger Mick", who had joined the Australian Reptile Park four years earlier and would go on to dedicate more than 30 years to the park.
"The plan was basically 'grab the alligator and try not to get bitten'," Ranger Mick says.
"We hand-wrangled every 'gator out of the lagoon and loaded them up for the move to Somersby, and not one person lost any limbs."
Ploddy now sits atop a hill overlooking the Sydney-Newcastle M1 Freeway, and is seen by more than 40 million passing vehicles every year.
Throughout August, every visit to the Australian Reptile Park comes loaded with free activities. There is a daily wildlife show telling the story of how the zoo moved from Wyoming to Somersby in 1996, and families can follow Ploddy's free Scavenger Hunt around the park.
On weekends, the celebrations step up a gear with free face painting and a Dinosaur Walk.
"For so many Coasties, seeing Ploddy on the hill means they are nearly home," Australian Reptile Park managing director Tim Faulkner says.
"She has watched the park grow and change over the past 30 years, but she has remained that familiar, much-loved symbol.
"This anniversary is about celebrating where we have come from, the animals and people who made the move possible, and the exciting future still ahead."
